Nip down to the Newsagents TODAY

[Lyn and Malcolm]

Guess whose garden is featured in Garden News in a two page spread.

Malcolm

[ideasguy]

Let me guess!

I used to get it sent to me, but I'll have to see if there are any copies left on the shelf - you know how things get sold out when the word gets around

Congratulations Lyn and Malcolm

[Lyn and Malcolm]

I must admit, I had never heard of it, the paper, not the garden

Lyn got our copy from Sainsburys, Tesco didn't have them, not any newsagents round here now.

Malcolm

[Kathy & Laurie]

Malcolm, you mean to say you weren't even offered a complimentary copy of the publication, and had to go scrounging around newspaper vendors to find one - atrocious   

Seriously though, well done Lyn and Malcolm.

Of course, you know what that extra publicity means.  More and more visitors to your open days, and MUCH more cake baking 

At this rate you're going to have to enagage a catering firm to cope with all the masses of people 

Laurie.

[ideasguy]

I must admit, I had never heard of it, the paper, not the garden

Its a terrific little mag. Not a glossy, but packed with very good information and articles.
Our own member The Gardener (aka Chrissie Harten) has a column in Garden Answers.
Look it up Malcolm.

She once explained that she didn't have time anymore to keep her own website up to date, and it is one of the best on the net:
http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk/
The articles she used to write for her own website are now published in her column in Garden News
She is also a Flower Arranging judge. Busy lady

[Lyn and Malcolm]

Laurie

All the magazines/ photographers take the micky really. We are due to be in a Dorset produced glossy magazine next year, they sent a renowned photographer to take the pictures, while here they always take many more for their library for sellng for good money. 

We did ask that the feature in Garden News be published before our last open day this year, for obvious reasons. But they are two weeks late, they did put in that if anyone wanted a private visit they could till the end of the month,  thats just 7 days, ( We open for private visits late June till end August). I have now put on our website the open day dates for next year so that any Garden News readers can make a note.
Our dates for opening for the NGS have to be in by Sept 3rd 

To be honest, any publicity is good for the garden.

The cakes, well I made three more today for a private group coming tomorrow pm, looks like in the rain  That is now about 43 cakes or approx 473 big slices 

We need a bigger garden before we get a catering firm. And the cakes would't be as good.

A visitor sent us an email the other day thanking us for their visit to our OPEN HOUSE, I guess it is as well, tables and chairs in the conservatory and in our sitting room and access to the upstairs toilet. 

Malcolm

[roiphil]

Guess whose garden is featured in Garden News in a two page spread.

Malcolm

I wonder whose ?, a belated well done you 2 you deserve al the recognition you get

Phil

[Lyn and Malcolm]

We did receive a "free" copy in the post today.

Only eight turned up for the private visit on Wednesday, but it was pouring with rain. Those that did come were quite happy with their umbrellas and macs.

Thanks George, Laurie and Phil

Two ladies up at the plant stall wondering which plants would be suitable for a Monsoon climate.


Malcolm

[Kathy & Laurie]

Only eight people turning up Malcolm - that's a great shame.

However, they braved the elements and I guess I wouldn't be far wrong by saying they were suitably impressed, and glad they decided to visit your beautiful gardens.

Laurie.

[ideasguy]

When in Manchester on Sunday, I tried to find a copy of Garden News. I asked the owner of a newsagents shop if he carried that title.
Yes, he did. He explained that he has to return unsold copies for a refund, and guess what, the return date is Saturday!!
That is insane, I said. Surely they should wait until after the weekend

On the way home from Belfast Airport, we called into Sainsburys. I found Garden News!! Hooray I thought - then looked at the date and discovered it is this weeks issue. The issue is August 31st. Is your garden in the previous weeks issue Malcolm?

[ideasguy]

Good news!!
Ive been communicating behind the scenes with Chrissie Harten (The Gardener) and asked if she had received a copy and if she had seen the article.
As explained above, Chrissie writes a column for Garden News each week!

When her Coupon copy didn't turn up, Chrissie scoured the shops to buy one, and managed to get one of the last copies on display at W H Smith!
Then two copies arrived in the post - last weeks and this weeks!
She has kindly offered to send me her spare copy!!
Thank you Chrissie. I was very embarrassed not to have managed to get a copy of this very special edition
You've saved the day!

[Lyn and Malcolm]

After all the trouble taken to get a copy, I hope it was worthwile, just don't look at the picture of us.
We had hoped for two double spread pages, one for each of the gardens, but I guess it was too much to ask 
At least we got our website address mentioned.

Malcolm

[The Gardener]

Lyn and Malcolm, your garden is fantastic!  I love the tropical feel to it - just my type of planting   I have to bring my brugmansias into the conservatory, although my banana plants stay out all year round.  I wrap them with fleece over winter.  Thought I'd lost them this year, but they have sprouted again from the base.  Unfortunately, having lost the main stem, I've lost the height too, but with a bit of luck we won't get such a bad winter this year and the main stems will survive and grow on.  I have planted my large Brugmansia sanguinea out into the garden this year, as it's far too big now for the conservatory.  I will mulch it well over winter and hope it will come back again next year.  I've taken a cutting as a precaution, which is already doing well and flowering madly!    At least you have a solution to the fact that Lyn loves cottage garden planting and Malcolm loves tropical.  I love both, but I have no front garden, so my garden is a bit of a mixture of both styles, with the warmest area at the top of the garden being planted with the tropical looking stuff and the lower, colder areas with the hardier types.  I had a look at your website too, and have added it to my favourites.  Your design skills are wonderful - I wish I had your touch!  Well done for getting into Garden News!  I too was hoping to see pictures of both your gardens, but GN seem to like doing one big picture with some smaller pictures of particular plants or features.

[Lyn and Malcolm]

Thank you Chrissie for your kind words.

You are very brave planting out your Brugmansia sanguinea, are you still gardening in Worcestershire.
We had to start again with our Bananas outdoors several years ago, as a result of using a straw wrap around them, they didn't freeze, just rotted.
Congratulations for rooting a B.sanguinea cutting, I have tried but failed. We do now have two plants as I was given a rooted cutting in the Spring of this year. The other Brugmansias are of course easier to root, we sold 101 Brugmansia plants on our open days this year.

It unfortunatley is the other way round for our gardens, the 'cottage' is the warm garden, and the 'exotic' the cold, which makes for more work come winter.

Our design skills? well it is just what we feel looks right, I wish I had more skills at writing, like you have.

Must go now as it is just on midnight.

Best wishes
Malcolm

[The Gardener]

Yes, I'm still in Worcestershire!  It's surprising what survives here.  I've got lots of plants which are supposed to be a bit tricky, and they go through the winter without any protection.  But then again, other things which should be relatively hardy don't make it.  I guess it's just luck and a micro-climate.  As for rooting the Brugmansia sanguinea, well, I just stuck it in some soil, watered it, and left it!  It didn't even wilt!  I think the time of year makes a difference.  Strangely enough though, I've had no luck with my other Brugmansia cuttings, except for a rather smart variegated one.  My sister bought it from Wilkos for silly money a couple of years back.  She planted it out but decided she didn't have anywhere to keep it over winter, so dug it up and gave it to me! I just stuck a couple of pieces in a pot of soil and off they went.  The trouble is, something is eating it!  I can't find anything on the plant or in the pot, but it looks like caterpillar damage.  Also, I've been plagued with red spider this year which loves Brugmansias (and anything else!).  Grrrrrrr........  There seems to be nothing on the market which will kill it.  The same with mealy bug.  I have a spray which is supposed to deal with all sorts of pests including mealy bug, but does it touch mealy bug?  NO!     It's good on greenfly though......    What a pity I don't live closer to you - I'd be first in line for your next open day!