You may possibly have been wondering what’s happened to A Parrot’s Nest, the truth is I’ve been letting it lie dormant for a little while. I will return to blogging soon – …
Welcome to Whichford Pottery's unique straw bale cafe...Treat yourself to scrumptious brunches & lunches, a fresh kids menu, steaming teas and coffees, mountains of homemade cakes and the best bacon sarnies for miles around. All topped off by their lively, generous atmosphere and stunning
The entrance to our pottery's gardens. For gardening tips, follow our mastermind head garderner's blog: www.gardeningatwhichfordpottery.blogspot.com/
where to buy garden urns, terracotta pots, pansy ‘Golden Flamb’, purple heuchera, Harriet Rycroft
I love plants. I love all plants (except the ones which bite me). Call me a whining liberal, but I do not discriminate against any species, genus or family and I find it hard to understand how some…
Welcome to Whichford Pottery's unique straw bale cafe...Treat yourself to scrumptious brunches & lunches, a fresh kids menu, steaming teas and coffees, mountains of homemade cakes and the best bacon sarnies for miles around. All topped off by their lively, generous atmosphere and stunning
where to buy garden urns, terracotta pots, pansy ‘Golden Flamb’, purple heuchera, Harriet Rycroft
Welcome to Whichford Pottery's unique straw bale cafe...Treat yourself to scrumptious brunches & lunches, a fresh kids menu, steaming teas and coffees, mountains of homemade cakes and the best bacon sarnies for miles around. All topped off by their lively, generous atmosphere and stunning
Welcome to Whichford Pottery's unique straw bale cafe...Treat yourself to scrumptious brunches & lunches, a fresh kids menu, steaming teas and coffees, mountains of homemade cakes and the best bacon sarnies for miles around. All topped off by their lively, generous atmosphere and stunning
Welcome to Whichford Pottery's unique straw bale cafe...Treat yourself to scrumptious brunches & lunches, a fresh kids menu, steaming teas and coffees, mountains of homemade cakes and the best bacon sarnies for miles around. All topped off by their lively, generous atmosphere and stunning
We have a great passion for container gardening and so, on our recent trip to England, it was great fun to head for Whichford Pottery, in Warwickshire, where some of the best clay pots in the world are made. Established in 1976, by Jim and Dominique Keeling, the business continues to be family run. All of Whichford's pots are made by hand by a team of about thirty craftsmen and women who are committed to keeping traditional potting skills alive. I loved the atmosphere there. Jim and Dominique have made it a mission to train and employ local people and, over the past 35 years, have built up one of the most highly skilled teams of potters in Europe. These men and women take great pride in their craft; they are a friendly bunch, and are more than willing to share the love they have for their work with visitors. The entry to Whichford Pottery with the arbor made of clay pots. image courtesy of Barakura.co.jp Founder and owner, Jim Keeling working on The Golden Cypress, a ceramic sculpture which sat at the head of the Hillier exhibit this year at the Chelsea Flower Show. It all starts out with huge mounds of different types of local clay. The clay is mixed with other ingredients that make it frost-proof. It's processed and extruded into sheets that can then be formed into smaller chunks that are useable by the potters. The Potting Room Throwing Pots Applying "basket weave" to a pot The courtyard where finished products are displayed A portion of the courtyard garden. To follow what's happening in the garden at Whichford Pottery, check out head gardener, Harriet Rycroft's wonderful blog by clicking here. The finishing touches are placed on Jim Keeling's Golden Cypress ceramic sculpture. It is being covered in 23.5 carat gold gilding. The inspiration for this sculpture came from Jim's childhood when he suffered a serious illness. When he was finally well enough to go outside, one of the first things he did was to make a house for himself inside a venerable Cupressus aureum (Golden Cypres Tree). It remained his own personal hide-out throughout his childhood. A photo of a portion of the gold medal winning Hillier's exhibit at Chelsea that contained over 3,500 plants and trees, a stream, and Jim's Golden Cypress centerpiece. Putting on the exhibit at the renowned gardening show takes Hillier Nurseries a year to plan, a team of 20 to set up, and costs over £100,000. Jim Keeling's 23.5 carat gilded cypress centerpiece was estimated at £70,000.
The photographs can tell the story here - I dropped in at Whichford Pottery last week and was absolutely potty about the pl...
We have a great passion for container gardening and so, on our recent trip to England, it was great fun to head for Whichford Pottery, in Warwickshire, where some of the best clay pots in the world are made. Established in 1976, by Jim and Dominique Keeling, the business continues to be family run. All of Whichford's pots are made by hand by a team of about thirty craftsmen and women who are committed to keeping traditional potting skills alive. I loved the atmosphere there. Jim and Dominique have made it a mission to train and employ local people and, over the past 35 years, have built up one of the most highly skilled teams of potters in Europe. These men and women take great pride in their craft; they are a friendly bunch, and are more than willing to share the love they have for their work with visitors. The entry to Whichford Pottery with the arbor made of clay pots. image courtesy of Barakura.co.jp Founder and owner, Jim Keeling working on The Golden Cypress, a ceramic sculpture which sat at the head of the Hillier exhibit this year at the Chelsea Flower Show. It all starts out with huge mounds of different types of local clay. The clay is mixed with other ingredients that make it frost-proof. It's processed and extruded into sheets that can then be formed into smaller chunks that are useable by the potters. The Potting Room Throwing Pots Applying "basket weave" to a pot The courtyard where finished products are displayed A portion of the courtyard garden. To follow what's happening in the garden at Whichford Pottery, check out head gardener, Harriet Rycroft's wonderful blog by clicking here. The finishing touches are placed on Jim Keeling's Golden Cypress ceramic sculpture. It is being covered in 23.5 carat gold gilding. The inspiration for this sculpture came from Jim's childhood when he suffered a serious illness. When he was finally well enough to go outside, one of the first things he did was to make a house for himself inside a venerable Cupressus aureum (Golden Cypres Tree). It remained his own personal hide-out throughout his childhood. A photo of a portion of the gold medal winning Hillier's exhibit at Chelsea that contained over 3,500 plants and trees, a stream, and Jim's Golden Cypress centerpiece. Putting on the exhibit at the renowned gardening show takes Hillier Nurseries a year to plan, a team of 20 to set up, and costs over £100,000. Jim Keeling's 23.5 carat gilded cypress centerpiece was estimated at £70,000.
Most of you will know that I was the Head Gardener at Whichford Pottery for a long time and filled many thousands of pots there, as well as looking after the gardens. I’ve moved on but the bl…
The photographs can tell the story here - I dropped in at Whichford Pottery last week and was absolutely potty about the pl...
We have a great passion for container gardening and so, on our recent trip to England, it was great fun to head for Whichford Pottery, in Warwickshire, where some of the best clay pots in the world are made. Established in 1976, by Jim and Dominique Keeling, the business continues to be family run. All of Whichford's pots are made by hand by a team of about thirty craftsmen and women who are committed to keeping traditional potting skills alive. I loved the atmosphere there. Jim and Dominique have made it a mission to train and employ local people and, over the past 35 years, have built up one of the most highly skilled teams of potters in Europe. These men and women take great pride in their craft; they are a friendly bunch, and are more than willing to share the love they have for their work with visitors. The entry to Whichford Pottery with the arbor made of clay pots. image courtesy of Barakura.co.jp Founder and owner, Jim Keeling working on The Golden Cypress, a ceramic sculpture which sat at the head of the Hillier exhibit this year at the Chelsea Flower Show. It all starts out with huge mounds of different types of local clay. The clay is mixed with other ingredients that make it frost-proof. It's processed and extruded into sheets that can then be formed into smaller chunks that are useable by the potters. The Potting Room Throwing Pots Applying "basket weave" to a pot The courtyard where finished products are displayed A portion of the courtyard garden. To follow what's happening in the garden at Whichford Pottery, check out head gardener, Harriet Rycroft's wonderful blog by clicking here. The finishing touches are placed on Jim Keeling's Golden Cypress ceramic sculpture. It is being covered in 23.5 carat gold gilding. The inspiration for this sculpture came from Jim's childhood when he suffered a serious illness. When he was finally well enough to go outside, one of the first things he did was to make a house for himself inside a venerable Cupressus aureum (Golden Cypres Tree). It remained his own personal hide-out throughout his childhood. A photo of a portion of the gold medal winning Hillier's exhibit at Chelsea that contained over 3,500 plants and trees, a stream, and Jim's Golden Cypress centerpiece. Putting on the exhibit at the renowned gardening show takes Hillier Nurseries a year to plan, a team of 20 to set up, and costs over £100,000. Jim Keeling's 23.5 carat gilded cypress centerpiece was estimated at £70,000.
Good Day Sunshine We have at last had more than a couple of days of sunshine in one week and - Ta Dah! the sunflowers are out. This is Helianthus 'Pacino'. I think you can work out why it has that name. Agastache foeniculum 'Liquorice Blue' and Helianthus 'Pacino' blooming in the Whichford stockyard I am a very disobedient gardener for allowing the plants to hide the pots but I do love to see them thrive and I'm sure all the keen gardeners who visit the pottery feel the same. Regular readers will see from this picture that most of the Nemesia 'Masquerade' has finished flowering and been removed, but the other plants have done so well that there are no noticeable gaps. Lynne's home-made bunting being put up ...so you'd better get this party started It has been a very busy week at the pottery, with lots of visitors, including an unexpected coachload from Cologne (but we didn't mind because they were very enthusiastic and keen to shop as well as look!). We welcome coach trips but ask them to book in because we have such limited space. Luckily they didn't clash with any other groups but they had to put up with us all running about and sprucing the place up for the Garden Party this weekend - if you are reading this before the evening of Sunday 31st it isn't too late to join us. There will be lots going on at the garden party and the flowers have been very co-operative about opening in time for it. If you arrive in the morning you will be greeted by the vivid blues of Commelina tuberosa and Anagallis monelli 'Skylover' but by the late afternoon these will have closed their flowers. The bright blues of Anagallis monelli 'Skylover' and Commelina tuberosa at the entrance to Whichford Pottery's garden Hordeum jubatum glowing in the Eclipse pots in the courtyard garden ...and Hordeum jubatum glowing and swishing about on the entrance path to the pottery The wind that shakes the barley I try to position certain plants so that they will be backlit by the morning and/or late afternoon sunshine; Hordeum jubatum is a case in point: this decorative barley really glows in slanting light, it comes to life in a breeze and is looking its best at the moment. In the second picture it is in two of our medium sized Swag and Acanthus pots and brushes softly against you as you pass. I love it when the plants in a garden reach out to touch you as you walk along a path. It has become a bit of a tradition to show you some of the smaller visitors to the pottery, so here's a little gallery: Holly Blue butterfly on a petunia I have just reported my latest butterfly count to the Big Butterfly Count, which has been extended to August 7th because of the cold and wet weather at the start of July. The air has been alive with peacock butterflies and their clattery (yes, honestly!) wings. Just two of the peacock butterflies which make such a racket in the garden Some day I'll fly away My absolute favourites this week were the fledgling wrens hopping about in the hedges and then among the pots, I loved their shiny new feathers and their lack of caution. It was easy to follow them as they cheeped and flittered about, luckily Puss-Puss wasn't around. Baby wren on Rose bowls this Thursday Brand-new shiny plumage Show me a garden that's bursting into life I'll finish with one more picture of the abundance which is late summer in the Whichford Garden, here you can see (amongst others) white giant busy-lizzie Impatiens sodenii, pink Dahlia 'Art Nouveau', pink petunias and pastel mix Laurentia axillaris Pinks and pastels in the stockyard, including Impatiens sodenii, Dahlia 'Art Nouveau' and Laurentia axillaris
Good Day Sunshine We have at last had more than a couple of days of sunshine in one week and - Ta Dah! the sunflowers are out. This is Helianthus 'Pacino'. I think you can work out why it has that name. Agastache foeniculum 'Liquorice Blue' and Helianthus 'Pacino' blooming in the Whichford stockyard I am a very disobedient gardener for allowing the plants to hide the pots but I do love to see them thrive and I'm sure all the keen gardeners who visit the pottery feel the same. Regular readers will see from this picture that most of the Nemesia 'Masquerade' has finished flowering and been removed, but the other plants have done so well that there are no noticeable gaps. Lynne's home-made bunting being put up ...so you'd better get this party started It has been a very busy week at the pottery, with lots of visitors, including an unexpected coachload from Cologne (but we didn't mind because they were very enthusiastic and keen to shop as well as look!). We welcome coach trips but ask them to book in because we have such limited space. Luckily they didn't clash with any other groups but they had to put up with us all running about and sprucing the place up for the Garden Party this weekend - if you are reading this before the evening of Sunday 31st it isn't too late to join us. There will be lots going on at the garden party and the flowers have been very co-operative about opening in time for it. If you arrive in the morning you will be greeted by the vivid blues of Commelina tuberosa and Anagallis monelli 'Skylover' but by the late afternoon these will have closed their flowers. The bright blues of Anagallis monelli 'Skylover' and Commelina tuberosa at the entrance to Whichford Pottery's garden Hordeum jubatum glowing in the Eclipse pots in the courtyard garden ...and Hordeum jubatum glowing and swishing about on the entrance path to the pottery The wind that shakes the barley I try to position certain plants so that they will be backlit by the morning and/or late afternoon sunshine; Hordeum jubatum is a case in point: this decorative barley really glows in slanting light, it comes to life in a breeze and is looking its best at the moment. In the second picture it is in two of our medium sized Swag and Acanthus pots and brushes softly against you as you pass. I love it when the plants in a garden reach out to touch you as you walk along a path. It has become a bit of a tradition to show you some of the smaller visitors to the pottery, so here's a little gallery: Holly Blue butterfly on a petunia I have just reported my latest butterfly count to the Big Butterfly Count, which has been extended to August 7th because of the cold and wet weather at the start of July. The air has been alive with peacock butterflies and their clattery (yes, honestly!) wings. Just two of the peacock butterflies which make such a racket in the garden Some day I'll fly away My absolute favourites this week were the fledgling wrens hopping about in the hedges and then among the pots, I loved their shiny new feathers and their lack of caution. It was easy to follow them as they cheeped and flittered about, luckily Puss-Puss wasn't around. Baby wren on Rose bowls this Thursday Brand-new shiny plumage Show me a garden that's bursting into life I'll finish with one more picture of the abundance which is late summer in the Whichford Garden, here you can see (amongst others) white giant busy-lizzie Impatiens sodenii, pink Dahlia 'Art Nouveau', pink petunias and pastel mix Laurentia axillaris Pinks and pastels in the stockyard, including Impatiens sodenii, Dahlia 'Art Nouveau' and Laurentia axillaris
It began as a parched grass field but became a spectacular memorial - these photos show the gradual process in which 888,246 poppies transformed the Tower of London.
As you could probably tell from my post about Whichford Pottery, we simply love beautiful clay and stone pots. Each year, we tell ourselves that we have enough and that we should really try to control ourselves. And each year we ignore our own advice. Paula does a wonderful job designing and planting all of the containers in the garden. They are gorgeous but also a lot of work. There's not only the time invested in planting each container but it takes even more time to track down and purchase interesting plants. And, since we are located at least a half-hour drive from any nursery, that means a lot of time spent in the car. And then there's winter storage as well as the time it takes to regularly water all the pots! We won't even go there. Despite some of these drawbacks, we can't even imagine our garden without the beauty and versatility of containers. There are big containers: Like this beautiful stone planter from Campania that contains a Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum dissectum 'Viridis'). On the left is another Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum dissectum 'Garnet') in a beautiful clay pot with a design that fits the tree. We have a collection of Japanese Maples throughout the garden that we remove from their pots each fall and then heel them into the potager beds for the winter once the veggies come out. Then, in the Spring, we remove them from their winter beds, root prune them (much like a bonsai technique which keeps them small), and then replace them in their pots with fresh soil and potting mix. We use a mixture of Pro Mix plus added compost from Ideal Compost as a potting medium in all our pots throughout the garden. The annuals then get fertilized on a regular schedule. In the same category of large and heavy is this stone "basket weave" pot holding a Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) that sits on the edge of the terrace at the base of the support for the pergola... ... and there is this large classic stone container holding an Asparagus densiflorus underplanted with white Calibrachoa superbells and Euphorbia graminea 'Diamond Frost' that marks the beginning of a gravel path. This container is actually large and light. It is the only "faux" container we have in the garden. It disguises itself fairly well but, more importantly, it does its job. It's our largest pot and contains a 12 foot high white birch tree that sits at the edge of the pool deck through all four seasons. It is underplanted with Supertunia 'Pretty Much Picasso' and the blue fescue grass, Festuca ovina glauca 'Elijah Blue.' The tree has been in the pot for three years now, through the best and worst possible weather, and is still going strong. There are small containers: We have several small bonsai containers, like the one containing this Chamaecyparis, displayed around the garden. There are containers that provide fragrance where we want it: We place several long-tom clay pots (like the one just behind the chair) containing Oriental lillys around the seating area on the terrace where, in just a few more weeks, their wonderful fragrance will engulf the entire area as well as scent the inside of the house. This one (Lillium Oriental 'X-otica') sits next to a blue ceramic pot filled with a Calacantha floridus, a small pot containing an agapanthus and, on the opposite side of the chair, a pot filled with rosemary. There are groupings of containers that provide interesting vignettes: Here is an antique cart that we filled with six clay pots containing white cosmos. The pot at the base of the cart is planted with a pumpkin which will send out a vine that will eventually trail around the gravel, and form its fruit. Once we trade out the cosmos in the cart for mums, toward the end of the season, we will have a ready-made fall scene, including pumpkins. There is this little grouping of sun-loving annuals and perennials that sits by a water trough in the courtyard. The pot in the foreground contains Salvia farinacea with Nicotiana, to the left, a Dracaena Palm, and, in the rear is a long tom containing a Ricinus communis 'Carmencita Bright Red' underplanted with Supertunia Bordeaux. And, it's always great fun to try new and unusual container plants like this Ptilotus exaltatus 'Joey' from Australia that's underplanted with lavender Calabrachoa in a scalloped edged clay pot from Campo de' Fiore. There are containers that don't contain anything... This wonderful antique clay jar, with all its wear and imperfections, serves as a center focal point in one of the gardens and needs no accompaniment. photo by Andrea Geesaman Here's another one that serves as a focal point at the end of a very long allee. ... And there are containers that contain collections of plants: This little table off the terrace provides a convenient place to display a collection of small pots containing succulents. A simple collection of empty clay pots on rustic shelves against the red barn works well too, especially when contrasted with the more formal urn containing Torenia fournieri with white Lobelia. There are containers to mark entrances: These two roll-top clay pots, filled with Dracaena, blue and white Lobelia and red Verbena, mark the entrance to the front garden. And I simply love this beautifully designed container by Guy Wolff that sits by the front door! It contains Oxalis purpurea, Caladium x hortulanum and Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost.' And by the north entrance to the garden sits this stone urn planted with assorted Coleus and chartreuse Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea). Here, two oversized long-toms filled with spheres of Thuja Hetzi Midget mark the entrance to a gravel path. Although hard to see in the photo, at the focal point at the end of the path there is a large, vivid blue, ceramic container filled with Lysimachia clethroides (gooseneck loosetrife- a plant you definitely want to keep contained) whose tall white flowers will soon bloom, providing a sharp contrast with the red barn, and drawing the eye along the path. There are containers that frame seating areas... This bench is flanked by two large green ceramic pots of the same color but with different shapes; the one on the left containing a bamboo (Fargesia Murieliae) and the one on the right a tall Cyperus papyrus. The smaller clay pot contains a red-leafed begonia that blends well with a red Japanese Maple nearby (not seen in photo). ... and water. These small square stone containers that sit at the four corners of the pool are planted with Calibrachoa, Supertunias, Scaveola, and Helichrysum in hues of purple. We use the same planting here almost every year because the colors go so well with the pool, the plants can take direct sun and high heat all day and still look good, and they go on blooming right into fall. Containing the same plantings, these two old urns on stone plinths sit on the pool deck. ... And containers that decorate table tops: We have several of these beautiful clay bowl planters made by Campo de' Fiori on tables in the garden. This one is planted with a variety of succulents. In the vase are a bunch of just-cut garlic scapes from the potager. There are containers to provide vertical accent: Occasionally, there are places in the garden where we would like to have some vertical accent yet there are obstacles to planting that make it impossible. Here is such a spot, right up against the foundation of the house, where we use a tall long-tom planted with a Duchess of Albany clematis. In the fall, we cut back the clematis, heel it into a vacant bed in the potager, and then re-plant it in the same pot in the spring. The plant in the container sitting atop the locust post is an ornamental oregano, 'Kent Beauty.' And here is clematis Josephine planted in very similar conditions by one of the side doors to the house. There are containers that serve as focal points: photo by Andrea Geesaman This large urn, filled with a huge red cordyline is the focal point at the center of the "lilac garden." The smaller stone urn, one of two that flank the top of the stone steps, is filled with Salvia farinacea and lobelia. The urn above is filled with Guara lindheimeri with pink and white Scaveola. Planted at the base of the urn are white daylillies and green mountain boxwood. The urn and plantings make up the focal point at the end of the long allee in the photo at left. There are containers that light the way... Both of these containers are placed in very shady areas. The blue ceramic container above sits under a large crabapple and is planted with New Guinea impatiens, Juncus 'blue arrows,' Dichondra 'silver falls,' Dusty Miller, and Variegated Ivy. I love the way the blue color of the pot and the blue-green Dichondra harmonize with the blue-green color of the lichens on the old trunk of the crabapple tree. The huge long-tom at left contains a Calla lilly underplanted with white lobelia. It's also in a very shady spot under a few white birch trees and there's just enough white in the planting to make it stand out from a distance. An important attribute since it also serves as a focal point at the end of the crabapple allee. Here, in a simple half-whiskey barrel, is a bright green hosta that works better than a reflector to light up the very shady entrance to the garage. ... or mark a path. Along with the two chickens, the tiny little pot of Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' sitting on top of an old beam on the right, and the huge pot of Philodendron selloum 'Hope' on the left are enough to mark the stone path through this shade garden area. There are containers to accentuate form and color: Along the outside perimeter of the courtyard garden fence, we have five roll-top clay pots containing red cordylines underplanted with purple Scaveola. The placement of the pots not only breaks up the planting of blaze peonies and New Hampshire geraniums along the fence, but the red cordylines also accentuate the color of three bloodgood Japanese Maples that are nearby. Here we are using a clay pot of Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic' to accentuate the similar leaf form of the bed of Epimedium rubrum in which the pot is sitting. And with this clay pot containing an Abyssinian 'red ensete' banana, it's less about form and more about color. The color of the banana blends nicely with the foliage of both the Sambucus Nigra 'Black Lace' (r) and the Weigela 'Wine & Roses' (l). The pot also serves a dual function by hiding some of the unsightly foliage of a group of poppies behind it, once they have finished flowering. This is not your typical container plant but we're always willing to experiment. We loved the way this Abies koreana 'Horsman's Silverlocke' and the underplanting of white lobelia and Dichondra 'Silver Falls' accentuated the green color of this ceramic container, or vice versa. It provides a nice sentinel by the door of the pool house. There are specialty containers... Like these next three from Guy Wolff: A greenhouse pot. A strawberry pot. And a rhubarb forcing pot. Then there's this sedum-haired beauty from Campo de' Fiore. Containers don't have to be made of terracotta or stone. Some of the most interesting plant containers happen when the gardener gets creative. Iron cauldrons, baskets, wooden bowls and dough troughs... almost anything you can find around the home can be used as long as you provide adequate drainage. In this photo, an old English dolly tub containing an Actaea simplex 'Hillside Black Beauty' sits among a large bed of hostas and ligularias. ... and there are containers we make ourselves: These Versailles tubs that contain Agapanthus and flank the Lutyens bench at the end of the pool are easily constructed. Resources: Check out this article by Gordon Hayward on creative container gardening that recently appeared in Organic Gardening magazine by clicking here. Also, click on the book covers below to learn more about these two informative books by Jim Keeling, founder and owner of Whichford Pottery... ... Or this one by Sydney Eddison: For information on clay and stone containers, you can check out the websites of these quality suppliers by clicking below. Guy Wolff Pottery Stephen Procter Ceramics Whichford Pottery Lunaform Campo de' Fiore Haddonstone Campania International
Good Day Sunshine We have at last had more than a couple of days of sunshine in one week and - Ta Dah! the sunflowers are out. This is Helianthus 'Pacino'. I think you can work out why it has that name. Agastache foeniculum 'Liquorice Blue' and Helianthus 'Pacino' blooming in the Whichford stockyard I am a very disobedient gardener for allowing the plants to hide the pots but I do love to see them thrive and I'm sure all the keen gardeners who visit the pottery feel the same. Regular readers will see from this picture that most of the Nemesia 'Masquerade' has finished flowering and been removed, but the other plants have done so well that there are no noticeable gaps. Lynne's home-made bunting being put up ...so you'd better get this party started It has been a very busy week at the pottery, with lots of visitors, including an unexpected coachload from Cologne (but we didn't mind because they were very enthusiastic and keen to shop as well as look!). We welcome coach trips but ask them to book in because we have such limited space. Luckily they didn't clash with any other groups but they had to put up with us all running about and sprucing the place up for the Garden Party this weekend - if you are reading this before the evening of Sunday 31st it isn't too late to join us. There will be lots going on at the garden party and the flowers have been very co-operative about opening in time for it. If you arrive in the morning you will be greeted by the vivid blues of Commelina tuberosa and Anagallis monelli 'Skylover' but by the late afternoon these will have closed their flowers. The bright blues of Anagallis monelli 'Skylover' and Commelina tuberosa at the entrance to Whichford Pottery's garden Hordeum jubatum glowing in the Eclipse pots in the courtyard garden ...and Hordeum jubatum glowing and swishing about on the entrance path to the pottery The wind that shakes the barley I try to position certain plants so that they will be backlit by the morning and/or late afternoon sunshine; Hordeum jubatum is a case in point: this decorative barley really glows in slanting light, it comes to life in a breeze and is looking its best at the moment. In the second picture it is in two of our medium sized Swag and Acanthus pots and brushes softly against you as you pass. I love it when the plants in a garden reach out to touch you as you walk along a path. It has become a bit of a tradition to show you some of the smaller visitors to the pottery, so here's a little gallery: Holly Blue butterfly on a petunia I have just reported my latest butterfly count to the Big Butterfly Count, which has been extended to August 7th because of the cold and wet weather at the start of July. The air has been alive with peacock butterflies and their clattery (yes, honestly!) wings. Just two of the peacock butterflies which make such a racket in the garden Some day I'll fly away My absolute favourites this week were the fledgling wrens hopping about in the hedges and then among the pots, I loved their shiny new feathers and their lack of caution. It was easy to follow them as they cheeped and flittered about, luckily Puss-Puss wasn't around. Baby wren on Rose bowls this Thursday Brand-new shiny plumage Show me a garden that's bursting into life I'll finish with one more picture of the abundance which is late summer in the Whichford Garden, here you can see (amongst others) white giant busy-lizzie Impatiens sodenii, pink Dahlia 'Art Nouveau', pink petunias and pastel mix Laurentia axillaris Pinks and pastels in the stockyard, including Impatiens sodenii, Dahlia 'Art Nouveau' and Laurentia axillaris
