Ho Marion, I wouldn't stop eating in your garden, it's lovely, I like the red flowers, sorry to keep asking but what is the red flowered plant called?, them berries look really nice, do you make jams too?
I do not eat much jam now but used to make lots for the children. I do make the blackberries into squash though. The red flower is a patio rose I bought at RHS Wisley in 2012 for the red circular bed in my Olympic Rings garden. The label did say just that "Red Patio rose" but it is growing into quite a big rose bush now.
Today is my first day of judging at a horticultural show and the sun is shining. There are eleven categories to judge and only an hour ro do it in so will have to be quick so i have written them into a book and made columns for the marks and entry number to speed things up. The entry with the highest marks will be first if up to standard I require. There are lots of cups and trophies for those with the highest numbers of points, three points for first, two for second and one for third.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first stab at judging. The show was held in a very nice hall and the organisers put up a very good lunch for the judges. The gladiolus class had no entries as they are over early this year and some classes i did not think the standard was good enough for three prizes but the flower arrangements were outstanding, especially one of the ones made from materials from the local hedge rows. It had ten different species in it beautifully arranged in a piece of bark. I gave it the accolade of best entry in the floral classes. The vegetable entries were very well represented and the judge for that gave the accolade to 5 perfect large tomatoes. I saw the biggest cherries I had ever seen decorating four cupcakes.
As I did not have time to pick in my ripe tomatoes yesterday there were two days haul to pick this morning - 103 in all!
If there was a prize for the most value for money plant I think I would give it to Lotus hirsutus which has flowered with its lovely little pea like white flowers for ten weeks at my front gate, fed the bees and butterflies, now is covered in its lovely berries and is good-looking all winter long as it is an evergrey. Here it is this morning.
Hi Marion, I haven't posted on your thread before but have been looking at it, I keep trying to start from the beginning but get sidetracked!!
Anyway, I just wanted to say it's absolutely beautiful, you must work so hard in it and be so proud Well done and keeping posting the pics, they will make me smile now that my garden is looking rubbish after all the wind
Awww, Ty Orchard Lady. I am amazed how many people have been following my garden through its Golden Jubilee Year. When we het into 2015 the exciting fact is that Bristol where i live and garden is the Green Capital of Europe so the emphasis will shift to ecology then - a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine. Kate Bradbury will be egging me on from GW no doubt as I report on the environmentally friendly efforts being made in Bristol. Still will be lots of lovely pics too.
Fantastic Marion, I will look forward to it. Do you mind me asking, did you work in horticulture/gardening or has it always been just a hobby? You are very knowledgeable
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That is a phlox with a lovely perfume in the last picture. It is very fruitful in my garden now so more pictures.
Ho Marion, I wouldn't stop eating in your garden, it's lovely, I like the red flowers, sorry to keep asking but what is the red flowered plant called?, them berries look really nice, do you make jams too?
I do not eat much jam now but used to make lots for the children. I do make the blackberries into squash though. The red flower is a patio rose I bought at RHS Wisley in 2012 for the red circular bed in my Olympic Rings garden. The label did say just that "Red Patio rose" but it is growing into quite a big rose bush now.
Today is my first day of judging at a horticultural show and the sun is shining. There are eleven categories to judge and only an hour ro do it in so will have to be quick so i have written them into a book and made columns for the marks and entry number to speed things up. The entry with the highest marks will be first if up to standard I require. There are lots of cups and trophies for those with the highest numbers of points, three points for first, two for second and one for third.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first stab at judging. The show was held in a very nice hall and the organisers put up a very good lunch for the judges. The gladiolus class had no entries as they are over early this year and some classes i did not think the standard was good enough for three prizes but the flower arrangements were outstanding, especially one of the ones made from materials from the local hedge rows. It had ten different species in it beautifully arranged in a piece of bark. I gave it the accolade of best entry in the floral classes. The vegetable entries were very well represented and the judge for that gave the accolade to 5 perfect large tomatoes. I saw the biggest cherries I had ever seen decorating four cupcakes.
As I did not have time to pick in my ripe tomatoes yesterday there were two days haul to pick this morning - 103 in all!
If there was a prize for the most value for money plant I think I would give it to Lotus hirsutus which has flowered with its lovely little pea like white flowers for ten weeks at my front gate, fed the bees and butterflies, now is covered in its lovely berries and is good-looking all winter long as it is an evergrey. Here it is this morning.
Hi Marion, I haven't posted on your thread before but have been looking at it, I keep trying to start from the beginning but get sidetracked!!
Anyway, I just wanted to say it's absolutely beautiful, you must work so hard in it and be so proud
Well done and keeping posting the pics, they will make me smile now that my garden is looking rubbish after all the wind 
Awww, Ty Orchard Lady. I am amazed how many people have been following my garden through its Golden Jubilee Year. When we het into 2015 the exciting fact is that Bristol where i live and garden is the Green Capital of Europe so the emphasis will shift to ecology then - a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine. Kate Bradbury will be egging me on from GW no doubt as I report on the environmentally friendly efforts being made in Bristol. Still will be lots of lovely pics too.
Fantastic Marion, I will look forward to it. Do you mind me asking, did you work in horticulture/gardening or has it always been just a hobby? You are very knowledgeable