Croston Open Gardens and the re-opening of our beautiful Recreational ground ..

This Sunday sees the return of Croston Open Gardens.

11am - 4pm on the 23rd June. 

A day when 10 beautiful new gardens open their gates for you have a look behind them. 

The base for our event this year is the beautiful Old Catholic Chapel on Grape lane. A stunning, hidden away venue were you will find tea and cakes for sale, beautiful terracotta pots thrown by a local potter, food vans, a plant and flower stall, ice creams and, rather importantly, Prosecco. 

Anybody that visited last year may remember the pop up garden on the recreational ground. This was to showcase the Rec committees hopes and dreams of how the space may one day become. 

Well after many months of very hard work, the Rec committee, along with The Potting Sheds, have created the most beautiful communal space that we could ever have hoped for.

This will have its exciting re- opening on the day too. 

A space for recreation and reflection, there really is something for everybody. 

Tickets are now on sale from The Potting Sheds, Mawdesley. Feather and Twigs, Croston, or at the Chapel on Sunday. 

Fingers crossed for a dry day xx  

A day out xx

We were very sleepy to say the least after dancing under the stars until the early hours of the morning, but off we set. 

Gresgarth Hall was our destination, the country home of Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd (which we thought one of the fanciest names you could have), a renowned landscape designer and fantastic plantswoman. 

This beautiful garden is set in 12 acres and has been described as one of the most exciting gardens in England. It certainly was for me. 

With being in a deep valley, there are many beautifully terraces which descend from the house to the lake, which are planted in the loveliest shades, mainly pinks, whites, purples and lots and lots of green

There are wild gardens, bog gardens, a magnolia and rhododendron hillside and a bluebell wood. A Japanese inspired bridge takes you to see sculptures, classical and modern, including a folly and a tufa obelisk ( I had never heard of one so had to google it)

You can get lost for hours and hours .... we did, wandering from space to space and constantly stopping to look at something that takes your breath away, or trying to count how many bees can fit onto one actual foxglove. 

The kitchen garden was just fantastic, my most favourite bit of all,  full of imaginative and beautiful  things. Mr Mcgregors garden was always my favourite part of Peter Rabbit. 

 Yew hedging has been used extensively to create so many gorgeously planted rooms with borders that are just amazing.

Everything is beautifully labelled so you can recreate little bits at home is something takes your fancy. 

And for when you need a little rest, or a few long-ish rests in our case,  tea and cakes are served near the Old Mill with tables and chairs beautifully dotted about. 

Oh .... and who knew that this was even a thing, a handkerchief tree! It’s obvious when you see it in real life. 

The garden isn’t open all year round so do check before setting off ... i don’t think you will be disappointed xx  

Our tiny shop garden ..

Is one of my very favourite places here, it’s minute, I mean ... really tiny, but somehow I manage to spend ages batting about in there.

I made a very wonky and rickety chestnut paling fence, and a gate. Put down a few stone flags for a little path and edged it with drainage pipes ... and that’s it. My tiny bit of loveliness. 

I bought seeds from Sarah Raven and then had to ask a dear friend to grow them for me, due to having no space . Apparently I bought enough seeds to cover seven football pitches, for an area the size of an actual double bed.  

Scabious ..,

are a classic British garden flower and are fab for their long flowering season, super vase  life and the added delight of the bees and butterflies loving them.  

Ammi majus .. 

or Bishops flower, has lacy white flowers, a little like a delicate cow parsley, and looks amazing arranged all by itself (or with others obviously)   

Delphiniums .. 

a beautiful flower with dense flower spikes in a brilliant range of colours, it makes a good cut flower with an excellent vase life.  

Achillea .. 

so beautiful and most popular, loved for their flowerheads and their gorgeous colours, apart from the yellow, red and orange ... obvs. 

Erigeron  ..

one of my very favourites, if you have steps or paths that you want softening, this will be perfect. It flowers for about 9 months of the year and gently self seeds in all the little places. 

 I would love hollyhocks ... but they do not love me, and I would very much like whole acres of aquilegia, but again, they aren’t keen sadly xx 

Wednesdays ..

Gathering cow parsley on the lane for today’s flowers, which sounds idyllic and it was, and then I got nettled and stung by a dozy wasp.  

Potting up pots and tins for the shop and clients

This book is very beautiful and is full of inspiration for flower lovers, not just wedding folk click to buy

And, as requested , the update on the cabbages parcel. It was a dress, and very beautiful ..... but ..... 

White.  

It had its debut yesterday, before I had left the house it had tea split down it, lipstick dropped on and wet soil on it. I looked like I lived in a bin, and it wasn’t even 9am. 

I know remember why I usually wear black. 

And, please remember

If it matters to you, then it matters xx  

#mentalhealthawarenessweek

#itsoknottobeok xx  

The week of weddings ..

This week has been all about weddings and the loveliest, most beautiful brides to be. 

Our workbench has been overflowing.. 

I hope you all have the happiest of days ... xx

We are delighted that we are now featured on The Natural Wedding Company’s flower directory, click here to take a look.

And to my crazy little daisy who went to the supermarket to buy bread, and came out with a two man tent, a chainsaw and a trumpet ... you have made me laugh a lot xx 

A woodland garden ...

The Potting Sheds were recently asked to create a new garden, from an area where a lawn had previously struggled due to being shaded almost totally by two really beautiful, old established oak trees.

As we didn’t want to disturb the tree roots, a traditional patio area was out of the question,  so instead we decided to create a raised platform. 

The plants we chose had to thrive under the tree canopy in the summer months, so shade lovers where ideal, ferns and native grasses. 

We also chose early flowering perennials,  which would be totally happy and provide some lovely spring colour when the tree was leafless. 

Composted bark was spread over the planted area to help keep moisture in as the ground is really dry, and also act as a weed suppressant. 

As we finished off the planting yesterday evening and gave everywhere a final little misting with the hosepipe , the dappled sunlight came through the trees and it was just beautiful.

And to the very lovely bark delivery man .... yes, we did xx  

Maybe? ..

Sort of, almost, maybe? Spring is here. We have had sunshine and showers already and it’s still early in the day. 

My lunch has been ever so kindly left on Lota this morning so thats a happy start to the day.

The shop has seen the arrival of new books which always causes excitement

A tree in the house ... click here  

The foraged home ... click here 

Cow parsley is out on the lane which is another delight, I gather it in the early mornings or late evening now after my run in with the gentleman that accused  me of ‘thievin”.

And my seedlings, which have been very kindly grown by a dear friend due to my lack of a greenhouse, are slowly appearing and are very happy in our tiny shop garden. When it looks a bit fuller I will show you. 

If it doesn’t look like this in the summertime then I will be disappointed, well actually, when I say disappointed, that  may be quite an understatement. 

xx

Easter xx

We are open all over the Easter weekend.  

It’s a funny thing to be a shopgirl. Customers, people who you don’t know become part of your life, and sometimes, you of theirs.  

You share stories and sadness, laughter and secrets, yet you may not even know their name. ​

People like to talk and I like to listen. ​

And to the lovely gentleman I wave to on my daily commute, and have done, every single morning for the last 8.5 years ... I have no idea of your name, or anything at all about you, but I loved your jazz hands this morning xx thank you, you are part of my everyday xx

About last night ..

Last night we held our Spring wreath workshop here at our lovely shop. I am unsure why but I get so very nervous before these things, my usual happy seems  to temporarily vanish and instead comes  insecurities and worries, all of which, of course, disappear once our guests arrive. 

Even the early morning comment from a customer that my hair was looking particularly ‘care-free’ , didn’t ease things! 

Anyway, our gorgeous guests arrived and we had Prosecco, spicy apple juice,  cakes and a Christmas playlist as I had forgotten about doing a Spring one. They all made the most amazing wreaths, all utterly different, all utterly fantastic  and we had the loveliest time.

Thank you so much for coming, and thank you to everyone here for your kindness and reassuring words when nerves take over. 

I have great plans for a Summer workshop  ... we will have a cutting garden, were we can waft about with gin, snipping our very own flowers, to put in our very own wreaths.  

Fingers crossed my seeds grow xx  

A Day Out xx

So we set off, with coffees and cash ( well actually, I didn’t have cash as both cash machines where out of action) but my friend did so that was ok.  A Still Life Market, in North Yorkshire was our destination.

The satellite navigation lady was clearly not feeling that North Yorkshire was a good idea today as she took us everywhere but, anyhow, finally we arrived. We were not disappointed. It was so beautiful in every way, I can’t share my purchases sadly as they are for others, who may, or may not see this.  

Conversations en route were of course varied, and butterflied wildly, but included the tv series “race across the world.” It seems you have to race to get to far flung places with a limited budget and no technology.

​My friend thinks she may enter. As I struggle to sometimes know which was is up, I am not invited to be her partner in this adventure.

I kept quiet that she was struggling to find North Yorkshire with a sat nav, a smartphone and an unlimited budget, so reaching Uzbekistan with only a paper map may be doubtful. Anyway, let’s see xx