2023 – CHW

A VIP tour of the gardens at Osborne House with the head gardener, Toby Beasley. Today entirely in the walled garden.

The potting shed beside the main walled garden.

Viola hederacea – Australian violet in a greenhouse.

‘Mother-in-Laws Tongue’ – Sansevieria trifasciata in flower.

Impatiens repens.

Ipomoea lobata – a perennial grown here as an annual.

A tremendous display of Saponaria officinalis which flops over as flowering finishes.

Cynara cardunculus in flower.

Veratrum nigrum which was introduced in 1596.

The view down through the walled garden.

Achillea filipendulina.

Comelina tuberosa.

Thalictrum delavayi – Introduced 1590.

Osborne propagate all the Cannas used in their summer displays in front of the house from their own stock bed.

Hemerocallis fulva.

Crambe maritima.

2022 – CHW

A single seed pod on just one of the young Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ on the bank.

The very late flowering pink form of Rhododendron ‘Royal Flush’. Quite a display for mid July!

As is the Rhododendron nuttallii below the quarry. Much better than other clumps with very pronounced orangey-yellow centres to the understated flowers.

Again we need more website Care Article pictures or Camptotheca acuminata which grows on Burns Bank.

Gorgeous red new growth and obvious winter die back. It is late into leaf each year and the secondary new growth in the autumn gets scorched in east winds.

A bone dry view down to Porthluney Beach.

Diospyros rhombifolia looked dead earlier but is struggling into recovery despite the heat recently.

A fallen Rhododendron arboreum limb has let in the light for a Corylopsis sinensis to burst into growth. The Corylopsis was smashed to the ground and cut back hard. Its neighbour would benefit from the same treatment.

2021 – CHW
So back home again after a particularly unsunny and wet fortnight in Seaview. To compound the misery we had lunch 10 days ago at a friend’s house with four others and have ended up in the consequent COVID isolation. One of the guests arrived feeling (helpfully) unwell and then tested, not unexpectedly, positive. If it had been fine we would have sat outside. He will be and is fine after his two jabs but Seaview is an elderly village community who take isolation seriously. That put an end to all the planned entertaining and socialising completely so we have been cooped up (garden visits aside) seeing nobody. No trip to Edgbaston to the cricket tomorrow either. What a ‘holiday’! A delight to get home!Seaview has quite a bit of youthful COVID in the yacht club staff but they have not shut of course. The ‘locals’ are unamused but I suppose that the club have a financial point with ‘freedom’ (of sorts) only a week away.Conversely several people have arrived here off ferries and hovercraft who have been ‘pinged’ to isolate by the test and trace app as being in the proximity (whatever that means) of a COVID positive. They are of course furious that their holidays have been unnecessarily ruined (while many football followers take no notice) but resigned to compliance.Learning to live with COVID is the new ‘normal’. Fortunately neither of us does have COVID after isolation. Two jabs works?We have been far too conditioned into obeying the draconian rules but rules matter in a local community. Freedom now beckons and common sense can now prevail!Now home and the positive effects on the garden of a good lot of rain in the last fortnight are plain to see. Secondary new growth everywhere.Buddleia loricata just going over.