November already! I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering where the summer went. I think that late burst of heat fooled me into thinking we'd rewound the clock back to July. But Halloween arrived this weekend and with it, the first autumn storm that stripped the leaves from the trees so there's no denying that autumn is truly here.
I've finally got round to planting the eriobotryia at the bottom of my garden. It's massive - 50-litres of rootball that I've kept alive with liquid feeds and foliar feeds of seaweed since bringing it back from Gardeners' World Live last summer. After a good soaking in, I can leave it to look after itself and strike its weekly maintenance off my to-do list. The satisfaction of finally getting this plant in the ground is akin to putting in the last piece of a jigsaw. And that's not the only progress this weekend - I've been on and off the phone to the landscaping team (Ned, Phil and Joe) who have been laying turf and paving at Greenacre. Pictures of stone samples and ideas on where to lay the leftover turf (there's always some left on the pallet) have been buzzed back and forth from our mobile phones. Although not a technophobe, I'm not usually interested in the advances of phones that so fascinate my children, but seeing images of Greenacre bounced in real time from a satellite to me while I've worked in my garden is pretty miraculous!
Another day spent at the new Gardeners' World garden, Greenacre. (Note to self - always take a spare pair of boots, some clean shoes and a spare pair of socks for mud-free travel home!) I love going there because it gives me a real adrenalin rush. The atmosphere is a heady mix of panic - will we finish getting it ready for filming in time? - and the energy that comes from doing something completely new for the programme. One of my favourite things has been pulling together lots of reclaimed timber for the site - you'll see it on the show in the shape of doors, windows and shelves. The other day I got some 'ware' boards, once used in our vanishing pottery industry to carry plates between the kiln and the potter's wheel. They're made of yellow pine harvested from a cluster of North American pinus species that are native to the south-eastern corner of the United States. Although a softwood, yellow pine is one of the strongest and most durable timbers you can get. It doesn't twist so it's ideal for staircases and shelves in greenhouses and potting sheds. (I made the apple press from it - see blog a few weeks ago.) When you hold the boards in your hand it's amazing to think of all those skilled craftsmen and women handling them. And even more thrilling to think of all the plant-craft they'll be involved in at Greenacre soon...
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~09~RS~)
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