Armandii's retreat

Thanks Spruce, Day Lilies were, I think, bought and brought into the garden in the 1980's and have thrived ever since. lt would be nice to know their parentage.

Catztail, I'm so glad the Little Piece of Heaven has inspired you to BIG PLANS:D When my wife and I started off the garden it was nearly all grass. But over the years we whittled away making new borders, changing the shape of them, extending them, having a large veg plot and then turning that into a huge, wide floral border. A garden does change over the years and is usually the better for it, if you don't change it Mother Nature will!!! Anyway, do what your gardening heart tells you and you won't go far wrong.

Shiney, don't worry my two Lady, I use that term loosely:D, cats have been drooling over the pics of Oscar. They have their eyes on him, well Sally has only one eye on him, but they can't wait to get their claws on him.

 

That, Dai, coming from you, is high praise indeed.:D

 

Thanks Spruce, I would think the info on Scarlet Oak is right, but the Spring Air date of 1996 is a bit surprising as I didn't think it was introduced into the garden as late as that!! Interesting!!!!:D

 

I'm glad now that I posted the Little Bit of Heaven as the kind reaction of everyone has been a kind of confirmation of one of the things that motivated me to try to make it with so much colour, scent, forms, and textures. So please don't think I'm a "Sad Sack" when I tell you that every plant, every shrub, all the flowers and scents have been planted with my late wife in mind. She was a far, far, better gardener than I. She knew all the folklore to the plants, had the eye of an artist, and the romance of a poet when came to instinctively knowing what plant, where to plant it and the ability to see the garden as to how it would be in years ahead., and I do not exaggerate.

So the garden has been a way of perpetuating her memory in a way she would have appreciated, and, as I said the very kind reaction and comments have made me believe that all the effort, failure and successes, doubts and determination were worth it to confirm that she is still in my life. So when I see the garden, I see my wife. So you see there is a story behind the Little Piece of Heaven.

Catztail, you're right and that's what made me pause before doing the post. There are some many different styles of garden and to every gardener it's their Little bit of Heaven, and quite rightly so. But I'm not favour of plants lined up like Soldiers or planted in a precise fashion or ones with more emphasis on Hardware than the kind of carefree, colourful planting that you sometimes see when visiting the long borders of the Big Old Houses. But if my garden has given anyone inspiration then I'm grateful for that.

Kindred Spirit, it's nice to know you're a Kindred Spirit! I do think it has soul, a bit of romance and at lot of good memories.

 

What a lovely way to remember all the wonderful times.