The 'Delargo Towers' Garden - August.

Tiz a cold and damp August and all in all a rotten summer. Some things might not doing as well as they should but we are looking rather full here 

at 'Delargo Towers'

Not bad for a new garden in its first growing season

We have learnt a lot this year and are already starting to plan new things and adjustments for next.

We wanted the new borders to be as full as possible and we certainly achieved that.

Growing most things from seed has been great fun and has given us some true stars.

Like Agastache rupestris (Liquorice Mint)

Nicotiana x sanderae “Sensation”, mixed has been in flower since spring

the tree dahlia - Dahlia imperialis and Iochroma (Actinidus) australe 
are growing away but no sign of flowers

New for us this year and a double blessing after the failure of the other lilies  are the two Tower lilies "Honeymoon"

Another new bought in treat was Phlox paniculata, Well worth £2.50

Back to our home grown
Heliotrope "Dwarf Marine"

Another lovely (would never want to be without) Agastache  rupestris

Coreopsis grandiflora "Early Sunrise"

Tropaeolum peregrinum (Canary Creeper)

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Gazebo Mixed'

From seed last year and started off from tubers this - 

Dahlia "Bishop's Children"

and from seed this year Dahlia "Early Bird". 
It makes for a lovely cut flower but doesn't work so well in the border.

We are over the moon with our Coboea scandens and it is halfway up the house and covered in flowers and buds.

We always wanted Penstemon in the garden but at £5 to £8 a pop, no chance -

but here they are flowering from seed in their first year
(mixed colours – cottage garden variety)

God bless 'Wilkinsons'

also from 'Wilko' as cheap as chips and another plant I have always wanted
 Mirabilis Jalapa

Perfume treats - Nicotiana sylvestris

and Acidanthera  'Peacock orchid'

It has been so rewarding to fill a garden with a few plants salvaged from our last plot, cuttings, a handful of plants bought on the cheap and a few packets of seeds. Next month should give us a few more treats

By the way -

The giant flower spike of our enormous Hollyhock is no more. It was felled and measured after the very last flower faded, coming in at an amazing 11' 9''

There are plenty of secondary spikes so we hope for more ( but less tall ) flowers soon.

We always have something interesting to get us out into the garden even if the weather isn't nice enough for us to sit outside with  a glass or two of wine...

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Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages

We have recently been watching a rather lovely little TV series on English villages presented by the wonderful Penelope Keith called 'Hidden Villages'. As always she is pure joy, striding around the countryside 'to the manor born'

She is using 'Batsfords', they wrote guide books on all kinds of subjects from 'Drink Your Own Garden,' ( a home-brew guide, using garden ingredients to make alcohol ), books about farming methods ( used in the the 'Victorian kitchen garden' progams ) Through to Cycling Guides and what concerns us at the moment, English villages.

Like her I have been completely smitten by the illustrations of her guide book.

Since a school boy I have been fascinated by how an artist can capture the essence of a landscape just by using blocks of colour, sometimes far better than a more realistic painting or a photo ever could.

The name of the artist who illustrated the Batsford's books? Sir Brian Cook 

His distinctive vibrant colours were achieved by the Jean Berté process, which used rubber plates and water-based inks
 

In 1928 Sir Brian began working for of the publishing firm of B. T. Batsford, of which his uncle, Harry Batsford, was chairman. 
His first dust jacket was for The Villages of England (1932) when he was 21 years of age.

Following his uncle's death, he was chairman of Batsford, from 1952 until 1974.

He was also responsible for some rather lovely railway posters too.

Flight Lieutenant Brian Cook was elected as Member of Parliament for Ealing South in 1958 and held the seat until it was abolished in 1974.

Sir Brian Caldwell Cook Batsford 

(18 December 1910 – 5 March 1991)

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