Until July 2017, documenting the seasons of coastal Dorset. I'm a complete amateur so don't trust I'm always right. If ever you see I'm wrong - whether with identifications or in anything else - do say! Meanwhile . . . I've now moved to Halifax in West Yorkshire. Click on the link below to collect the new URL. Don't forget to follow there!

Thursday 15 January 2015

I STUCK MY FOOT IN A GARDEN - and a present

I'm not a gardener. And this blog is mainly for hedgerow plants (with a bit of seaweed thrown in).

HOWEVER . . . when I went out with my camera to advertise the up-coming stuck-foot post . .  the wind was blowing and everything was waggling about: branches, leaves, grass - and me!

I'd taken only about fifteen steps before I gave up and scurried home.

Bright red leaf on cotoneaster tree.


So I borrowed a garden and stuck my foot there - there where walls gave some protection from the wind.

Then I plonked myself in the only available pool of sunlight and set myself to see what I could see.

Cottoneaster berries and terracotta shards in the base of a flower pot.
I saw beautiful red cotoneaster leaves on the branches of a bush that had been grown as a standard.



I saw beautiful red cotoneaster berries in an empty terracotta flower pot.

Roots of box bush in water.


I saw a red chrysalis (or something along those lines) in the pot-bound roots of a box bush stood in water before being untangled. And I saw a ripple of light in the water.





I saw heart shaped leaves and dead leaves.

Dry vine branch.
And I saw an old vine branch with the dried out twiddly bit that would have fixed it to something if it had found something to fix itself to.

And all this time - I didn't move a foot. Not the slightest slither. A stuck foot post.

This is the idea.

There's more about it on the Stuck Foot Post Page.

Are you a Stuck Footer? If so - there will be a link box for Stuck Foot Posts on next week's Loose and Leafy. (21st - 25th January 2015)
* * *

And now for the present. Well, it's not exactly a present. It's a 'You can have this book if you review it on your blog' situation.

Featuring over 1,000 plants
RHS Companion to Scented Plants 
is an authoritative guide
to creating beautiful,
well designed gardens
that are highly scented,
and shows how scent can turn
a good-looking garden
into an unforgettable one.

Price - £25
(But your's will be a present
if you'll review it for me
'cos you are a gardener.)
It's the Royal Horticultural Society's 'Companion to Scented Plants'. It arrived before Christmas and I really have been too busy to give it proper attention. Do you have time to give it yours?

I also have a problem with this book. It's probably to do with not being a gardener. It's ever so thick. (And heavy!) It has masses of pictures and loads of information. There are chapters about

Planning Your Garden
Planting With Trees and Shrubs
Walls and Vertical Planting
Roses
Herb Gardens . . .

those sorts of things.

And each chapter has a list of plants with descriptions.

Which is all good.

So what's my problem? I like honeysuckle to be called 'Honeysuckle' and have 'Lonicera' in brackets. I like jasmine to be called Jasmine and hyssop to be under 'Hyssop' not 'Hyssopus'. I'm a heathen. A barbarian. A street urchin. Latin is useful. Latin is important. Latin should be there. But me? If I see Latin coming first my prejudices run riot and I get cross. Which is not fair to the book.

So . . .

as many of you are gardeners, there's bound to be one who can give this book its proper credit. Volunteer to review it by saying so in the comments (by the end of February) and I'll pick a person at random and post it to you. How's that?
(I'm really sorry but the offer has to apply to Europe only - (including whatever we're called - UK? GB? something along those lines!) - postage costs!)

10 comments:

colleen said...

Lovely - who'd have imagined so very much to see?

Cathy Thompson said...

Hi Lucy - great post and lovely photos. Whose garden did you invade? Re the Latin names - they are SO important. Go and work in a garden abroad (as I have done - in Germany) and then try to have a conversation with friendly visitors who only know common names, in their language. You can't begin. Latin names because they mean I can chat to anyone in the world about my favourites. Love your 'Stuck Foot'. Re my Tree Following. I did it, but too late for the widget. Anyone who'd like to cast an eye over my walnut can visit here: https://gardendreamingatchatillon.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/lucys-tree-following-garden-bloggers-bloom-day/

Anonymous said...

What an interesting post! Thank you

Sandie said...

Great post Lucy and I love the idea of being a Foot Stucker! There was a red link weaving in every photo, and so glad you got the photos you wanted in the shelter of a garden.
Thanks for taking part in my monthly neme 5 in 5, this was a perfect link and hope you will be back with more photos sometime.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Colleen. I think you would see much for a Stuck Foot Post too.

Hi Cathy. I agree Latin is useful and important - both as an aid to learning more about a plant and being sure you are talking about the same plant with others. It was just whether the Latin is the first place to start in a book like this. Of course this depends much on who the intended readership is. It's something I'm not clear about with the RHS in many regards. As an un-assiduous observer, I'm not sure it is always clear itself.

Glad you enjoyed the post, Philip.

Hello Sandie. I hope you have been sufficiently inspired to write a Stuck Foot Post too.

Colleen and Philip and Sandie. I'm assuming you haven't put your hat in for reviewing because your blogs (like mine) have a balance away from flower gardening specifically.

Colleen - focus on veg?
Philip on beyond the garden?
Sandie - all sorts of things!

(Cathy said on her blog that she would be interested in reviewing so her name is in the hat.)

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

P.S. Colleen, Philip, Sandie - I was guessing why you didn't say you would like the book to review. Which may have given the wrong impression - sounding as if I thought you shouldn't . . . If you DO . . . then if you leave a comment to say so and I'll put you in the hat!

Sue Garrett said...

If you are stuck for someone to review the book I will do it but if someone else would like to I will defer to them.

Anonymous said...

I do so enjoy reading your posts. I love the way you write and the way you notice the small and interesting things. I have a similar problem with latin so I sympathise!

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Sue. Back up book reviewer!

Hello Countryside Tales. I really do appreciate that encouragement and am pleased you enjoy the posts.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

P.S. If any of you are interested in joining in with Stuck-Footing - the January link box is now open and will stay open until Sunday 25th January.