Fading out

An exciting week as I have had a double page spread in Garden News! all very exciting as being featured in the gardening press is something to tick off the list.Oddly they actually used pictures which were taken last year, but the photographer was great and was very lucky to be there on a very sunny day

Fame!

The garden is actually still looking good, although full of fallen leaves and a little battered from Storm Brian. The main victims seem to be the tree dahlias which have properly flopped all over the place.

As yet I havent done anything to prepare for winter beyond taking a few cuttings of the salvias that the cold and slugs like the most. I always try and leave things as late as possible, and think I will try and dig things up in mid November which I hope will still be before the frosts

 

The terrance is still super leafy although the Brugmansias and hedychiums are worse for wear

 

Leaves a go go

 Pennistemon looking amazing in the sun, and below Trachycarpus sp. flowering now

 Tetrapapnax flowering away.....unusually this one started in August! 

Below Tithonia still going strong 

 Hedychium densiflorum fruits

2017 NGS Garden Opening DONE! things looking at their best

A huge thank you to everyone who came and helped at yesterdays garden opening. We had 207 visitors and made £1662! this is the most we have ever made in an afternoon, and the second highest number of visitors!! This was especially surprising as the weather in London was very grey with a vague spit of rain throughout the afternoon.

This was our seventh opening as part of the NGS and we have almost made £10,000 for charity which is very exciting. Now we just have to hold on for another three years before we get the fabled golden trowel.......

We love our opening as it is a bit like a big party and it was lovely to see so many friends, and people coming back alongside people visiting for the first time. It is a very affirming experience having so many people visit and say nice things. 

Opening is a lot of work and a huge thank you to the slaves from upstairs who have been tirelessly weeding and clearing paths for the past few weeks. We also had another 8 people come along to help run the day, helping on the door, running the plant stand, doing the teas and running the prosecco pavilion....Also thanks to Jean and Caroline who bought along plants for the plant sale. Thank you all! 

Some pictures of things looking at their best.....

Garden at 24 Grove Park, Camberwell, opening for the National Gardens Scheme Sunday 3rd September 2017

Sunday 3rd September (2 - 5.30pm)

Admission £3.50, children free. Home-made teas

24 Grove Park, London, SE5 8LH

The National Gardens Scheme says “An exotic garden full of the exuberance of late summer inspired by travel in Southeast Asia. A lush and naturalistic jungle of big leafed plants, bold colours and shapes including cannas, bananas, Bamboos, dahlias and towering paulownias. Wandering the garden we hope you will be surprised by unusual plants, and lost in the exotica. The garden changes and improves very year as the plants grow bigger and the feel gets junglier.

Huge ‘hidden’ garden, created from being able to buy the bottom half of two of the neighbour’s gardens gives the garden an unexpected size. Overall there are two ponds (one for wildlife and one with fish), bee hives, a productive area and contemporary sunken terrace full of prized plants.

The lower lawn, lots of seating and hidden corners give space to sit and enjoy. Renowned for good teas and home-made cakes and plant sale. Featured on BBC Gardeners World, BBC Instant Gardener and in the Independent”

Getting here: we are on the Chadwick Road end of Grove Park (our road can be confusing as it has a loop in the middle). There is lots of street parking. It’s about a 10 minute walk from either Denmark Hill or Peckham Rye train station (Victoria/London Bridge)

 Come and visit the garden! Eat cake! Look at nice plants!

Flowers

and in a pair to my last blog here are some of the things out at the moment....

Leaves

With just over a month until the garden opens for the NGS things are beginning to look pretty good!

The following are some of the amazing leaves....