I’ve never been much of a July and August kind of guy. When you have skin like supermarket pastry, it takes three weeks’ sunbathing to stop being transparent; plus I grew up wanting little more from summer than to stay in playing records and watching every delivery of every Test match.
I love this, Mark. And with you on May and September over July and August any day. Their gentle charms for me far outweigh the glare of the flashier summer months. How incredible about those clever ants. Also going to be downsizing our garden significantly soon, and very sad to be kissing goodbye to our former orchard of a garden where I've planted mulberry, morello, mirabelle plums, so many roses and crab apple. This year was the first that the morello blossomed, and now there's a rambling rosie climbing up it about to burst into glory. I wondered about transplanting the fruit trees to the new garden, but I'm so frightened to damage them, and I could never forgive myself the sacrifice. I'm tempted just to give them up as a gift to the next custodians of this special space and start again afresh in our blank patch of garden at the next place. Do you have any thoughts/intel on that? x
Hi Rosie, lovely to hear from you. I think you are v wise to let the next people have the pleasure of your trees ...they almost certainly wouldn't thrive even if they survived as it's hard to take enough of a rootball even if you managed to move in the dormant season - you'll be better to start afresh I think. The trees and the new people will be happy at least!. Plus I always think a new garden might have plenty to tell you about what you should plant there x
Thanks so much Mark, that's as I thought, and I'm feeling good about leaving a bit of an orchard legacy here for the next people. I'll write a little plan for them so they know what's what. Would you say the same is true of the roses? x
Lovely read. We first and last met on the inaugural River Cottage Cookery School and indeed I was one of those experiencing a form of paralysis - awe, but paralysing awe. Finding a forever home, with a plot to grow a carrot or two (that was my go to line when anyone asked about my future plans - "I want to be somewhere I can grow a carrot") was a challenge, made rather more real as I was living away from Australia and the UK in hot and wet Singapore. Fast forward to our not so little patch (130 acres) and for the first few years, the paralysis persisted. LIttle goes at growing things here and there, but with so much space ... my 1m x 1m vegepod is helping me to grow. Though I haven't planted carrots, yet.
Hello (again!) Cyd - paralysis is so easy to come by isn't it. That 1m x 1m is a great way to go, and maybe it'll grow to take up a little more than of those 130 acres! One day you'll have carrots
Lovely observations. I knew a little about their aphid co-dependence, but didn't realise ants were so agriculturally enterprising. I've spied them on our apple tree and am keeping a careful eye...
Mmm tasty aphid milk 😂 Completely fascinating! Would love to learn more about growing Toona. I have a very young pink one (bought in tree) which is looking a bit unhappy at the mo and a green one (grown from seed) which seems indestructible. I love the taste of the young leaves of both but I’m finding there is a lot of conflicting information about suckering and invasiveness, when you can eat the leaves (a bit poisonous after a certain point in the year?!), potential coppicing for better shoot production etc etc. Thanks for the inspiration always!
I enjoyed the ant and aphid saga immensely... I spotted a colony (or cluster) of aphids on my mini pear tree and watched in amazement how the ants enveloped them...although I had yet to learn about the rest of that story...that was truly fascinating!
I have also had a problem with the word "gardening". My mum thinks it is mostly deadheading and weeding and cannot understand why I think it might be a job 😂 I wonder if she would approve more if I were a grower... nah probably not 😊
Oh this is GOOD. We have a small town garden and an allotment and if I waited for more space (which I have had in the past), I'd be depriving myself of so much joy. It is incredible what can be fitted in.
Thank you Lesley - I hope you'll share words and pictures of what you are doing on your own substack...I won't be the only person who will be fascinated to hear more about what you are doing
I love this, Mark. And with you on May and September over July and August any day. Their gentle charms for me far outweigh the glare of the flashier summer months. How incredible about those clever ants. Also going to be downsizing our garden significantly soon, and very sad to be kissing goodbye to our former orchard of a garden where I've planted mulberry, morello, mirabelle plums, so many roses and crab apple. This year was the first that the morello blossomed, and now there's a rambling rosie climbing up it about to burst into glory. I wondered about transplanting the fruit trees to the new garden, but I'm so frightened to damage them, and I could never forgive myself the sacrifice. I'm tempted just to give them up as a gift to the next custodians of this special space and start again afresh in our blank patch of garden at the next place. Do you have any thoughts/intel on that? x
Hi Rosie, lovely to hear from you. I think you are v wise to let the next people have the pleasure of your trees ...they almost certainly wouldn't thrive even if they survived as it's hard to take enough of a rootball even if you managed to move in the dormant season - you'll be better to start afresh I think. The trees and the new people will be happy at least!. Plus I always think a new garden might have plenty to tell you about what you should plant there x
Thanks so much Mark, that's as I thought, and I'm feeling good about leaving a bit of an orchard legacy here for the next people. I'll write a little plan for them so they know what's what. Would you say the same is true of the roses? x
Lovely read. We first and last met on the inaugural River Cottage Cookery School and indeed I was one of those experiencing a form of paralysis - awe, but paralysing awe. Finding a forever home, with a plot to grow a carrot or two (that was my go to line when anyone asked about my future plans - "I want to be somewhere I can grow a carrot") was a challenge, made rather more real as I was living away from Australia and the UK in hot and wet Singapore. Fast forward to our not so little patch (130 acres) and for the first few years, the paralysis persisted. LIttle goes at growing things here and there, but with so much space ... my 1m x 1m vegepod is helping me to grow. Though I haven't planted carrots, yet.
Hello (again!) Cyd - paralysis is so easy to come by isn't it. That 1m x 1m is a great way to go, and maybe it'll grow to take up a little more than of those 130 acres! One day you'll have carrots
My fave Substack post of the month! Beautifully written with a Succession gag to round it off 🙌
I am honoured! x
Lovely observations. I knew a little about their aphid co-dependence, but didn't realise ants were so agriculturally enterprising. I've spied them on our apple tree and am keeping a careful eye...
Thank you James, and yes, a little time spent investigating is so very often rewarded!
Lovely moving images...dunno how you managed to do that?
Standing uncharacteristically as still as I could with an iphone!
Didn't know Substack allowed moving pictures - need to read the small print.
We’ve planted some Angelica recently, and other than candy it for a trifle I can’t be sure what else to do with it ...
it doesn't lend itself to a vast array of deliciousnesses, it's true
Which makes a change from the usual uninteresting nonsense for which you are internationally renowned.
That is undoubtedly not entirely without foundation
No way! Lollo Rossa after Gina Lollabrigida ... who knew!
Who knew indeed!
Mmm tasty aphid milk 😂 Completely fascinating! Would love to learn more about growing Toona. I have a very young pink one (bought in tree) which is looking a bit unhappy at the mo and a green one (grown from seed) which seems indestructible. I love the taste of the young leaves of both but I’m finding there is a lot of conflicting information about suckering and invasiveness, when you can eat the leaves (a bit poisonous after a certain point in the year?!), potential coppicing for better shoot production etc etc. Thanks for the inspiration always!
I shall have to write/chat about Toona very soon!
I like the bit about Gina Lollobrigida. Just the sort of important fact that one needs. x
Isn’t it just - interesting nonsense x
I enjoyed the ant and aphid saga immensely... I spotted a colony (or cluster) of aphids on my mini pear tree and watched in amazement how the ants enveloped them...although I had yet to learn about the rest of that story...that was truly fascinating!
Thanks Jack - finding time to investigate those occasional sightings is very rewarding isn’t it
Oh, I most definitely agree - the bonus side-effect is the mindfulness time that brings a sense of calm to...well...just about everything!
The poor aphids, it’s so bleak. So glad you’re feeling so happy now about having nearly met Matthew Macfadyen 👍🏻
They’re happily protected from most pests at least and get nicely mashed on sap, which is kind of like having a pub next to a police station
I have also had a problem with the word "gardening". My mum thinks it is mostly deadheading and weeding and cannot understand why I think it might be a job 😂 I wonder if she would approve more if I were a grower... nah probably not 😊
Ha ha! That’s excellent
Oh this is GOOD. We have a small town garden and an allotment and if I waited for more space (which I have had in the past), I'd be depriving myself of so much joy. It is incredible what can be fitted in.
Isn’t it just - I’m not sure I want more space than a smallish garden anymore, you can just get to know every leaf and lump so well
It's very intimate.
Thank you Lesley - I hope you'll share words and pictures of what you are doing on your own substack...I won't be the only person who will be fascinated to hear more about what you are doing