October 2010

You have picked a beautiful day today to visit The Garden.

Shall we go and sit under the pergola, the sweet peas have almost reached the top and the smell is wonderful. The sun is filtering through, just the perfect place to relax. I have made the tea so sit down and make yourselves comfortable. I will fetch the biscuits, they are special, my friend and neighbour brought them back from holiday for me and they really are very habit forming, but remember we must not over indulge.

First of all, the magazine will be one year old with this issue. My how time flies when you are having fun. I would like to thank our two very hard working lady editors as without them there would never have been a magazine, and all of the talented crafters who have taken time to share their wonderful ideas with us.

You may remember last time we visited together, I shared with you all a photo of a very sporty

caterpillar which I found in The Garden. Well, it was The Mullein Shargacucullia Verbasci, my goodness what a mouthful, and I would like to thank you Michelle (from Socklings) for taking the time to research this for us, it is very much appreciated.

Well, there is no stopping me now! Here is not one, but two photos which fit in rather well as it will soon be Halloween. They may well be toadstools I am not sure, perhaps someone could enlighten me. One of them has a piece bitten out but I guess that will remain a mystery, who knows what creatures abound in the wood.

We have had a wonderful summer in The Garden, it was a little dry and I had to do a little more watering, but we got to sit and enjoy the beauty of the hot sun on the patio with the bright summer bedding and the cool shade under the trees with the soft greens and pastel colours of the woodland plants.

It has also proved a bountiful harvest, if I try to show you photos of everything The Garden has produced there would be no room for my writing, well yes it may be a better idea, I do go on a bit sometimes.

The apples and pears and crab apple trees are full, as you see they do their own thing in the borders and seem to enjoy the companionship of the other plants. The mulberry too is full of fruit it is a beautiful old tree, how old I do not know as it was here when we arrived. The leaves are such a lovely shape, it is just so graceful. I do not get to all of the mulberries as Mr Blackbird can reach them better than I can, but I do not mind as he has produced two families this year so I think he deserves them.

Some of the raspberries have already produced this year but the autumn ones will be ripe soon, the grapes also have really done well. On the patio we had tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers,

peppers and lots of salad greens. Although we have a large garden salad crops do not do well, because of the slugs and snails. Well, I know they have to live somewhere so I leave them to it

and grow my salad crops in pots on the patio. That also is their hunting ground but I put used coffee grounds around the soil in the pot and around the base on the patio. It does work, maybe they object to it under their feet, I do not know, coffee grounds for the patio I can

manage but for the main garden no thanks.

The wild plants are producing their berries, the Hawthorn, the wild rose, and of course the blackberry, I do love blackberry and apple pie don’t you? Another fascinating plant to me is the wild hop, with those delicate green flowers it just clambers over everything, and then turns to a rich russet brown which is the real colour of the Autumn.

Well we have finished our tea, and left some of the biscuits, we have been good, so I will thank you again for your time and look forward to your next visit with me in The Garden.

Your green fingered friend,

Tina