Sunday, 3 June 2018
Allan saw a potential new resident outside his window.
I woke up an hour and a half early fretting about the bouquets; would they still be good or would some things have wilted?
I picked one more spray of flowers from Halimiocistus x wintonensis ‘Merrist Wood Cream’. I realize now I have been leaving out the first “i” on the spelling of this plant for years.
At 11, we went to the Shelburne in to set up the flowers for the Summer Salsa fundraiser.
Allan watered the garden so that it would look fresh and lively for the event.
All the Mexican coke bottles had some flowers already. I had brought a bucket of more flowers to add to them as I set them up. Allan tied them together in groups of three in order to keep them from tipping.
For those who do not know, Mexican coca cola is made with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I am not a coke drinker, but people do like that taste better.
My red velvet bouquet got wrapped with a delicate string of lights.
We did not stay for the event. We later learned it was a big success and raised over $8000 dollars.
At home, Allan drove off in the mist to go shopping and exploring in NW Oregon.
I had the idea that I would go home and weed some more in the afternoon, and then…finally, we had some rain. I stood at the window and watched the glorious sight of rain going into a rain barrel.
Unfortunately, it only rained a tiny fraction of an inch. Even when the sun peeked out in the early evening, I could not make myself garden. I had finished this library book:
It had a good explanation of hoarding behavior:
I enjoyed the book so much that I immediately read my other library book by the same author:
It is a suspense novel set in one of those big private London gardens surrounded by residences. I enjoyed it so much that I intend to read more by her next winter.
I had two cats on my lap while reading. No wonder I couldn’t go outside to the garden.
I forgot to mention that not long ago I finished a third memoir by Alan Titchmarsh. (Gardeners’ World videos continue to interfere with my reading time.)
I was finally enlightened about John Innes compost, often mentioned in British gardening sources:
I learned something new about “ae” and “ii”.
Why we use such names:
I remember a day while working at a local resort, when I was able to communicate about plants with a non English speaking tourist with botanical Latin.
Watering rounds, in his early work days:
The love of books:
I wish I could acquire this rose, and ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ sweet peas:
A charming description of Beth Chatto, who recently died:
I especially enjoyed the chapter which talked about the early days of Gardeners’ World, when Percy Thrower was the host.
I have a copy of “Nobbut a Lad”” somewhere in the house, but I’ve never read it. I should hunt it down and read it, because I enjoyed the excerpts you’ve given here of one of Alan’s other books. I don’t know why I couldn’t get into it at the time I bought it, it was quite a while ago and in some ways I think I was a different person then.
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All three memoirs overlap a bit, which is rather odd. Like maybe he could have written just two but thought of more to share later.
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Lots to reflect on in this post.
The explanation of hoarding resonated with me. I confess that I keep some…perhaps a bit more than some…things that have no use other than reminding me of a time and place.
Thank you for the book excerpts. I agree about the tactile thrill of holding a book.
Speaking of books, I have just finished reading Fredrik Backman’s “my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry” I think you read, or had on your pile his book A Man Called Ove?
It was enjoyable, different and quirky, if you are looking for another book to add to the stack.
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Thank you, I will add it! Loved Ove.
I, too, have more than a few things that are just reminders.
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Those cut flowers are pretty crazy. I used to grow cut flowers a very long time ago, and had to work with floral designers. Although I know that they know what they are doing, I still prefer flowers put together by those who do not need to follow the rules or fads. The colors and design are so much more fun and ‘normal’.
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Crazy good, I hope
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If they were crazy bad, I would not say so. I sort of miss flowers. When I lived in town, I brought more of them in. My neighbor was good about selecting good cut flowers, but I also brought in a few things that were not normally used for cut flowers, like peach blossoms, rhododendrons and daphne. I actually had to remove the blooming tips from the daphne stock plants at work! It was so sad! I collected them in a paper bag and put them in a bowl on the coffee table, just because they smelled so good. Deprived of their bloom, the daphne plants made more happy shoots for propagation.
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your bouquets are stunning
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We have visited Beth Chatto’s garden and were very impressed.
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Those bouquets are drop dead gorgeous!
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