Summertime arrived in our garden at Ednovean Farm once more, like a restless spirit reclaiming its life.
Spring turns to summer
Suddenly the days lengthened, the courtyard gardens filled with birdsong and our two little bats emerged from their hibernation to flirt with the twilight.
So join me in this blog about our summer garden, to see the gardens indomitable spirit sail through the surprisingly chilly evenings of the late spring. The early summer drought tested the drought proof planting with just a scattering of Cordyline leaves to show for an overnight gale!
Where does our Summer Garden grow?
If you’re joining my Garden diary for the first time I thought that I would explain a little about our garden.
We’re very near to the sea above Mounts bay on a gentle west facing slope. Summertime comes early to Cornwall yet lingers on into autumn with a sub tropical climate. This allows the plants to grow lush within an almost uninterrupted growing season.
In fact I do get quite excited at the first visage of frost and rush out with the camera.
And Snow!! Well my year is complete. We had a least an eighth of an inch that last for nearly two hours this winter!
Our gardens at Ednovean Farm are a mixture of formal gardens set around a courtyard that open to the sweeps of lawns above Mounts bay. In turn these lead to privet hedged garden rooms, fringed by sub tropical foliage planting.
For instance the slopes above the sea are populated by the strappy Phormiums and cordylines from the southern hemisphere.
A smattering of Date Palms continue the rhythm of planting that starts at the top entrance, twining down across the garden in a flamboyant visual link.
Whilst the courtyards beside the house, formed from the old farmyard, shield the more tender box hedges and topiary. It’s into this framework that the magic of the seasonal flowers heralds the changing of the seasons.
The flowers that mark our year
From the daffodils that signal the end of winter, to the tulips that herald the move towards summer; from the swaying spires of the Echiums to the delicate vintage rose in the courtyard. Each season our garden reclaims its kingdom above Mounts Bay
And this year was a good year for the roses!
Opposite Fennel Alliums and eryngiums surround a bird bath. This years tip: – choose focal points and place them to catch the light at special times of the day.
A vintage rose
Each year an old fashioned vintage rose fills our courtyard with is sweet heady scent. It was a gift from my father when I married as he said our family had always had and Albertine Rose in their garden.
It brings his memory into a sharp focus by flowering just around his birthday and then gently fades to send a drift of delicate soft petals onto the gravel. It’s grown in a big tub beside the garden room for thirty three years now so maybe it’s time to take a cutting. I do treat it to a little Tomorite when watering and a helping of Epsom salts in the autumn though.
Echium time!
The massive swaying spires of Echium Pininana (meaning Pine Like) are quite a feature that straddles the season between spring and summer. They intrigue our Bed and Breakfast visitors and act as a magnate to the garden insects, before lustily self seeding into their chosen spots. Now maybe they’re like the puppy that grows to be a giant dog yet still tries to sit on your lap because these huge beauties always covet the very front of the border!
Next years crop are already flourishing as small shrubs with more tiny seedlings emerging for following season. They can be transplanted before they send their tap root down. However I have to be strict and at least weed some of them out. Probably!!
A summer wedding photo Shoot
We spent a lot of gardening time through the winter refining the bones of the garden to prepare for a wedding photo shoot.
It was a joy when the long anticipated day finally dawned to a perfect blue sky with the gardens’ decked her best finery.
Here’s a sneaky peek behind the scenes of Model Aurora Fay being artfully positioned by Professional photographer Victoria Walker with one of the Sponsors, Tracy of Bliss Bridal gowns It was our summer dream: – The lovely hair and makeup, bridal bouquet and a full complement of Echiums in flower in our summer garden! All seamlessly organised by Natalie Blake wedding and Event Design
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