I’m making table decorations with these bellis daisies. They look just right for Christmas. And they last about two weeks in a vase, or jam jar in my case. Great for making ahead-so that I can concentrate on all the last minute cooking and present wrapping. They are another kind of messy flower that I love. The variety name is Pomponette, and Mum grew these for us to share. One packet of seeds makes about 100 plants. Great value for just a few pounds. Enjoy your weekend, all of you. x
You can also find my ramblings on twitter @kgimson and also on instagram at karengimson1. 
This reminds me of a Christmas star. I never fail to be delighted by the simple beauty of creamy white flowers. This one is called Leucanthemum Goldrush. Commonly known as a shasta daisy. I love all daisies, but this one is my latest favourite. It’s kind of messy- which I like. It flowers all summer, and if you pot up some plants and keep them in a warm greenhouse, you may have a few blooms in December, if you are lucky. 
I’m re-blogging this today as I’m currently trialling Stihl’s latest addition to the compact cordless range, a cute little lawn mower, MA 235. It should really be given a pet name. It’s such a delight to use, weighing only 14kg, and with no cable to get wrapped around your legs and trip you up! It is perfect for small to medium lawns up to 200m2. The grass box capacity is 30ltrs, and the machine is extremely easy to use. I’m in favour of anything lightweight. I don’t have to ask anyone for help. Plus, being battery powered it is quiet. It doesn’t scare the cat, or the wildlife I’ve been so keen to attract to the garden. More photos to follow. I’ve been given these machines by Stihl in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own and if I say nice things about them it’s because I haven’t been pressured to do so.
Here’s what I wrote about the other machines in the range, including hedge trimmer, leaf blower, trimmer and chain saw. All are interchangeable.
Gardening is hard work-there’s no denying it. I sometimes think I must be mad to try to control an acre of ground. If I turn my back for five minutes the brambles are suddenly head high and thistles and stinging nettles look as if I’ve grown them on purpose.
It’s not a sensible hobby for someone who has no muscles to speak of. I am five foot tall and weigh 8 stone. Then in addition, I have dodgy knees and a bad back. I really ought to take up sewing or knitting or…well, anything not requiring strength and stamina.
But then, I have always been contrary. I never give up on a difficult task. I have only to delve into my family photo album to see where I get my streak of quiet determination.
The oldest photos in the album show my great-great grandmother Charlotte Foxford, leading a shire horse down to the plough. There are pictures of her working the stony ground at the farm where she lived with her husband James in Oakford, Devon.
She looks exhausted. And I want to step back through time and give them a helping hand- modern medicine, health care – and machinery.
And yet, later in the album, I see them smartly dressed. Great-great grandfather James wears a suit and a jaunty hat. And I’m delighted to see them standing in the farmhouse doorway, with beautifully pruned roses around the porch. She had time to plant a garden- with all the cares she must have had to keep hearth and home together. And there are photos of them standing proudly next to the gleaming, well-groomed shire horses. Phew!They cared for their animals too. Such a reassurance and a welcome sight. And they are holding hands. They loved each other. A lesson in life in just 10 photos.
There’s one picture that makes me happiest of all. It is the one where Charlotte sits holding a baby- my grandfather, Ted Foulds- and is surrounded by her family. She is smiling. Her happiness and contentment shines out from the page. A great relief to me.
I just wish I could tell her- we have all copied her example. We’ve continued the tradition. There’s a long line of tenacious and determined women in the family- and we have all thrived on hard work. We are good at finding solutions.
So I may be a physical weakling- but I never give up. And I never wait around for someone else to do a job, if I can do it myself.
My latest solution to the problem of coping with an unruly garden is the discovery of the new Stihl compact cordless range of power tools.
We already have petrol machines- but they are too heavy for me, I nearly wrench my arm out starting them up. Plus they are so loud they frighten me, and the cat, and the cows in the neighbouring field.
I was relieved and delighted to find four battery powered machines that I could actually manage- all by myself. Lightweight and easy to use.
I used the chainsaw to tackle the hazel coppice. Usually I use a handsaw and loppers. But the Stihl chainsaw cut through them in minutes. I’ll use the hazel rods to make an A-frame support for sweet peas in the cut flower garden.
Next I cut through a low field maple branch that was growing over the drive. The logs will be used on our open fire.
We will leave some brushwood and logs for wildlife habitats.
I’m going to tackle the apple trees next. Apple and pear logs are a special treat for Christmas. A gentle flame and no sparks from fruit wood- plus the whole house is scented with a most glorious, exotic perfume. No candles or chemicals can match it.
The chainsaw lasted about 45 minutes before the battery ran flat. I was ready for a cup of tea and a piece of cake by then, so I put it back on charge. It took about an hour or so to charge up again. I was busy tidying the logs, so I didn’t mind waiting.
Here are my notes on the Stihl chainsaw MSA 120 C-BQ Compact Cordless Power System.
The brochure says the chainsaw is ideal for garden maintenance, cutting firewood, shrubs and branches.
1. Weighs 2.5kg without battery. Lithium-Ion battery weighs 1.2kg
2. Sound Level 94.0 dB A. Amazingly quiet. No ear defenders are needed. This is a good because you can be more aware of what’s going on around you while you are working, if you can hear.
3. Battery Life : The brochure says up to 35 minutes. Mine lasted 45 mins.
4. Cutting Performance: Up to 100 cuts in 10cm x10cm square timber.
5. Bar Length: 30cm
6.Chain Speed: 13.2 m/s (max)
7. Quick Chain Tensioning: Tensioning the chain without tools by turning the adjusting wheel. Even I could do it. The guide bar is automatically secured by tightening the sprocket cover.
8. Safety Feature: I liked the pop out battery, which meant you couldn’t accidentally switch the chainsaw on whilst carrying it around.
I chose Farol Ltd at Hinckley, Leicestershire, to commission the chainsaw. Special mention to Sarah Nottingham and Jacob Shellis who kitted us out with protective trousers, boots, gloves and glasses supplied by Stihl. They took such care to show me how to use the chainsaw, and the hedge trimmer, strimmer and leaf blower in the range. I was impressed by their knowledge and the time and care they took to explain everything in terms I understood. I feel as if I have a good back up team there. I can ring or go back and visit at any time if I have any problems or need advice.
Safety is a prime consideration. I did an assessment of the work I planned and double checked my capabilities before starting. I will still need a qualified tree surgeon for larger projects in the garden.
Chain saw and other machinery courses can be found at Brooksby Melton College in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
Have you found any solutions to your gardening problems ? I’d love to hear them.
Cosmos seeds. Now safely gathered in.
And after Christmas I will start sowing again, for a summer delight of bees and blooms.
My cut-flower-patch kit cost me about £20 from Ben at Higgledy Garden, mail order. Great value, to get me started. I shall re use my saved seeds, but I’m looking on the website to add new varieties for next year. What are you planning to grow in 2017?
Still mild enough to sit in the summerhouse. Heaps of cosy woollen blankets to hide under. So I made an autumn wreath out of beech leaves, rosehips and cowparsley seed heads.
My wreath is made from a woven willow base. I learned how to make them from Georgie Newbery at Common Farm Flowers. I can highly recommend the courses. I attended one for creating a cut flower patch and posy tying. I’ve never had to buy any flowers for my house and family since. I’m planning to attend one next year on growing flowers for weddings and special occasions. I’ve already bought my voucher for the course. It’s great to have something to look forward to as winter starts to bite.
The Persian ironwood shrub, Parrotia Persica still looks like a bonfire of colour.
Orange tulips, a present from a friend- the view inside the summerhouse today.
Have you got a favourite place you like to sit in the garden?
I can’t believe I turned my nose up at chrysanthemums. It might have been the huge Pom Pom flowers that put me off. Some the size of a head. All stiffly growing in rows, marshalled into line by an army of stakes and string.
Not my kind of gardening- and I’d probably have composted any cuttings or plants that came my way.
But this year I’ve had a change of heart. My father in law handed over a cutting of a yellow spider chrysanthemum. It’s a plant that has been passed around the family and grown for over 70 years. My father in law is struggling with mobility now and can no longer garden. In fact this year we’ve been running two gardens- theirs and our own. We’ve all worked like demons to keep their immaculate garden up to standard. And the reward has been the smiles and comments from every carer, nurse and visitor to the house. Their glorious flower-and veg- filled garden has been preserved.
And so has their much-prized chrysanthemum. I couldn’t be the one to let the side down. I couldn’t let the family chrysanthemum -known as Aunty Doris- die out. So it’s been potted on and watered and fed, and generally fussed over all summer. And I’m surprised to find that I totally love it. It has personality. The glorious sunny yellow flowers open like a sea anemone. It’s fascinating to watch. As the flowers grow, the centres turn a beautiful emerald green.
After all that nurturing – the flowers are returning to my mother in law, Joan. Just as her husband of 66 years has always grown them for her, I’m growing them now.
Chrysanthemum known in the family as “Aunty Doris.”
I love its rather messy flowers. Beautiful from bud to open flower.
Luckily I’ve got lighting in my potting shed, so can create my flower posies for Joan after work.
In the posy this week is Chrysanthemum Stallion Yellow and white Swan from Cheshire family nursery Chrysanthemums Direct. Bought as plugs from RHS autumn show. I think they cost around £1 each, and have made good strong plants in a year. I’m an organic gardener, and on my potting shed table is some natural fertiliser I’m trying out from PlantGrow. I’ll let you know how I get on with it.
Chrysanthemum Swan in the centre, surrounded by rosemary, verbena bonariensis, pittosporum silver queen, rudbeckia grown from seed, violas and grasses. The orange balls are sprays of seed from crocosmia, and the grey foliage is Artemisia Powis Castle.
The blue flower spikes are Plectranthus Argentea which is now sheltering in the heated greenhouse for the winter and will provide flowers right through until February. This and many other plants in my greenhouse came from The Herb Nursery at Thistleton. Another family-run business I like to support.
The good news is, there’s about 6 more weeks of Aunty Doris chrysanthemums to come. I expect we will even have them on our Christmas table. A reason to celebrate- to be sure.
Have you ever tried to keep a family favourite flower or plant in circulation? Thanks as always to Cathy for hosting this In a Vase on Monday meme. Do take a look and see what gardeners around the world are growing.
Chrysanthemum Mei-Kyo. November 9th 2016
Forsythia.Flowers out of season are always a joy. And the foliage is a burnished bronze too.
Back lit by sunshine. Autumn viola grown from seed.
Autumn has always been my favourite season. Nature seems to gather up its glories for one last burst of beauty.
The beech trees make a golden backdrop for the wedding cake tree – Cornus Controversa Variegata. Cotinus Grace is starting to turn from chocolate to a glowing red.
Left to right, the wedding cake tree , prunus Kojo no Mai, and Parrotia Persica. Backbone shrubs that stand out in spring and autumn. Summer colour is woven through these plants.
Looking like it’s been varnished – Parrotia is also called the Persian ironwood tree. Its bark is a beautiful mottled iron grey.
Summerhouse in the mist. The field-side border contains eucalyptus, magnolia, flower carpet rose, and two matching crataegus prunifolia mop -headed trees framing the view. The 1920s summerhouse is on a turntable and facing the ploughed field today. Beyond the summerhouse is a small copse of trees where a Spotted woodpecker nested this summer.
My ancestors would have used different words for the seasons.
Until the 1500s, autumn was called harvest. The word comes from the old Norse word for haust- which means to gather or pluck.
The French gave us automne. And the Romans gave us the Latin name autumnus. But “autumn”didn’t come into common English usage until the 18th century.
Cathy at Words and Herbs Hosts the Tuesday View. Go along and see what’s happening in her garden and feel free to join in with photos of your garden too.
Our garden was a field of wheat when we bought the house. We had to wait until the autumn harvest. Then the farmer ploughed our plot and we threw around handfuls of grass seed with wild flowers mix…
Clematis against an October blue sky.
Old fashioned pink, Dianthus Mrs Sinkins. Such scent!
It’s been torrential rain here all morning. The ditch has overflowed and resembles a fast flowing stream, and my veg plot is half under water.
I’ve been watching a young buzzard, sitting on our hedge. Every now and again, it shakes itself and raindrops go flying.
Suddenly the downpour halts. The buzzard looks about and stretches its wings to dry them. And then it’s off. With only three flaps of its wings it is gliding over the hawthorn hedge. Such power. By the time I get to the gate post to watch, the buzzard is only a tiny speck high up in the sky. But we can hear the cat-like mewing sound. And now there are three. The young buzzard has been joined by its parents.
We’ve been watching these buzzards for the past few years. They’ve made a nest in a small wood in the fields at the back of our house. Last year there were two pairs nesting, and they each produced two chicks.
We will take a walk there later to see if we can spot their nests-without getting too close to bother them.
Anyway, the sun’s come out now, and suddenly there’s activity all round. There’s bees buzzing in the cotoneaster around the office window, the fledgling swallows are making wobbly flights past. We hold our breath, in case they crash. They just miss, by inches. The busy, twittering sound they make reminds me that I must get going too. I must dash off to work, before the next deluge.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick glimpse into my morning here in my garden. It’s our wildlife haven.
Wild geranium,tiny but Jewel like. White clover, buttercup and grasses. Perfect for bees, butterflies and insects.
Pink-tinged cow parsley. As pretty as any cultivated flower.
Wild geranium maculatum, like crinkled silk. Also known as cranesbill because of its seeds. As beautiful as garden form.
We made a pond.Twice . We hired a man with a JCB. He was very enthusiastic. We marked out the site, discussed the size and shape, waved our arms around windmill fashion – and then made a big mistake – we went away for a few days. When we returned, we found a huge straight-sided hole in the ground and massive rockery.
When we recovered from that financial and confidence sapping disaster -we hired another man with a JCB. This time we stayed put. My other half literally guided the bucket into position. I watched- ready to call an ambulance.
We bought a pond liner when we should have spent the money on carpets. We lived for some time with concrete floors.
Cardamine pratensis or Lady’s Smock grows happily in the boggy margins.
S oxslips grow along the sloping banks. such a delicate flower.
I’m replanting the iris and camassias around the edges and trying to control the stinging nettles and brambles. I don’t want to eradicate them completely- just keep on top of them. I garden with a light touch. I love the butterflies that hatch their eggs on the nettles. So gardening for me is a compromise.
Have you ever made a pond? What lessons did you learn along the way? I hope you have enjoyed these photos of my garden. It’s a peaceful place where humans have to share with the wildlife.
Our garden was a field of wheat when we bought the house. We had to wait until the autumn harvest. Then the farmer ploughed our plot and we threw around handfuls of grass seed with wild flowers mixed in. We planted 250 sapling trees. Oak, ash, hornbeam, willow. And we waited. We planted a boundary hedge of hawthorn, crabapple and rowan for the birds. Hazel for coppicing.
violets in a race against time to flower and set seed before cowparsley and campions tower over them
Violets in a race against time to flower and set seed before cow parsley and campions tower over them. The violets have escaped from the woodland and are thriving in the lawn. For weeks in April and May, the lawn is studded with sweet-scented violets. We set the mower blades high, and skim over them.
We planted closely, so each tree and shrub shelters its neighbour. This is a good way to create a “woodland” feel in a short space of time. We coppice the hazel and use the twigs for growing climbing beans and sweet peas. There’s always plenty of kindling for winter fires.
Wild anemones stream out along the woodland floor, searching for sunlight. I planted a few at one end of the wild garden. The anemones moved to where they were happiest. I often find that plants pop up in unexpected places. Sometimes they move from one side of the garden to the other. Nature seems to know best.
there will be cherries for the birds
We planted a bank of cherry trees- enough for us, and to share with the birds. There’s always enough for everyone.
Thanks for reading. Please stop by again to see the garden through the seasons. It’s a peaceful haven for wildlife and humans. I don’t mind sharing.
Bramble Garden 