It seems like bad planning to have been abroad whilst Cumbria was experiencing its warmest weather for several years, but there it is – Keith and I treated ourselves to a week’s holiday on the Greek Island of Kephalonia at the end of June, when temperatures were, if anything, slightly cooler than we would have experienced had we stayed at home. The difference between the two climates, I suppose, is that Cumbria will eventually return to its normal chilly self, whilst Kephalonia will stay warm, dry and sunny, with winter temperatures rarely falling below 9 or 10 degrees Celsius.
It was apricot time whilst we were there – you can imagine us scrumping for sweet, juicy apricots whilst our landlady was using them in as many forms as she could think of in order to use up the surplus (her apricot jam was delicious, the apricot chutney less so…). Picked and eaten fresh from the tree, the apricots tasted so good that I’m determined to have a go at growing my own…
The Head Gardeners of wealthy Victorians knew a thing or two about growing exotic fruit like peaches, sweet cherries and apricots. They trained them against the sunniest, south facing walls of the kitchen garden, where the red bricks absorbed heat during the day, slowly losing it at night, like giant storage heaters. Although apricot trees are fully winter hardy, they flower early in the year when the blossoms are easily damaged by frost. Frameworks that would support fine netting were built into the walls so that nets could be lowered over the fruit trees at night to protect them, and then raised during the day to let pollinating insects get to the blossoms.
To my surprise, Reads Nursery (one of the best fruit nurseries in the country, I think) advises against planting on a south wall – “beware, a south facing site may result in the apricot tree blossoming earlier than usual, exposing the flowers to frost; an east facing location or north slope is much more beneficial as they are usually sheltered from the prevailing winds and benefit from the early morning sun.” Following this advice, I find I have a perfect spot for an apricot tree – against the north facing, red brick wall of the old hen house that forms one side of our sheltered stable yard.
Despite the fact that Greek apricots grow on thin soils above limestone rock, both Reads and the RHS maintain that apricots prefer a well-drained but moisture retentive soil at least 18 inches deep, with a slightly acidic pH. Apricots are self-fertile, which means you can a good fruit set even if you only have one tree, and they are best planted in early autumn.

a comfy house and two acres of land - what more could we want?

So, here we are, newly moved to our smallholding and farmhouse in the countryside and, to celebrate, I’ve spent a great deal of time standing around apparently doing nothing. I’m sure my better half thinks I should be unpacking boxes (there are still plenty left to be dealt with) but in reality I’m sizing up the new property, weighing the possibilities and planning what needs to be done in our new garden. There’s a lot to be gained from some quiet contemplation, apart from the opportunity to skive out of unpacking boxes.
It’s important, for instance, to look at the various microclimates within the garden, before rushing to plant out any of the things we brought with us from our old home. I need a shady spot for my ferns, Brunnera and hostas, a warm sunny border for the geraniums, day lilies and Echinacea, some free draining soil for self-seeders like Eryngium and opium poppies and a damp place for primulas and Darmera peltata. It’s obviously a bit colder here than it was in the town – some of the plants we heeled into the veg plot a few weeks before we moved have been badly frosted, unlike their counterparts back in Cockermouth – something to bear in mind when it comes to planting out our tender vegetables and bedding plants.
In order to save time and energy, it’s a good idea to look at the infrastructure of the garden, and to make sure everything is as handy and ergonomic as possible. One of our first tasks was to rig up a long hosepipe to the polytunnel and veg plot, to save carrying watering cans back and forth ad infinitum. Next, we need to fit water butts to downspouts in convenient places, so that we can begin collecting rainwater. Compost bins will need careful siting too – not too close to the house, but close enough to be convenient for kitchen waste.
The existing inhabitants of the farm need to be considered and accommodated – there are swallows nesting in the old stable now, so our plans to knock it down and replace it with a greenhouse will have to be put on hold for a while. Rabbits have noticed that the previously resident cat has disappeared, and are starting to creep into the vegetable plot at night. We’ll need to put some fencing round our crops before the rabbits do more than just nibble at the ends of the rows.
Finally I’ve been looking at what grows well here and in neighbours gardens, and what doesn’t. I think the soil isn’t as acidic as we’re used to – some of the ericaceous plants in the garden (rhododendrons and Pieris for example) are looking decidedly sorry for themselves – something that will affect what we plant in the future.

Home sweet home

When you’ve only got a tiny garden, a courtyard or a small space to plant up, choosing plants can be a frustrating business. Unless you specialise in bonsai or alpine plants, your space can be quickly filled with just a few specimens, and there’s no room for trees, climbers, fruit or vegetables. Or is there?
A friend and I were looking for small climbers last week; she wants to plant one in a pot, to climb up a small obelisk, which will add much needed height to the paved area outside the front door of her house. We were about to despair of finding a perennial climber, and plump for sweet peas, when we came across Raymond Evison’s dwarf clematis hybrids. Recently introduced from his nursery on Guernsey, these clematis grow to between four and eight feet tall and are perfect for the smaller garden. My friend chose Clematis ‘Rebecca’ which produces deep red flowers from spring to late summer, and which will have a height and spread of just 6 feet by 2 feet. There are other tempting varieties, including ‘Fleuri’ which is deep purple (4ft tall), Cezanne (4-5ft) which is violet, and ‘Parisienne’ (3-4ft) which has violet flowers with a dark red centre.

Fennel flowers

Countryside verges will soon be a delicious froth of cow parsley or Queen Anne’s lace, Anthriscus sylvestris; I love the way the roads seem to get narrower almost overnight as it comes into flower. Cow parsley belongs to the Umbellifer family, its many tiny flowers held together in an umbrella shape above the ferny leaves. No-one in their right minds would want to grow cow parsley in their gardens, it’s far too invasive, although there is a variety with dark red foliage called Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ available in the nursery trade. And there are a number of less indomitable members of the Umbellifer family you could use if you wanted to get a similarly light and airy effect…
Orlaya grandiflora, the white lace flower, is a fairly new introduction to this country from the Mediterranean area. An annual, growing up to two feet tall at most, its flowers are quite striking – pure white, with the outer petals much longer than the inner ones. Chaerophyllum aureum (golden chervil) and Chaerophyllum hirsutum var. roseum are both perennials, also originally from Europe, the first has white flowers, the second deep pink flowers. Angelica gigas is a large biennial or short-lived perennial, with stunning, beet-red flower heads on tall red stems, which can reach 5 feet in height. For those with plenty of space, there is angelica itself, Angelica archangelica, whose greenish yellow flower heads can be up to six feet tall.
Many umbellifers have traditionally been confined to the herb- or kitchen garden, but would look equally attractive if allowed to grow and flower in a border. I’m thinking of green and bronze-leaved fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, with its aniseed scented foliage, carrots, parsley, dill, sweet cicely, lovage and coriander.