Nicola and Jeffrey garden in the southern half of England, just outside of London. They invite us into their beautiful home garden at
The Private Life of a Garden.
Fellow plantaholic Nicola, has sent me the story of her Rambling Rector and I look forward to getting more peeks into the garden here,
beyond their wonderful web site pages.

Nicola sent me this beautiful shot with the following note, that inspired me to ask her if I could share us all here.

You may be interested in the history of that particular rose. I originally bought it to climb an Acer negundo 'Variegatum' that was reverting and I also disliked. My lazy plan was to avoid taking the tree out and hide it with the rose. But the rose had other ideas, for about two years no matter what I did, it simply refused to climb the tree. Even though I tied it in it always managed to break loose and lean as far away from the tree as possible.

Eventually I gave in, dug the rose up and replanted it in it's present position where it still was not happy! I watered it, fed it, talked nicely to it and it still refused to grow for another two years. I ignored it for ages and one day when I checked on it all the thorns had gone black. I was truly fed up with it's antics by this stage and just threw a bucket of water over it and told it to grow or die I didn't care any more. I forgot all about it, then a year or so later the Hawthorn tree burst into rose bloom and the rose is now striving for world domination. In case you were wondering the Acer negundo eventually faced chain saw.

It does look wonderful, Nicola, as does all your garden. My Kiftsgate had no such problems within two years it had reached the top of a 40 foot Willow tree...............in my neighbours garden. They have since had to remove the tree as it was rotten and becoming dangerous. I have no idea where the rose will decide to go this year, but you just don't argue with something that size and fully armed with vicious thorns.

Terry and Nicola, your sagas remind me of my rambling rose attempt.
When Larry planted that little Afghan pine seedling at the top of the long border, I remember thinking it could eventually do with a rose clamoring up its branches. So I kept an eye out for a candidate for the next few years while it reached for the high wires. Then one day I saw the perfect bloom - a simple single red, with a white eye stain. To me it looked like just the sort of a flower I would design for a conifer if anyone ever asked me to ;-). It was a 'Dortmund' rose, clamoring madly over an arbor, growing strong enough to convince me it could take on the would-be 60 ft. tree. So I found and planted one when the pine was only 10 ft. tall. Then the pine continued to soar, but not the rose. It was shaded by the pine tree on one side and a mature shrub on the other, as well as a fence behind it and the neighbor's plantings above that. Plus the ground was eternally dry. This year the neighbors have removed their overgrowths and now this month's rain and my determination has remedied the dry ground so that's its meager canes are now long enough to reach some sun. Think I might print out a copy of Nicola's Rambling Rector picture - I could post it on the pine's trunk, to give Dortmund some added incentive.

Thinking about you this morning Nicola, knowing it is your Open Garden Day and wishing you good weather, lots of visitors and great fun. I even checked on your forecast from the weather page on our site. Get this, Texans ... the high around London is expected to be 68 and in Terry's Yorkshire .... 62F.

Enough moaning,,, did you make a new 'Figure of Fun' for the open day this year? If so, we'd love to see it on your yard art page (big grin) and maybe a pic of your favorite open day scene-s right here (big hopeful). Oh what I'd give to have been able to be there today. The garden must be glorious!!!

Yes, hope it goes well for you today, Nicola, and that you have a great time!

If our weather is anything to go by Nicola you are a very lucky girl, first decent day for weeks. Hope you had a good time, I know your visitors will have.

Well Chaps, all I can say is that the sun shines on the righteous. It was a great day with lots of visitors. I don't know yet how much we made for the charity but will keep you posted. Maggie I will send you a pic of my new figure.

Have you been working out Nicola? :-)

Oh Terry, if only I could have a new figure. The truth of the matter is I have the body of a lithe and nubile 23 year old but I am going to have to give it back as I am stretching it out of shape!!

That reply made me split a seam in the side of mine! Then I laughed even harder and got stitches.

I suppose that I am just fortunate, I have the same body now as I did when I was twenty three, you see I was already out of shape, even at that age.

You two just keep it up, with enough splits and stitches I might end up with a free body lift.

We have the figure for the takings on the open day. Approx 400 people came through and the grand total was £1,750 which is around $2,800 I think. All the money goes to the local branch of the British Red Cross so all the work was worthwhile. We could not have chosen a better day, the Sunday before it rained all day and the Sunday after it was overcast and cold, so we were really lucky.

Hurray, What a huge turn out - hope your lawn survived! The garden must be beautiful. Are you going to post pics of the open day on your site?
E me any extras !!! for posting here,,, but I'd rather have been there for real - to have enjoyed the garden AND the weather. Rain sure wouldn't have stopped me - in fact, it would have been a joy compared to what we had here last week.

Good work, Nicola! 400 people! Jeez! Now I feel bad about freaking out over the garden club coming to my house tomorrow...less than 20 people. I'm such a wimp. Congratulations on your large turnout.

Now that's what I call a figure! Do you sell plants to help raise the money, Nicola, or is it all from entrance fees/tea and coffee?

We sold plants that a friend and I raised, also annuals from a local nursery. The plant stall took £325. Tea and cake was supplied and served by the Red Cross ladies, they work so hard preparing everything and then on the day itself. The Teas took £200, it was so busy that even our daughter had to pitch in and help!

Thanks for sharing a peek of your Open Day Nicola. The view is awesome!

This photo of the first flush of visitors was taken by our daughter from a bedroom window. If you look carefully you can see Harriet (feline family member) sitting on the lawn. The cats enjoy the open days as there is no shortage of people to stroke them and tell them how beautiful they are. Not only do you get to see Harriet but Jeffrey and I are caught on camera as well, we are talking together at the bottom of the picture. Jeffrey enjoys the day as a majority of the visitors assume that HE is the driving force behind the garden. He stands there with his chest puffed out accepting all the compliments until - horror of horrors - someone asks him something technical then he has to confess that he is the finance department and I do all the work.

Gorgeous!

I have to ask....Nicola, where do you get that "striped lawn" seed from, and will it grow alongside clover, dandelions and daisies. You have a very private looking garden with all those mature trees and shrubs, except of course for the 400 people in it. I love the way you refer to giving orders as "talking together".

Wish I had been there, Nicola. Hope you'll share more pixes!

The 'striped lawn' seed grows very well alongside clover,dandelions and speedwell. I don't know about the daisies as that is one weed I actually don't have in the lawn. I do have clumps of a dark coarse grass that I am constantly trying to eradicate, but the moment I turn my back it is multiplying again. The ants have caused me a lot of lawn problems this year, the nest must stretch on forever. They have shifted soil from one part of the lawn to another so I now have lots of hollows and bumps that I am scared of fixing as the ants will attack the moment I start to strip the turf.

What kind of ants do you have there? We have been invaded by what are called Fire Ants the past 10 years or so. During dry weather their mounds are flat, and if you walk barefoot on the grass, you could find your feet covered with savage biting ants in seconds and never see an ant hill.

Yep, I remember when we could go barefoot in this state - prior to the fire ant invasion! And I can remember being bitten by ants before then too, when the bites were not as venomous as these beasts'. The carnivore fire ants are so vicious here Nicola, that Texans have devised a wealth of desperate organic defenses. I have started a thread under the Soap Box topic so that others can share their strategy there and maybe give you some new weapons.

Do you have stinging ants in your garden Terry?

Only harmless black ants in my garden, they don't bite/sting and I enjoy watching them bringing back their insect prey.

We call those little black ants, Sugar Ants. They have a way on figuring out which window of the house is the kitchen window, and then coming in that particular window. I don't mind them outside, but I sure mind them on the kitchen counter.

I have both black and red ants, they both bite me! The red ants are worse and they are the ones in the lawn. I just know that I will not get around to doing anything about the bumps they have made as I am too much of a coward. I will just have to hope that my stripy grass will hide the lumps....mmmmm.....if it works perhaps I should wear some stripy grass myself.

A friend called by yesterday to give me some photographs she had taken of my garden. This is the formal pond that is quite close to the house.

The large decorated pot was given to us by another friend (yes, we have more than one!) to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, it has our names and the words Silver Wedding around the neck of the pot. She went one step further as well and planted it up with silvery thymes and Melianthus major, such a lovely thought.

What a lovely scene!

Oh Nicola! How beautiful!

Good to see you teasing em, Nicola, with the cooool water feature and lush greenery...

Cruel, Terry, Cruel.....

I'm soooo jealous. I love the millstone fountains. Is that what you call it too? I've always called them that but perhaps I'm wrong. Have been out of town and am loving playing catch-up with the forum posts.

I have really enjoyed this scene Nicola, thanks!!! oxoxox Is that a plume poppy on the left? David brought me one this year - am just loving it and hope it lives up to it reputation of spreading well! Gail brought me the C. texensis I just posted on the clem thread. Every gardener should have such friends!!!!
Also, I have a terra cotta ball just like yours - don't we have great taste ;-) You have probably noticed that I hopelessly sentimental, so your anniversary pot strikes deep cords here! ... and its another case of a REALLY good friend!
If I ever do a lily pond, it is meant to be a circular raised one of white stone below the round steps with bubbler in middle, so similiar to yours. Oh a mill stone would be sooo perfect!! I can just see me rolling one through customs.

Nicola, how do you keep the millstone free of algae, I see plants in the water so I know you can't be using any strong chemicals? I ask because my tiny waterfall is covered in the stuff and it comes back so fast after being removed. I am hoping it settles down a bit next year, the pond is new and probably still contains a lot of salts from the cement between the stones.

Terry, have you tried barley hay to prevent algae? Over here you can buy little bricks of it and just float them in the pond. Apparently, there is lots of H2O5 in the barley which kills the algae. It even worked on a large pond here which we refer to as a "stock tank."

I was thinking about growing barley over the winter and marketing the hay to pond owners, but unless we get some rain soon, we won't be able to get in a winter crop.

I must confess to never trying that, Carolyn, but you grow it and I'll give it a go. J

Thanks for all the kind comments chaps. The millstone is not an original, I have to confess that it is fibreglass, it has aged well and looks authentic. When I tell visitors what it is made from they don’t believe me and tap it just to make sure.
Well-spotted Terry, I don’t suffer from algae at all (neither does the pond). There is blanket weed but that is easy to pull out by hand. I never use any chemicals and the water is very clear, I think it is mainly due to the fact that not much of the water surface is exposed to the sun as the millstone covers quite a large area, I have tons of oxygenating plants in there and only one fish. Smaller water features often suffer from algae because the water gets so warm during the summer – did I say summer? Huh this is England, I meant on the occasional warm day. Barley Hay is good and I have heard that lavender clippings have the same effect don’t know if that’s true though.
Yes it is a plume poppy, Macleaya microcarpa ‘Kelway’s Coral Plume’. I have it growing next to Rosa glauca, the leaf colours really compliment each other. It is having a hard time in that border, the soil is so poor, it bakes in summer and is a frost pocket in winter but the plant seems OK. It is probably good that it is in harsh conditions because it’s reputation as a strong grower is well deserved. My terracotta ball is one of a pair, we believe they were on the gate of a large house that was demolished in the 50’s so that that plot could be split up and built on.

Thanks for the hints on barley bricks and lavender. I learned something new today!

That sounds great Nicola! I'm going to try the lavender in my bird baths. I guess there is a connection is between that and the fact that if I get my hands in soured water, just a swipe of the lavender bush rids the smell until I can get to soap and water. Lavender has long been used as a disinfectant, but I never thought about using it in standing water. So it might also keep my soaking pots from souring - not that I should let bare rooted plants sit that long in water! But, ya know these things just 'happen' in a busy garden! I'll try the barley when I get some too Caro ;-)

At a pond building seminar I went to this summer, the pond building expert said he gets the barley bricks from Scotland, so it might be closer for Terry to get some there.

Well Nicola, you have just astounded me, I would never have guessed it was fibreglass, so that's how you keep the garden looking so lovely and tidy, all the plants are plastic. J
You'll never get rich sending customers to alternative suppliers Carolyn. J
I just checked a seed head on an Allium this morning, boy do I need that lavender now.

NOW we know her secret ;-)
I loved hearing the history of that terra cotta globe Nicola. Mine was once 3, each a diff size. Best not to dwell on what (who) happened to the other 2 ! They came without bases. Do you think yours was moulded altogether or in 2 sep pieces? And is it hollow?

Well guys that’s me busted, the truth is I don’t have a garden at all, the entire thing is a hologram!
The ball is in two parts and entirely solid.
We are off to Ireland for a few days so will rejoin the forum on our return. Be good.

I'm checking out tomorrow too Nicola,, They'd better behave while we're gone ;-)
Oooo, pack that camera!!!,,, and I'm wondering if you will be going to Helen Dillon's garden!!?!!! and other glory gardens of Ireland

Never mind the camera, Nicola, just bring me back a crate of the black stuff, and I don't mean compost. Have a good time, you too Maggie.

I thought Nicola would be back by now. Maybe she just can't bear to leave the land of black stuff on tap!

Or maybe she's stranded because of the fuel prices. Nicola, Nicola, where are you?!?!?

Maybe she was having toooo much fun and didn't WANT to return!

Ahhhh so sad, I heard from Nicola today. She is not well - did not get to complete her trip. We send you our best wishes and love Nicola,oxoxoxxo

Get well soon Nicola....let the hologram doc have a look at you. J

Hello chaps, just when you thought it safe to surf the net….she’s back! I’m feeling much better now thanks for all your good wishes.
Autumn is racing in, here are some leaves from one of my herbaceous geraniums that I scanned a couple of days ago.

How pretty. I didn't know they turned colors. Mine only turn one color besides green....you know, that dead color!

Been out with the spray can Nicola, mine never go that colour....or perhaps I never noticed...I am interested to know which one is it?

Welcome back Nicola, I loved seeing your early (for us) glimpse of autumn! Pay those two imps no mind ;-) My G. sanquineum has turned those colors before too. Not that they thrive here, but survive enough to please me some. They sometimes start bloom here as early as Feb, and stop with the heat.

Is your 'tea colored garden' on the brew yet?

Sorry Terry but I have no idea which geranium it is. I didn't actually buy the plant, I bought something else from a nursery - that died and the geranium came up instead!
The 'tea' bed is doing it's thing, the Acer griseum just gets better and better each year.

Nicola, don't you think we need a pic of the tea bed on the Autumn photo thread?

See how autumn-eager we summer-tortured Texans are!

Here you are Carolyn, just for you.

How lovely. Thank you, Nicola. You made my day.

Amazing what they can do with plastic these days. That really is great Nicola, a most unusual combination of colours, but doesn't it work well.

look at the size of that hosta - it could never happen in Texas!

That's funny, Maggie! It was the first and last thought in my mind when I saw that pix! How jealous are we!? The in between thought was WOW what great color combos but first was the hosta size, I admit.

Wow! That hosta is so big, it never even occurred to me that was what it is! You are right, Maggie. Couldn't happen in Texas.

The Hosta is ‘Krossa Regal’ one of my favourites, it does seem to be very happy in that spot and has grown into a thumping great plant. It has gorgeous tall grey/blue leaves and the absolute best thing about it that the slugs do not seem to like it very much!

Ooooh its such a gorgeous bed. I can't get enough of looking at it! David had a list of slug-resistant hostas that inspired me this spring. I tried BigBoy and Sum and Substance. The pill bugs chew on the sides of their stems like a Coney Island sandwhich, till they are cut through. But I bet they will be a treat in spring-early summer which is something of a hosta season 'round here. Then they stop growing thru the heat, which must be why they can't attain glossy catalog size here like yours Nicola. That's ok, since I get to enjoy yours :)

OK Maggie! Let's get to work planning an imitation of Nicola's tea bed, using Texas-hardy plants. I love that "Tea bed."

Ok, lets keep an eye out for that color this fall. Some of the grasses have it (need to id them exactly)... plus sedum spec blooms going to seed... anyone else have some ideas?

I think the tall tea on the left of N's pic is Astilbe - that's a no-go here, for sure.

Susan's suggestion about the smoke tree is a good one. In our Texas Tea Bed, we "could" use the smoke tree. That really would work. Loved the posting attempts. Maggie, be sure to tell L that this is serious now. If we can't post pictures, we're in big trouble!

My young Smoke tree is doing ok, even after that awful summer. It's fall multi-color was awesome last year. The gingo is another good one here for a solid yellow fall leaf.

Nicola and I have been discussing this tea bed more on the side and I asked if I could post some of her comments,,,, soooo she says…..

N - “I like the idea of your Texan Tea Bed (Caro's), the plant that looks like an astilbe is an Aruncus aethusifolius, there are three different Aruncus in the bed - the flower goes from white to the crispy brown you can see in the picture, I also have some Carex petriei but Carex buchananii is larger and would give more impact. Purple leaves would go well with the scheme so the Cotinus is a great idea, if it obliges by flowering at 'tea time' then the scheme would look wonderful.”

ME .. So I was wrong about the Aruncus being Astilbes and said "And there I was thinking you could grow astilbes as extra-large as your hostas!!"

Now get this - she says....

N - “I hate to tell you but the astilbes that grow at the back of that bed do get as big as the Aruncus you can see at the front.”

ME - figures :-)

Large Astilbes, and us with such dry conditions Nicola. J

Glad to know you are trying to work out the plants for our Texan Tea Bed, Maggie. I got side-tracked on another landscaping project since hubby is taking a week's vacation and there's a long list of projects requiring more brute strength than I have. Will post some pics soon.

I know Terry, I struggle so much to get those astilbes to grow to elbow height in my sodden soil I somtimes wonder why I bother. Do you have the same problem?

Much more of this rain and I shall have moss to elbow height, Nicola. I only have dwarf Astilbies, but they have done well this year. I have just cleared out the overgrowth of plants in the pond, the Water Forget-Me-Not had covered about a third of the surface and was still flowering in profusion.

Its always "feast or famine" isn't it? Here we are with huge fissures in the ground from a 4 year drought, and in the U.K. you are dealing with "sodden soil." Before this drought started, we actually had lots of rain. I used to get 4 cuttings of hay each year, between early May and the first of October. Now, we are getting only one cutting a year, and seem to be fortunate to get that. Wouldn't it be great if things could level out, and we could all get the right balance of dry and wet?

Terry here is something special for you and David
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Satellite/1311/index.html

Making note to self here,,, consider giving the guy a free page to increase male traffic, after re-evaluating necessity of amer family-ratings ;-)

Nicola! did you think I would not already have found that site? J Just not the same when they're not animated.

You Guys! I never even noticed that. However, I think my husband has been peeking at this forum on the sly, because he just asked me yesterday when Ground Force is on. Hmmmm

I think David must have missed this thread too Caro.

This climber, Billardiera longiflora, is in berry in my garden now. I think it is fab, it looks as if someone has gone crazy with a pot of nail polish.

It is growing in a sheltered but very shady position, I think that it should have a little more sun that it actually gets but it does not seem to be complaining. The leaves are very small which is nice, as it does not swamp the metal obelisk that it is growing up.

That is so pretty. Seems like it would go well with our many purple fall bloomers in Texas. However, according to http://www.gardenbed.com/B/734.cfm its a climber for cool climates. Susan, you definitely need to check this out!

I also need to be checking that one out, would never have guessed it to be a cool grower.

I think that link said it wasn't winter hardy except in the South part of England, but you have a greenhouse don't you?

Wow, I've never seen that before Nicola, thanks! This sure is the season for beautiful berries. I have some I'd like to share too. Since our autumn color thread might be getting too full to take on an entire new category, I could start a new thread just for winter berrys if yous guys are interested.

It is reputed to be tender but it has survived outside for two winters now. However, it is in a very sheltered situation.

Nicola is home from hospital now, but has a long recovery ahead of her. She has sent me the following new page on her site, so I'm posting it for all of us to enjoy! Thanks Nicola, that is a dear theme. Nicola's Name Game

Nicola, I'm glad you were able to come home. Recovery time is always difficult, but it helps being at home in familar and comfortable surroundings. Our prayers are with you.

I love the Name Game! I'm going to the site you mentioned and see what I can find for my family. I don't think I'll find much for myself - Cheryl. But hope I can find something for my mother, who is also a gardener - and with a great green thumb.

Nicola!!!!! if you're around the puter, good to have you back. J J J

Nicola, my thoughts & prayers are with you! Hope recovery time flies!

Nicola, I hope you are in good spirits..I hope you have a speedy recovery..You know that Spring is coming....and it waits for NO gardener....
My thoughts and prayers are with you.....David

Thank you all for your good wishes and prayers, they are much appreciated. As Maggie says I have a long road ahead but I am fortunate that I have the love and support of my wonderful family and friends. I can just about manage to spend a short time on the computer at the moment but hope to soon be strong enough to join in the forum on a regular basis again.

I finally got my film developed. It’s been in the camera since last August!!

This is one of my favourite poppies even though it is now madly fashionable

Patty’s Plum


I’ve grown Allium schubertii for the first time this year, I made the mistake of planting them a little too close together. I think they would look better spaced apart more, as it would then be possible to see each flowerhead individually. They look like fireworks going off.

Poppies and alliums are such treasures and those two make the mouth water Good to have you with us again Nicola - let us hear from you more often!
Be sure to check out Terry's new June pages - click on the current 'last week' button for a quick link.

What a pretty poppy. Must try to get some seeds. Did you grow it from seed, or was it already potted?

I love the allium, Nicola! I grew several varieties this year, but only one was really pleasing. So, we ate the others.

Nice to hear from you again Nicola. I hope you are doing well......and a fond hello to all of the other posters to this wonderful web-site.I am always so busy and no time to PLAY!!! See ya....

Hi Nicola, Glad to see you enjoying the garden!

I love the allium - I've never seen anything like that. Did you get it at a nursery, or through a catalog?

Hi Caro, I bought the poppy as a plant, it is more reliable from root cuttings taken in the autumn. I have managed to propogate it this way but the slugs have always defeated me by snacking off the young growth of the new plants!
Hi MK, I got the Allium from a local specialist bulb nursery. I grown quite a few different types of Allium but this one is fantastic. I'm going to get more this autumn.

Now I see what you mean Nic,,, It looks like the kind of handheld fire works that are called 'sparklers' over here. And they make me think of the really spiny sea urchins too. Wish we could grow allium hybrids in this area. I would order up a barrow full of that one!

MK - Here's Nicola's sparkler Allium schubertii - above. Awesome bloom! It was a big hit at Chelsea, but doesn't seem to have gotten any press over here, that I know of.. don't know if its being offered here - let us know if you source it, please.

Thanks Maggie. I knew you would know where to find it.