A Garden is a thing of beauty and a job forever.

There is no end to the jobs we can do in the garden. But, sometimes we just want to sit back and enjoy it.

This Sea of Ceanothus blooms is typical of this densely flowering shrub. Most Ceanothus are blue flowering, evergreen shrubs from low growing prostrate forms to good sized bushes (this one is 5 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide).
The blooms are very attractive to bees and hover flies and during flowering it is covered from dawn till dusk with pollinating insects. They grow from cuttings so I have take to dotting them around the garden in case I loose one or two but they seem quite hardy.

Varieties of Ceanothus
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Begonia look like exotic flowers when grown from good tubers. The colours are vibrant and varied although the above white is one of my favourites.

• Popular in the USA but less so in the UK, Begonias make good cut flowers - give them a long drink immediately after cutting then they will stay firm for several hours without flagging and last for many days in an arrangement. Float them in large bowls or on top of brandy glasses as a different way of displaying them. Even the small end of season flowers or the smaller male and female flowers either side of the main male flower will hold their rigidity.
• Picotee Begonias are not a different variety but differ only in the petal colouring which is edged with Red or Pink. this has produced some good hybrids such as Corona, and Harlequin. Wedding Day is white with slightly pink outer petal blush that can give a Picotee effect.
• Tip - Begonias are asymmetrical so they have a definite front and back. So I recommend staking them from the back, with a thicker than normal cane, sloping about 10° from the vertical so that when it is tied with a flat tie it draws the stem into the vertical. Take care not to put the stake so close that it goes through the tuber.
• Tip - First flowers in a season are often produced before the Begonia has enough stamina to sustain them, so if you want great blossom be ruthless and disbud the first flowers to divert energy into later flowers.
• Tip - Vine weevil grubs are a great pest eating the tubers from Autumn. The egg laying brownish beetles like ferns so watch out if you grow them in close proximity otherwise a chemical treatment will be needed. Water can be a barrier method and I guess the little grubs can’t swim.

Alys Fowler ‘Gardening is something you do not some thing you buy.’

Vita Sackville West ‘ Successful gardening is not necessarily a question of wealth but of love, taste and knowledge.’

Alan Coren ..’You and I be a-diggin’ and a-stretchin’ and a-sweatin’ as we work away with that most indispensable of gardening tools, the wallet.’

Chris Bayles of Rosemoor   ‘ A horticultural sweetshop.’

RHS on AGM  ‘ Some people in the trade are muddying the waters, because it is cheaper for them…’

Monty Don ‘It is the space between plants and objects that make a garden interesting’

Alan Titchmarsh ‘ In gardening circles Beth (Chatto) has become something of a legend in her own lifetime. It was she who turned peoples eye’s towards out-of-the-ordinary plants back in the 1960’s when she opened her Unusual Plant Nursery at Elmstead Market.’

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Green and white are very accomodating colours in the garden as they are both clean and fresh. This combination caught my eye  with the Climbing Hydrangea petiolaris just flowing over the top of a wall in which was growing Valerian alba.  Against the wall was an Acer platanoides Drummondii and all the colours seemed to blend so well.

Hydrangea petiolaris or the Climbing Hydrangea has masses of creamy-white, lacecap flowers from May to July and dark green leaves, turning butter-yellow in autumn. This woody-stemmed, climbing hydrangea flourishes in the moist, shady conditions under the wall where few ornamental climbers thrive.

Acer platanoides Drummondii was given to me for Fathers day 15 years ago and it is now a splendid tree 30-40 feet high. The leaves are thin and attractive from spring through till late September. This Acer does suffer from some reversion as the white edging of the leaf is lost to pinkish green leaves on some branches.  I try to prune them out (you can see one on the photograph that I have missed).

Cistus only seem to flower for one day then the petals drop. Resting in the sun this Bee seems content with life.

Foxgloves have long tubular flowers so the Bee has to crawl right in to get the nectar. This moves pollen from flower to flower and Foxgloves then produce thousands of small powdery seeds.

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Thrive is a national charity that helps people with a disability to start or continue gardening. They have specific assistance for wheelchair users, those recuperating from heart disease or strokes and many other tips and assistance. I am indebted to them for these tips and ideas that we can all learn from.

Tips on Garden Design for all Disabled Gardeners

• Garden layout can make a real difference to how you enjoy gardening. Depending on your disability, it might be easier to focus more on container growing. Make sure any ground level areas are low maintenance to keep the digging and weeding needed to a minimum. Plan plenty of seats around the garden to save your energy and have some shady areas where you can sit to garden on hot days.
• Avoid large lawns and lawns with sharply curved edges as they will be more time consuming to maintain. Consider having a semi-wild lawn with mown paths to save time and effort. Lawns are difficult to manage so consider replacing some or all of the lawn with a hard surface.
• Borders will be more manageable if you can reach across them easily. So make your flower borders no more than 2 foot wide if you have access from one side, or 4 foot wide if you can reach from all sides.
• Containers and raised beds can look attractive and are ideal if you want to start gardening on a small scale. A raised bed can be raised just a few inches, or could be at a comfortable height for you to sit or even stand.
• Ponds can be a delightful garden feature but be aware that maintaining a pond can involve heavy jobs like clearing weed, and open water can be a danger. A small raised pond might be safer and easier to maintain and it will be easier to enjoy sitting down than a ground level pond. Why not look at installing a low maintenance water feature instead of a pond so you can still enjoy the sound and visual interest of flowing water.
• You’ll feel safer and will be able to get things done faster if all your paths are even, with a surface that gives good grip. A 3 feet wide path is recommended as a minimum. Changes in level are a common hazard in gardens so consider installing ramps.
• Consider having a table outside for gardening jobs like seed sowing and potting up. A recess in the table will make it easier to reach things. Plan in water butts or stand pipes around the garden to save time and effort when watering.
• Take time to choose any paving – it should be non-slip and non-glare.
• Always choose safe power sources for any power tools or mower that you might want to use. All electrical equipment should be fitted with a residual circuit breaker.
• Plan how you are going to move things around the garden. Twin-wheeled lightweight barrows, barrows to use one-handed, trolleys or flexible buckets are options that can save energy and strain. Choose a composting system that suits you – there are many different models and bins can be positioned at different heights to save bending.
• Get rid of or avoid plants that cause you problems – rampant growers, plants that take up too much space, plants that are hazardous to you, or that cast too much shade.

Test your soil (from each area of your garden) for acidity or alkalinity so you know what plants will thrive.

Chemical Tests
Mix a sample of soil with water. Add the test solution or capsule of test chemicals and watch the colour develop. Read off the colour of the liquid against the chart supplied that gauges alkalinity, neutral, acid and very acidic levels on a scale a bit more refined than the old litmus test from school.
The above kit is available from Amazon and is more detailed and comprehensive in that it also tests nutrient levels of NPK potassium/potash, phosphorus and nitrogen.

Probe Tester
These devices are supplied by Draper and others for checking soil pH levels, moisture content and light intensity. The tester comprises two 210mm long probes, three way selector switch (moisture/light/pH) and easy-to-read dial gauge. Uses solar power, so no batteries required.

RHS Service
The RHS provides a Soil testing service for a fee details can be found on the Soil Analysis Service web page.

Gardens look better for some variety in the height in the planting and I try to grow a variety of perennials like Red Hot Pokers to give some tall plants chance to shine. Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia) have flowered well this year and they throw up their well known spire of blossom in shades from deep red, orange, yellow and white even to a new greenish form (Kniphofia Green Jade).

Growing Red Hot Pokers

• Red Hot Pokers have long sword like narrow leaves and the flowers can last in a vase for up to two weeks.
• The Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker or Torch Lily) needs abundant moisture during its growing period so good draining  soil rich in organic matter, is ideal.
• Red Hot Pokers need full sun to flower upto 4 feet tall in mid summer. Prune the spikes  after blooming.
• To propagate remove young plants from the edge of a clump  in spring or they can be grown from mixed seeds sown in September.
• Provide adequate spacing to encourage clumping up as they may spread up to three feet.
• Although Red Hot Pokers are drought tolerant they will do better if they are given plenty of water during hot weather.

If you are lucky enough to have a walled garden you will know what a boon they can be specially for growing vegetables and fruit. This 5 acre garden is in Helmsley North Yorkshire and has outstanding fruit and vegetables despite the climate. There is information on fruit grown within this garden on Gods Own County. For further information about walled gardens there is a Walled Kitchen Gardens network meeting at Hampton Court on 16 October 2009.

Tips from a Walled Garden

• Think about the different micro climates in your garden. A walled garden accentuates and creates micro climates that you can use to your gardening advantage but you have many already..
• Build your first wall to protect from the prevailing wind usually the west. That way you get protection and early morning sun.
• You can ‘fan train’ Peaches, Gages and Apples against a wall and also grow Clematis
• Under a dry wall in the rain shadow you can plant a dry or Mediterranean garden with Herbs, Santolinas and plants that like hot dry conditions.

Statues and Sculptures.

Walled gardens do not normally have the space for much in the way of statuary but this water feature took my attention. I would be interested in any other interesting statues or special features on a similar theme.

Similarly space prevents the use of ornamental trees except fruit trees. There are many heritage varieties on display at Helmsley.