The Great British Garden Revival

I'm in my element this week with some proper armchair plant porn:

The BBC's new series of The Great British Garden Revival kicked off this week, along with a bunch of other gardening shows (Big Allotment Challenge, also on the Beeb; Titchmarsh gadding about in ITV). I guess this glut is as we look forward to warmer times, just like the traditional New Year holiday adverts. Gotta say tho', everyone on Allotment Challenge looks very weird on my TV with their sunburn whilst it tries to snow outside my window.

Perfect format

Garden Revival is just the right mix of horti-TV for me: educational, inspirational & rallying. Each show gives us to 2 gardening 'faces'. Each has 30 minutes to exhort us to make space in our hearts for some old but unfashionable stallwarts that are at risk of extinction.

They give us some history on the plants, visit gardens with amazing collections, address the brutal truth of why we've stopped buying these plants, show us how we can overcome those hurdles, & then light a fire under our arses to get out there & save them.

Your country need you!

Each segment is a rallying cry. During episode 1, I was so buoyed up from Rachel de Thame's campaign for old roses, that when Joe Swift did his intro & asked us to make space for climbers & creepers is was shouting "Ok, Joe!" at the screen... I felt like Po in Kung Fu Panda at the Pool Of Sacred Tears (Go watch it. Not to understand this reference, just go watch it). James' Wong's section on Rhododendrons in episode 3 was a revelation - the invasiveness of ONE hybrid has poisoned our view of a whole species.

Series 2 episodes

There's 10 shows in this series, some of which are already on iPlayer. There really is something for everyone:

1. Roses - Rachel de Thame
   Climbers & creepers - Joe Swift
2. Daffodils - Carol Klein
   Blossom trees & shrubs - Chris Beardshaw
3. Rhododendrons - James Wong
   Carnations - Christen Walkden
4. Scented gardens - Toby Buckland
   Tulips - Tom Hart Dyke
5. Lavender - Diarmund Gavin
   Knot gardens - Alys Fowler
6. Irises - Rachel de Thame
   Ornamental grasses - Toby Buckland
7. Conifers - Carol Klein
   Pelargoniums - Tom Hart Dyke
8. Lilies - James Wong
   Woodland gardens - Christen Walkden
9. Bog gardens - Joe Swift
   Soft fruit - Alys Fowler
10. Wildlife gardens - Diarmund Gavin
    Peonies - Charlie Dimmock

Now, to see if I can convert this inspiration & enthusiasm into motivation... & a plan.

What's flowering this week?

You blink round here, & something else flowers. Here's who's flouncing about right now.

Can anyone fill any of the blank name tags?

Smoke bush - identified by Kay when I spotted one at her house

Dunno what this is, but there's lots of it.
Love how the rain beads on the leaves.
Update from Roger: "Alchemilla mollis. Beautiful if a bit of a brute!"
Also known as Lady's Mantle.



We've several similar geraniums.
This lovely clump is at the foot of the South Lawn Cherry Tree.

Not a clue about this one but I see it about a lot.
A municipal planting favourite in our Drive Bed.

Another flowering shrub in the Drive Bed.
They're cheek-by-jowl in there.
Update from Bryony: "escallonia I think"
Certainly looking likely from interweb photos & descriptions.

There's 2 big clumps of this in the West Boundary Bed.
TBH it's probs a single plant attempting to swallow a third.

We currently have the most glamorous, most fragrant compost corner.
The rambling/climbing rose went boom!
Update from Kate: "Rambling rector?"
Looking very likely, & how fitting given that Hubby is a Reverend...
I may start referring to him as such here...

We brought these guys with us.
Still no idea what they are.
Update from Roger: "Some kind of veronica"
But searching Google pics I'm not so sure
(even after eliminating all the pics of ladies in their pants.)

Not flowering, but looking wonderfully fluffy in its new growth.
One of several conifers at the top of the North Lawn. 

A flush of buttercups, before I chopped their heads off yesterday.

No idea which leaves go with these flowers.
It's all a bit hectic behind the bench down at the Circle.

Our lovely friends gave us loads of plants as housewarming gifts.
Sarge's cactus bloomed!
Update from me (cos I read the label): Opuntia indica - prickly pear!

New house! New garden!

I've been stressing again. Moving house is stressful - we all know that. But I've been topping that stress with a whole bunch of blog guilt. It's a special talent.


But today that ends. I am reminding myself of my 'Post it!' resolution from the blog's First Birthday round-up. I will, as my friend Clair would say, rip it off like a plaster.

So what's the new place like?!

Vast!


Not quite Capability Brown-worthy, but our old back garden would fit into the new one several times over. It took hubby TWO HOURS just to mow The North Lawn. & yes, that means we now have more than 1 lawn - there's a smaller South one too.


I'll get around doing a map & some panoramas & stuff, but in the meantime, here's a few nice pics of some of the plants that came with the place. I freely admit I've no idea what half of the resident greenery is, so I think a horticultural soirée might be helpful - an evening of cake, cava & can-you-tell-me-what-this-is-please?

The new growth on this shrub is much more red than the pink in this pic.
Update from Sharon: "Pieris 'forest flame'"

It's a fairy grotto under one corner of the Big Beech Hedge.
These guys remind me of kodama.



The Cherry Tree on the South Lawn.

Snake's Head Fritillaries! We've always wanted some of these! *dribble*

One of the many large grassy clumps. This one is in the Shed Bed.
Update from Sharon: "Carex pendula"
The wiki page says "preferring damp, heavy clay soils"... sounds about right ;)

We had no idea what the large old tree in the middle of the South Lawn was...
until it flowered. Laburnum it is then.

They've got these in the Farmshop carpark beds & I've always admired them.
We've not got as much as them - only this small clump at the top of the North Lawn.
But it's a start.
Update from Steph & Clare: "Perennial Cornflower".

We brought our own, but there are a lot of ferns here already.
I'm amazed to see Hostas tho' - new place has an abundance of snails AND slugs.

One of the other grassy clumps turned out to be this gorgeous Iris.
This was in the Fence Bed, but there's another clump over in the Birch Bed.

Bargain, or weakness?

I've done it again. I've splurged unexpectedly at the supermarket. But, but, it was the perfect plant. Honest.

The rationale

• They're hellebores - an item on my fantasy plant list (I'm compiling that at the mo & will it share with you another day).
• They're white - fitting my colour scheme for shady corner, & being woodland souls shade is what they like.
• They're face up - many hellebores have droopy flower heads, but not these.
• They're 2 for £5 - a bargain, surely...?

Hellebores are in flower right now & so there was a huge display in the garden centre on Saturday. & the garden centre wanted £20 per plant.
TWENTY QUID!?!
They were big plants, I admit, but still... I'd want a tree for 20 quid.

So today, when I saw the perfect plant 2 for a fiver, it just had to be done.

Too pretty not to...

Now I just have work on being unrepentant about impulse buying.