It is said that the major topic of
conversation in England is the weather. Well, that is hardly
surprising when you think that we have just seen the longest day this
summer come and go and still the rain pours down and gales continue
to assault the house and do great damage in the garden. It has been
so cold that we have turned the central heating on again – in June,
for heavens sake.
We have always had one problem: the
terrace faces south and the wall of the house is painted white. When
the weather is hot, the terrace becomes rather unbearable as the
walls act as heat reflectors and there is no shade other than that
made by an umbrella. We have had a running battle with Dennis on this
subject every since we came here. Dennis is the local painter and
decorator and over the years has become a very good friend. Our
reaction to this huge slab of white was to grow something up it –
wisteria would have been good but then so would a vine or a Virginia
creeper – but Dennis would have none of it. Apart from making
painting the place very difficult there was the risk of damaging the
walls.
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| Dennis, in Marcia's study. |
So, not knowing that we would be
leaving here this year, I had a brilliant idea. I would grow tall
things in pots. I would stand the pots against the wall during the
summer and they could be moved to a more sheltered environment from
the winter and, of course, when Dennis came to paint the house (which
he does every three years).
It was a very bad mistake.
For example,
I have these lovely spindle trees – three of them are quite short
bushes of the species Euonymus alatus and three of them are
tall spindly affairs: probably Euonymus bungeanus although I
am not sure as these were given to me by a friend. Being very
invasive, there is merit in keeping them in pots (although that
raises problems of feeding and watering) so they were perfect
candidates for this going onto the terrace.
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| Two of the tall spindle trees flanking a Euonymous alatus and some lupins. |
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| One of the other E. alatus. In the autumn the foliage turns a wonderful colour (which is why we bought these). We shall be taking these with us when we leave. |
So, I thought would a container of
sweet peas and a few lupins. These were also brought on in a
sheltered part of the garden.
Of course, what I had not taken into
consideration was the fact that we would be buffeted by so much wind.
The taller spindle trees are now showing all the signs of suffering
from damage to their roots thanks to wind rock (and that despite
being staked), the poor sweet peas were wrenched and battered and we
though we had lost them although they are now showing signs of
recovery and the lupins have had chunks torn off as the gales howled.
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| Sweet peas, battered but bearing up bravely. |
Meanwhile, Colin – he who helps me
keep the garden from becoming a wilderness – has had very few days
here because there is no point in coming over when the rain is
pouring from the sky. Suddenly, about two weeks ago, we had three
very hot days one after the other. He seized one of these to weed the
lavender hedge that we planted last year and it was so hot he had to
wear a hat to protect himself from the sun.
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No wonder we talk about the weather!
FAREWELL FROGLETS
As I expected, the last of the froglets
have now gone, returned to the margins of the upper pond which, being
horribly overgrown, makes a perfect sanctuary for them.
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Will there be any tadpoles to care for
after we move? Tell you next year.
