Showing posts with label Hungerford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hungerford. Show all posts

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

A week in......





 ......and the seasons are changing ....for florists anyway!!

We find as soon as Christmas is packed away for another year nobody wants red...... for  a while anyway....it is whites and purples and spring....it as if we are all straining our eyes to see the first snowdrop.....a catkin...or a splash of winter jasmine......we have bulbs in every shape and size at the moment...bringing these lovelies into the house just makes you feel like we are only a whisper away from longer days and bright fresh breezes ..........


In the garden we are making plans.....our nights lately have been filled with a few anxious thoughts as the gales and rain has lashed our poly tunnel and newly planted shrubs...we have had our fingers and toes crossed that all will be OK ....we are busy planting seeds....and have just got the keys to our potting shed next to the garden.....lots to do here!!



This will be our new workshop and from now on our courses will run from here, giving us all a bit more space and allowing  us to de-clutter the shop......we can't wait!!

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

The 'C' word


I know it's a tad early...However I know how excited you all get about our Christmas (there I said it!) wreath course, so we are offering two dates this year.

Do you fancy making your door wreath? or a fabulous floral table wreath?
We will give you a tutorial on both and you can decide which you would like to have a go at. 

We hope you are able to join us and surround yourself with floral beauty & lots of festive cheer!

If you are interested please feel free to phone us on; 01488 681062
email us on; martinandthemagpie@hotmail.co.uk
or comment on here and we will get in touch

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Hello sunshine




Oh you beauty... In your sunshine patch, growing at a lightening speed. You are worth the work!
Hello sunshine...Hello Red Eclipse 

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

Splendid Succulents

             

An order for fifty planted succulents in terracotta pots makes for a pretty photo shoot!

             

I got a little carried away...

             

I love the writing on some of the pots. There was 'marrow' 'kale' '& melon'...sounds like an interesting potting shed to me. 

             

Some moss and a few shells work a treat on these. I wish I could have taken them all home!

             


Saturday, 10 August 2013

Harvest Festival


When we took on this massive walled garden of ours, we knew that it was originally the kitchen garden for the 'Big House' on the estate. However we didnt realise in the bleak midwinter when we saw it, just how much it is still producing. Bearing in mind the land has had no-one working on it for 8 years. Mother nature still amazes us. We have started to harvest the small amount of veg we have, however it seem this earth is good to the humble fruit n veg.... 

                              

One whole wall once had trained fruit trees...however they have broken out of their restrictive wires and have been allowed to create mayhem... they are amazingly full of fruit, each tree seems to be a different variety of pear. The 'Big House' must have loved Pears!!

                           
                              

This building would have been the hot fruit house....it has the most amazing grape vine going through it...the acid green is neon at the moment. The fig trees grow 3 foot through the plastic roof, tantalizing us with is huge fruit, which we will be unable to reach to pick. 


                              

There are blackberries, a whole coffee cup here...craving apple and blackberry crumble anyone?


                             

Our little onion patch turned out to produce 91 white onions and 116 red onions....how long do you think they will last us? Stunned by the amount is an understatement.



The youngest member of the team, eats more than he picks...he had peas from the pod today...they were a huge hit. These stringless beans are tastier cooked however, but the teething toddler disagrees.

                             

Mazie, can you see their tufty heads peeking through? Martin doesn't like it...hahaha more for us then :)


                             

Our lazy tomatoes, and the colour pop of marigolds in the petit polytunnels


                            

Talking of colour...look at these red beauties! They are perfect for mash.


                           
                             

I think Christmas presents will be pretty predictable this year
Red onion marmalade? Yummy.


Monday, 22 July 2013

Evening Heat


               

Well it is safe to say that the Summer is here...it might only last two weeks so we are soaking it all up! The heat in the Walled garden is immense...not a smidge of shade to be found. The sweetpeas are finally flowering, and we now are stocking them in the shop...the dream is finally becoming a reality and we couldn't be more thrilled.

               

Our plant sales man for the shop kindly gave us some of his New Zealand spinach...perfect eaten right off the plant and such firm leaves...he has 30 acres.... and we thought 2 was hard work!
The first courgette was harvested and roasted...the smallest member of M&TM devoured it in surprising speed, so has the official seal of approval.

                

Evening gardening is the only way in this heat. however this energy zapping sun has us watering and weeding in record speed...and we harvest in the cool of the morning. 

Fresh for the shop today is clary sage, ammi, cornflowers, mixed ageratum and sweetpeas! Why don't you pop in and treat yourselves to a bunch. You can be safe in the knowledge that they are the freshest, most locally sourced and grown flowers around.


                

The drive home is glorious...the golden wheat fields and ripening oilseed rape fields remind me of my childhood...and the warm air blowing in our faces is very welcome after the gardens heat.

We are so proud that our dream is blooming into something so exciting...the hard work is paying off...now all we need is a cover for our rather mahoosive polytunnel and we can get working on next years master plan!


Wednesday, 12 December 2012

Day 11 of the December Photo project: The Victorian Extravaganza window!

DSC_2395

This Friday it's the Victorian Extravaganza evening.
Hungerford will be going back in time.
Helter Skelter, steam engines, mulled wine, marching bands and lots more!
And the Best Dressed Window competition!

We've been meaning to put the window in for the last 2 weeks as we want to win the 1st price this year!
Kay designed the window and has put  a lot of work into it and it looks fantastic!
Last year we made it 3rd, so fingers crossed!

Saturday, 15 September 2012

Monday, 16 July 2012

a lot can happen in two days

flowers, flowers everywhere........


 working Sunday......bouquet of avalanche, dolomiti, bombastic & snow flake roses ,lavender, rosemary and lemon balm....

 then....shopping 'til we dropped....well we nearly dropped......we have decided to bring summer inside with our fabby new acquisition.....a 1930's sun awning.....gazebo....beach hut...call it what you will.....

 well you should know by now we like 'quirky'!!

 ....one of us can never resist a cute stone bunny....


......is it only Monday......?

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

glass and shell


we have some lovely old french glass jars at the moment which look fabulous filled with shells......or Miss Magpies  gorgeous  Vintage Magpie necklaces.


We were also playing about with a panorama picture of the shop..I think you will have to click on it to enlarge it.....the window has changed since it was taken last week...we had the most amazing red pepper plants in it and a fig tree........only the fig tree remains..we are going shopping at the weekend so watch this space it will be all change again in a few days!!
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