Merry Christmas Everyone

We had a merry morning on Thursday, firstly we had to collect the material for our annual wreath making, a good excuse to tramp around the woods looking for pine cones and other festive greenery. We spent the rest of the time before the Christmas party being creative, it is amazing what you can achieve even if you are terminally cack handed like me! Once you have the knack of weaving the willow stems into a circle the rest is just pushing foliage into the gaps and you can have a surprisingly professional looking end product.
Alyson then came up with the idea of hanging rose hips off the left over stems to create a Christmas tree, along with tiny lemons they look really effective. So suitably festive we had our party, all the estate volunteers and workers feasted on hot sausage rolls, mince pies and mulled wine, including Shandy who had her own made up in a special parcel. Well that's it now for another year, we are heading to the charming sea-side village of Staithes for our festive break and wish you a very merry Christmas from all of us at Norton Conyers, see you in the new year!
"The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it is always young"
Phillip Brooks

That's all for this year folks!

Shortening Daylight

The light is unmistakeably that of December now. We are treated to sunny mornings with occasional showers, the bricks of the garden wall glow with a comforting hue, and the red willow stems light up like fire in contrast.. As the day draws on we are more and more aware of just how short they have become, in fact all of us can tell the time by the light, especially when it turns three o' clock and the sun begins to sink. Then we might be treated to a pink and grey sky as tempting as candy-floss, which mesmerises us as it is reflected in the pond. Thursday is my last day in the garden before Christmas and we shall be making wreathes and making merry!

"Drink deep or be careful how you taste this December vintage. The first sip may chill, but a full draught warms and invigorates"
John Burroughs

Festive Musings

I found this collection of hibernating ladybirds the other morning and couldn't resist sharing them with you. Does anyone know what the collective noun for them is? Perhaps it should be a Santa Claus because of their festive colours! It amuses me that they are all jumbled up together despite being different types, there is obviously safety in numbers against the winter no matter what you look like, maybe the human race could learn a thing or two from nature as always.
Meanwhile back in the garden we only have the main border left to dig through now, so should be finished in time for Christmas.

I wonder if it is a coincidence that nature colours so many things red at this time of year, robins, holly berries, the evening sky and the stems of many plants. I think perhaps it is a reminder to us that winter is a necessary season but will soon pass. It certainly makes for wonderful photography.

"Red is the ultimate cure for sadness"
Bill Blass

December Days

We are making good progress with our winter chores, steadily digging through the borders pruning as we go, it is steady work and the short days pass quickly. Shandy keeps a close eye on our endeavours from her basket, she is only allowed out at break times so her leg has time to heal, but thankfully she is doing well. Meanwhile Bob the robin is developing a distinctly rotund form from all the cake crumbs supplied, he is getting cheekier and more daring by the day but I fear when we break up for Christmas he will forget and have to be coaxed all over again in January.
"Welcome winter. Your late dawns and chilled breath make me lazy, but I love you nonetheless"
Terry Guillemets

Now is the winter of Shandy's discontent!

Wounded Soldier #2

Here is poor little Shandy with her war wound, we can certainly hear her coming now, like a canine Long John Silver, thump, thump, thump!
She must remain in pot for ten weeks, and allowing for her building back the strength in her leg, that will be February before she is back on rabbit chasing duties, I wonder how many babies they will have by then?
Perhaps we will not be rabbit free next year after all! On the whole she seems to be coping with it rather well, but it is difficult to keep her still and out of the mud, Giles had to resort to a long lead and her basket placed outside so she could watch us work. As you can see she was not best pleased, it could be a very long ten weeks!

"Properly trained a man can be a dogs best friend"
Corey Ford

Wounded Soldier

We had a morning of high drama today at Norton Conyers. The rabbit hunt passed uneventfully and we settled down to some seasonal digging in front of the orangery. Then Giles came up with the brilliant idea of flushing the rabbits out of their warren by putting the hosepipe down, it worked a treat and we were soon chasing at least three bunnies around the garden like loonies. Boy are they fast! Shandy as ever was giving it her all and finally managed to corner one in the forcing house, unfortunately this is also where all sorts of things that may come in useful like panes of glass are stored. The next thing we heard was a crash and then Shandy emerged triumphant with a huge rabbit, it was bucking and kicking and managed to escape twice before she finished it off. Only then did we notice the blood running down one back leg, scooping her up Giles decided it looked bad enough for the vet so we wrapped her leg in a tea towel and off he went in a hurry. We were all really worried but she will be fine, she has cut a tendon but they have stitched it up and put her leg in plaster so it cannot move. So that is the end of our rabbit hunts for a while until our secret weapon is recovered. Photo to follow on Monday, when we will all sign her cast and draw pictures of bunnies on it!

"Time heals all wounds"
Geoffrey Chaucer

A New Friend

Early morning rabbit hunt

Our days at Norton Conyers have now settled into a time honoured routine. We start each morning with a rabbit hunt, although despite evidence to the contrary we seem unable to find any. This year Giles is determined to wage war on them early so we are well ahead with the cutting back, meaning they have less places left to hide. There has even been talk of electrifying the yew hedge, which acts as rabbit central, as a means to deter them. Not all wild creatures are so unwelcome however, we seem to have been adopted by a robin that has moved into the peach house. Whenever we sit down to tea or lunch out he or she pops begging for crumbs. Giles is going to try and tame it to take crumbs out of his hand and so has started sharing his cake by placing some in strategic locations, which he will then slowly bring closer to where we sit. This is annoying Shandy somewhat as Giles never shares his cake, not even with her!
I have tried to get a photo but our little friend is a bit quick as yet, I shall keep trying though. Yesterday the robin serenaded us with a very pretty song as a thank you, much louder when inside. I think it will make a very charming addition to our workforce.
"A single rose can be my garden..... A single friend, my world"
Leo buscaglia

Bed Time For The Salvias

It was a murky start this morning with thick fog which was slow to clear, so thick in fact that I almost missed my bus as it came looming out of the mist taking me by surprise. Once at Norton Conyers it was time to dig up salvias, some require moderate protection over the winter and were placed in the greenhouse, more tender specimens went into the peach house and some were left in the main border to take their luck with whatever winter will bring. As we emptied the stone troughs we planted tulip bulbs for spring cheer, although it will probably just be us that get to appreciate them. November is the best time for planting these colourful bulbs, any earlier and they become susceptible to tulip fire. We are now well on the way to finishing the cutting back as the size of the compost heap can testify!

Finally a quick mention of a really good plant to show up in these dank days, Ceratostigma is a wonderful doer against red brick walls where is seems to glow with a particularly vibrant colour.

"I saw old autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence"
Thomas Hood

A Stick Up The Nose

That was what I got for my troubles after returning from the half term break. It is a common gardeners problem but not one that has occurred to me before, I must make a mental note not to do it again, it hurt! We were continuing with the big cut back when it happened and upon bending forward I managed to impale myself, luckily Alyson came to my rescue with a tissue, I never carry them myself as they are useless when it is wet,(now there's a thought if someone could invent a stay dry and dirt free gardeners hankie I will gladly forsake the back of my glove, there's money to be made there someone!) needless to say I bled freely. Mind you it's better than a poke in the eye! That makes me wonder if that part of the garden will grow better next year, I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the garden the salvias are still looking fantastic, making one doubt that it is indeed November, they are still covered in bees too, but they had best make the most of it as we will be bringing the ones we want to save indoors very soon, as well as the dahlias. There is frost forecast at last this week so we must say goodbye to those gorgeous mellow autumn colours and prepare for winter.
"Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons"
Jim Bishop

Leaf Time

It really is feeling more autumnal now, we have collected our first leaves of the season from the courtyard, where they pile up into the corners and get soggy and slippery, of course it will all to be done again on Thursday after this wind today! We are making good progress in the garden and have started renovating the area behind the peach house, this involves removing any failing shrubs including this apple tree which Giles soon made short work off with the tractor. We have had to be ruthless as the whole area is covered in bind weed and white root which has intertwined with many of the plant roots, so our only option was to remove any that were badly affected, then dig out the roots by hand, a job which is strangely satisfying despite the labour involved. We must finish in the garden by Christmas to beat any bad weather in the new year so we push on and hope despite losing an hours work from next week, non of us likes working in the dark, although Giles has threatened to buy us all a head torch!

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and colour are their last days"
John Burrows

All In A Days Work

We had some unexpected visitors first thing yesterday morning, Giles and Nicky had already managed to herd them into the old pig sty area where they could be contained when we arrived. Shandy had been denied her wish to try her paw at being a  sheep dog luckily so they seemed quite a calm bunch. They happily munched what they could until the farmer came to collect them. We were rather glad to see them go as we had to keep the gate shut, meaning a bit of a palaver every time we had to empty the wheel barrows. The compost heap is  growing rapidly as we continue to cut the garden back, all we need now is a really sharp frost to help us by blackening the tender plants and making the decision easy as to whether or not to let them have a few more days. At home I have been waiting for three weeks now, with my winter bedding in reserve, for the pots at the front of the house to start looking scruffy so I can replace them, but so far they still look resplendent, I shall have to be patient a while longer and reprimand myself for wishing for cold weather!

"To create man was a quaint and original idea, but to add the sheep was tautology"
Mark Twain

Autumn Is Here

Despite the sunny picture on the right autumn is well and truly here, we found that out on Monday! Being the sort of girls not to be put off by a little rain we dutifully turned up and started work pulling ivy off the estate walls, this is the only job to be done if the weather is really foul. Two hours later we were on our way home considerably wetter than when we arrived. Next time I think I'll just turn over in bed and wait for a better day. Luckily we fared better today when we started the big autumn cut back. This is a chance to get hands on with the plants again, see how they have grown over the season, divide any that require it and collect seeds as we go. This is a time of year and a job we all enjoy to start with although by the time we have cut back the whole garden it does begin to pall a little, then we will turn our attention once more to the woods.

"If you can laugh together, you can work together"
Robert Orben

Last Hurrah For The Garden

We had a touch of frost for the first time yesterday and this surely signifies the last hurrah for the garden, but what a way to go out! A glorious October day followed highlighting the mellow hues of autumn. It was a pleasure to work and made me realise why we toil in more unpleasant conditions if we get to share in days like that. For some of the fruit it was the end of the road, we cleared the greenhouse of the tomatoes which will happily ripen off the vine now, pruned the fig which has not thrived this year and picked the last of the peppers now turning a bruised purple and red. Apple storage took up more of our time laying the fruit in rows in the dedicated store, and setting up the trestle table for the pumpkins to keep them out of the frost. Lastly we picked the pears, and not a moment too soon as the birds have discovered them and they are perfectly ripe. Normally I don't care for them as they never seem perfect, either too hard or overripe, but if you can pick them off the tree at just the right time they are perfection with mellow tones of honey and a slight fragrance you just can't put your finger on. We have been told to expect a return to normal Autumn temperatures on Monday with gales and rain, but I shall remember yesterday in all its glory and hopefully that will see me through to yet another Spring when the whole magical cycle will start again.

"October is nature's funeral month. Nature glories in death more than in life. Every green thing loves to die in bright colours"
Henry Ward Beecher

September Projects

Things continue in an autumnal vein at Norton Conyers, despite the vivid colours of the rudbeckias and asters we are nearly into October already. That annual bugbear of mine, mulching, has now started in earnest and we spent the whole day barrowing one sort or another to various parts of the estate, I wonder how many miles we walked yesterday! Our latest project is to erect a greenhouse in the old piggeries where we can over-winter the salvias and propagate new plants next spring. It is good to see new areas of the garden move forward and with the house due to officially open in 2016 we must make sure every thing looks at its best. There is much to do if we hope to make the deadline!
"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here
With summers best of weather
And autumns best of cheer"
Helen Hunt Jackson

Nicky in action in the peach house, we are still watering every day!

Swan Song

September is the swan song for the butterfly, in one last glorious celebration they glide and feast on the asters that seem to bloom solely for them. It was hard to work yesterday when I would much rather have watched their antics and delighted in their enchanted fluttering. They are bold now with nectar coursing through their veins, some even chose to alight upon us if they approve of the colour of our shirts. How we will miss them as the flowers slowly fade and their bright shades give way to the dun coloured tones of the sleeping earth. Luckily for us some will secrete themselves away in warm corners and crevices to emerge glorious into the spring sunshine once more, and recreate the butterfly dance again next year.

"Just living is not enough" said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower"
Hans Christian Anderson

A Change Of Heart

The weather at Norton Conyers may have been dull and dank yesterday, but when you have colours like these to brighten up your day you barely miss the sunshine! I have revised my opinion of chrysanthemums as boring petrol station blooms, just look at them glowing against the colour of the bricks with a back drop of Chinese lanterns and dahlias, it brings to mind a firework display and suggests that they are the perfect autumn flower. Every year I  rediscover plants I  previously disliked only to have my opinion changed when I see them grown well. Here that means in the traditional way as part of a cutting garden, also an idea that didn't please me at first with the regimented straight lines but one that I now eagerly anticipate as the rest of the garden dies down and this area comes into it's own.
"Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons"
Jim Bishop

A self seeded beauty in a forgotten corner

September Seeds

One of the joys at this time of year is the collection of all that lovely free seed, each tiny capsule is another potential plant bursting with promise. Every single one holds the potential for a new strain or an exact replica of the parent, how can one resist popping a couple into a pot of earth and seeing the miracle of life begin again. The weather lately has been perfect for collection, wait until the dew has burnt off, take your paper bag into the sunshine and off you go! Because Norton Conyers specialises in hardy perennials the best time to sow these seeds is right now, in nature they would just drop to the ground or be carried away by birds and small mammals many of whom may stash their treasures and then forget them, giving them a perfect starting place far from the parent plant, we are just doing the same thing. This is also the perfect excuse for not being too tidy in the garden too soon, by leaving the seed heads standing well into winter you are feeding many creatures, providing habitats for insects, and giving the plant itself maximum time for reproduction, the sole reason for the plant existing in the first place. I think gardeners pride themselves on being part of this magical cycle.

Observe the poppy seed heads on the left and you can see where the tiny birds and mammals of the garden have been feasting on the goodies inside.

"Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.
John Harrigan

Respect

With the children back at school I felt as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes at Norton Conyers on Thursday. Everywhere I looked I saw nature in its intricate beauty. Finding part of a wasps nest on the Ha Ha I stopped to examine the wondrous workmanship inside. Whether or not you like the little blighters you have to admire their industry and sense of purpose. If only we humans had that certainty of our reason for existence! When you consider the patterns and shapes that nature creates you really do get a sense of a mighty hand behind it all, how else can you explain the Fibonacci sequence? This is a mathematical pattern found throughout nature which appears in petals, leaves and shells, it is fiendishly difficult to comprehend, never mind explain, so I shall leave you to found out about it for yourselves!
We are cutting the yew hedges on Monday, a day of backbreaking toil for Giles who is the only one strong enough to wield the long hedge cutter, but also fairly hard for us who have to pick up the clippings. It is a job that really marks the end of summer in my mind, as the seasons turn slowly towards winter once again.

Look at our wonderful grapes, not bad for north Yorkshire!

"He who wants a rose must respect the thorn"
Persian proverb

Hello September!

Name me a parent in the land who does not welcome September with joy in their hearts! The children have returned to school and at last we can clean the house properly without having to hoover in between teenagers legs. I can see their bedroom carpets for the first time in over a month and am not to be hounded with requests for food until they return at the end of the day.  In effect I've got my freedom back. I now have the chance to catch up on some blogging, and time to appreciate the wonderful colours that abound at this time of year. If September had it's own special colour it would be the hue of a Victoria plum, and without doubt the plant of the month has to be the sedum. Beloved of our insect friends it also blends beautifully with the asters as they emerge, and lasts until the first frosts ice the flowers like lacy mop caps. The work in the garden gets more interesting again with harvesting and seed gathering, and gradually the mowing slows down and the hoeing takes a back seat for another year. I like autumn only second to spring!
"The breezes taste of apple peel.
The air is full of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs, burning brush
New books, erasers, chalk and such.
The bee his hive well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean with suds,
The days are polished with morning haze"
John Updike September

A Well Deserved Award

A most unusual shot of a happy family

I've just returned form a weeks holiday in the Lake District and probably could do with another one to recover! Jesting aside entertaining three teenagers is no mean feat, so we spent the time walking, playing cards and mini golf, on aerial assault courses and horse riding.
No wonder I felt weary after returning to Norton Conyers yesterday. However my spirits were soon lifted by the news that the Grahams have won the Historic Houses restoration award for 2014. After battling death watch beetle and numerous other major inconveniences the house is now ready to re-open next year. There was a very nice little piece on Look North yesterday evening which I only just managed to catch after the bus was late, but it should be available on BBC iplayer if you missed it.
The garden itself has transformed into its autumn colours whilst I was away and the temperature has dropped away enough for us to light our stove in the evenings, it makes me feel that summer has ebbed away far too quickly.
"Summer will end soon enough and childhood as well"
George R R Martin

August Bounty

August is a soporific month for gardeners, in some way it is the high point of the year as the summer planting peaks and then dips. All is quiet as nature holds her breath, before a hint of autumn acts as a catalyst for a new flush of short day plants striving for their moment in the limelight. Our time is now taken up with dead heading to keep the plants flowering, a lovely job on a warm day as the insects hum contentedly next to you. Unexpectedly we are also harvesting a lot of vegetables, the summer crops of fruit, tomatoes, peppers and beans are as normal, but we also have a fine crop of cauliflower and cabbage both red and white. In an attempt to keep the pigeons off we left them covered with fleece and the nice warm conditions have brought them on very early, also completely bug free. A real success but heaven knows what we shall have to eat in the winter. It's always a learning game this gardening lark!

"The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning"
Natalie Babbitt

Bert's Shed

After twelve years of hinting Dave finally took me to Derbyshire to visit Chatsworth house this weekend. The weather was perfect and the house and grounds did not disappoint. The scale of course is huge and everything is meant to be viewed at a distance but when you get a little closer you realise that nothing is perfect. Not that that bothers me, I like to see a little nature creeping in as it so often does at Norton Conyers, but it did make me realise just how good our garden actually is for its planting and setting, every bit as good as these larger houses!

 however despite all the grandeur, the place I really fell in love with is tucked around the back of the house and behind the kitchen garden. It is the most perfect place and I wish I had one just like it. Bert must have led a very contented life in such a cosy space, it makes me want to convince Giles to renovate the bothy at Norton and get the stove working again, winters would be a lot more fun if we did.

"Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again"
Joseph Campbell

Bert,s magical shed

Summer Nectar Hunt

We continue to swelter under the blue skies of what has become the best summer I can remember for a long while. It may not be much fun for us humans but our insect friends are having a field day and the garden abounds with a low hum that signals their joyous search for nectar. Much of our time is now spent on the sort of jobs an indolent afternoon demands, dead heading, a little gentle hoeing, and plenty of watering. Even Shandy has largely given up hunting rabbits by lunchtime, preferring instead to bake in the sun for a while before taking a bath in what is laughingly called the watercress trough, lucky thing, we have to wait until we get home for a cool shower!

"And a cloud of enraptured, sporting, buzzing little creatures of silk dust swept or hovered over the undulating picture"
Jean Paul Friedrich Richter

Hoglet Rescue

We had high drama in the garden yesterday when I found a baby hedgehog flaked out in the iris border. It was so still at first I thought the poor little thing was dead, but upon closer inspection I noticed he was still breathing. It was really hot out there at mid day and certainly no place for a nocturnal creature to be. So we gently popped him into a bucket and took him into the orangery where it was nice and cool, having found him more suitable accommodation in a crate with a saucer of water we left him alone to see if he would recover. Thankfully after about an hour he was moving around quite energetically and having drinks of water, so we took him into the woods and set him free in a shady area. I do hope he will be all right. I think these little beasts are most charming, but unfortunately they are dying out at about the same rate as tigers. So if you see one in distress the best thing you can do is give them water and let them rest. Dog or cat food is fine for them to eat, but never ever give them milk as it upsets their tummies.

more prickles!

"Hope is the expectation that something outside of ourselves, something or someone external, is going to come to our rescue and we will live happily ever after"
Dr Robert Anthony

Hay Ho

I can't believe it is that time of year again so quickly. The weather has been set fair for a number of days and so yesterday it was time to cut the meadow. Luckily for us the conditions were ideal, warm and sunny but with a cooling breeze to help us in our work of raking. Sometimes it is good just to set to with a task that you know is going to take all day, you don't have to think too much but can enjoy the rhythm of the work whilst watching what goes on around you. Alyson was kept busy on toad watch, rescuing the little chaps before the mower blades did their worst, whereas Nicky was a bit jittery avoiding all the mice that fled, she doesn't like them much as she once lived in a cottage where they were rather numerous!. It was a day of good honest toil.

"Make hay while the sun shines"          "Honour lies in honest toil"
Proverb                                               Grover Cleveland