August 2024

The sunshine came in the end and we have enjoyed it all the more after the dull and gloomy start to the summer. As we now grow fewer vegetables than we once did we let nature take over the places we are not cultivating; these areas are now abuzz with many varieties of bees and other pollinators. We still grow leeks each year as they are useful in so many ways for winter recipes and are easy to grow, standing ready to harvest right through to Spring. We never quite finish them and leave the last ones to flower the following summer, (as shown here) their giant globes of tiny white or pink florets held high on tall sturdy stems.

Again this year I began Christmas card-making in July, and will continue through the next few months to be well prepared for the gallery orders that are already coming in. With various family matters concerning the very young and the very old life can get quite busy at times, but somehow it all gets done, and my sewing time makes for a welcome little rest and a sit down!

I hope your August passes happily, whether it be action-packed funfair-filled days or quiet times sitting in the outdoors with a cuppa, the latter being my preferred option!

July 2024

July is the month for sweet peas! Last year I decided to save the seed pods remaining on the last of the sweet peas, drying them and packing them away safely in my seed tin. I had grown a wide mixture of named varieties, all scented, and wondered if they would have cross-pollinated to produce some pretty surprises. These are some of the ones grown from those seeds; the plants are stronger and bigger than the shop bought cultivars. An example of hybrid vigour maybe?

July is also the month I begin working on Christmas cards as a good number are needed to fulfil gallery and shop orders; stock is usually needed in September, so I have to start early!

There is a ‘Christmas’ tab on the Home Page here, so if you are an 'early bird' and don’t want to miss out on particular designs which may not be re-stocked, you might like to take a look!

June 2024

Irises seem to be gaining in popularity and I noticed several were featured again this year in the Chelsea Flower Show gardens. A relative has childhood memories of visiting the artist and Iris breeder Cedric Morris at Benton End in Suffolk many years ago. Cedric’s Irises are now much sought-after for their beautifully subtle colours and forms and we have a small collection here. We particularly love this one called ‘Benton Deidre’. The iris season is fleeting; all too soon the glorious blooms are spent, but they bring much joy whilst they last.

The rain continues here, and the lawn is once again too wet to mow, although it is keenly nibbled at by numerous rabbits this year. They are very sweet, but terribly destructive, demolishing stems in the borders in order to eat the flowers!

I am putting together a new collection of cards for the shop at Kelmscott Manor  (William Morris’s wonderful old home in Lechlade, well worth a visit if you are in the area). I have been designing ‘naïve-style’ trees inspired by wall paintings in a 17th Century church in Norway; I will be adding these cards to my shop here this month. Hopefully there will be some June sunshine to brighten things up a bit after all the rain!