A garden robin

Another sculpture from one of the stands at this year’s Chelsea, and one that many of us could recreate for real in our own gardens, with our own friendly robin and spade. We have a couple of robins in our garden which I’m told is unusual as they’re territorial. But even so, they’re inquisitive and friendly, or just after the worms and insects where we’re working.

This sculpture is one by Rupert Till whose wire sculptures are just stunning, and something I’d be happy to incorporate into a garden. Some are quite large, on his website you’ll see a racehorse jumping a fence, which would be quite hard to accommodate in a domestic garden, but the smaller sculptures should be easier.

What do you think?

Visiting the four RHS Gardens this year

This year is my second year as a member of the RHS, and at the start of the year I wondered if I could manage to visit all four of their gardens. Some, I knew would be easier than others. Living in London, getting to Wisley in Surrey and Hyde Hall in Essex are relatively easy and are the gardens I’ve been to most.

The other two, Harlow Carr in Yorkshire and Rosemoor in Devon, I’d never been to, but with relatives in Devon I thought this was do-able. We were in Devon in March and it was on our ‘to visit’ list but our visit was cut short when the snow started to come in. We knew we’d be back later in the year, and so my plan was to sneak in a visit then. That was last weekend and even though the forecast was rain, we made it happen.

Though if we’d not made it to Harlow Carr, made possible by a tactical UK break, then maybe we’d have left it for another year. I’m glad we didn’t though as it’s nice to meet the challenges we set ourselves, even if visiting each of the RHS gardens in a year isn’t the most strenuous of challenges!

RHS Wisley

Wisley in Surrey is the RHS’ historic home and the RHS garden I’ve visited the most. The hot houses are always a favourite spot in January and February, as not only are they warm but they’re full of butterflies and exotic plants. Other usual haunts are the alpine houses and the vegetable garden, and I’m continually amazed by the Bonsai too.

IN THE GLASS HOUSE

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

SUCCULENTS

THE ALPINE HOUSE

RHS Hyde Hall

I’ve only been to this garden a few times, despite the fact that it’s only in Essex but each time it’s been full of sculptures. They’ve had some building work done and it was great to see the new visitor centre and cafe open on my last visit. And I finally got into the new vegetable garden, which opened a week after my previous visit, bad timing or what?

ON THE SCULPTURE TRAIL

EXQUISITE FLOWERS

DELIGHTFUL DAHLIAS

THE DRY GARDEN

RHS Harlow Carr

My first visit was in July during our week in Yorkshire, and as you can tell from the photos we had great weather. I realised while creating this post that I’ve not shared much from there yet, but on the plus side there’s some sunny posts to look forward to over the winter.

CONTAINERS

THE STREAMSIDE WALK

INSECTS IN THE BORDERS

JUST STUNNING

RHS Rosemoor

The final garden and the last one I visited, after an aborted attempt much earlier in the year. I’m not sure why we haven’t been before when we head down to Devon normally at least once a year. It’s a place we’ll be going to again, and while it was full of autumn colours on our visit it’ll be great to see it in a different season to see how the garden changes.

AUTUMN COLOURS

PUMPKINS

MEDLARS

THE HOBBIT HOUSE

So there’s a selection of photos from each of the four gardens, I’m not sure I’ll manage to get to them all again next year - but you never know. And then in 2020 the challenge increases as the new RHS garden in Manchester is due to open, now that I’ll be keen to see.

Have you been to any of these RHS gardens, or more than one?

Oil and vinegar

Or as my new bottles say Olio and Acete, a recent purchase as a momento from our break in Italy along with a new butter dish. And not surprisingly I’m embracing the yellow, so where better to photograph them than on the dresser in a particularly yellow spot.   

We often bring something home from holiday to remind us of our trip, and quite often it’s something that catches our eye, rather than something that’s planned. But it’s always something we’ll use, or have a use for. 

On this trip it was very nearly a decorative plate that I fell for on our visits to the local town of Todi. In the maze of a town, or our circuitous route around it anyway, even I was surprised I managed to find the shop again on our second visit. But of course I managed to.  

After some longing and oohing over the ceramics, we asked the price and tried not to look too shocked. It was pricier than we expected, and I wasn’t sure if it would fit where I had in mind at home, let alone in our hand luggage. So with a last look we walked away, but even MOH was getting smitten and said to buy it if you want it.  

But I resisted, as I really wasn’t sure on the size. Although a new plan was forming, so back we headed to the shop again.  Only this time it was our final purchases that I had in mind.  

We’d seen many sets as we perused the shops in town, but none this colour and none squished like this so they nestled together. Clever, huh?

And then came the breakthrough.  We needed a new butter dish.  Yes, needed. (The glaze on ours has gone and butter seeps through the pottery and leaves a greasy mess on our kitchen worktop - so I mean needed).

But, I didn’t want to be without one. I’m a butter fan, and don’t like it fridge cold and so our butter is out and at room temperature year-round.  So when the butter dish hd been decided on too, and I’d agreed to get rid of the old one, MOH couldn’t quite believe his ears. He’d proffered replacement butter dishes over the years, but all had been rejected. Until now. 

And it was worth the wait. It’s quickly replaced the seeping dish in my affections, but sssh! don’t tell MOH, I think I’m only going to crock** half of the dish, as I realised the top half would make a great cover for cheese...

** and yes, to crock - that’s a verb, to break crockery to use as drainage “crocks” in plant pots. A great way to use old crockery as it’s satisfying to smash (as long as you look out for flying pieces) and when you next empty your pot, you never quite know what memory you will quite literally unearth!