Pampas Grass plumes

The striking plumes of the Pampas Grass put on a spectacular show against the clear blue of the Alt Empordà sky. Tall growing plants with bold architectural structures give definition and a sense of scale to the mediterranean garden landscape.

Girona flower festival Temps de Flors 2011

Correct date for the flower festival are the above not those on the original poster which is shown below. So we are altering our plans and may well have missed it altogether thank you to anonymous for the tip off!

The city of Girona will be staging the annual flower festival of Girona 2011 Temps de Flors from the 7th May until 15th May 2011.

Cane and Able

Frustrating gardening has been my experience of late. Chronic arthritis in my right knee meant that I was unable to walk very, far let alone dig the garden or move anything other than myself. Surgery I was advised was the only solution for the condition, so I have had to have a total knee replacement operation back in the U.K.

Forbidden to fly for twelve weeks post operation it is impossible to reach our Spanish Mediterranean Garden whilst receiving treatment.

Physiotherapy strengthened the muscles around the joint enough for us to embark on a ferry journey from Newcastle up on Tyne to Eindhoven in the Netherlands (Holland) to see the bulb fields and Keukenhof gardens near to the town of Lisse. This is a garden venue we have wanted to visit for many years and this year celebrates the gardens 6Oth. anniversary.

Anna the Physiotherapist thought that my attempting to walk around the vast acres of parkland would serve as a useful substitute for the therapy session I would miss. I can still hear her laughing.

Four and half hours of walking left us both feeling tired, Carol often looked enviously at my chestnut walking stick.

The gardens were not at their best the cold weather throughout the European area has pushed back springtime and we were too early to see the fields of colour that the Netherlands are famous for. One of the plant and bulb growers thought that visitor numbers were down by several thousand this year representing a sizable drop in income this year for the growers.

Our visit took place on a bright spring day and the visit was pleasurable; though I would advise potential visitors to visit the gardens later in the season so that they enjoy the best of what Keukenhof has to offer.

British gardens have absorbed many horticultural ideas from other nations and enjoy a great reputation around the world, the British formal garden tradition owes a great deal to the skills of the Dutch horticulturalists who crossed the channel following King William of Orange on his ascension to the British throne.

I should mention the 'amazing' experience of getting lost in the Garden Maze and being led back to civilisation by small schoolchildren, though personally I blame Carol.

Needless to say we did buy some Tulip bulbs which will be shipped out to us in October ready for planting. Our choice of bulbs was collection D from Warmenhoven - Export B.V.

Often we have looked at the perfection of plants offered in the plant brochures thinking them to be unbelievable, having looked at the plants in the exhibition hall we now believe and would not hesitate to order from them.

Tool tips for Spring.

Many gardeners will be admiring the display of spring flowering shrubs in the coming weeks. Those blooms are the result of careful pruning of the shrub following the flowering period, and because the sap is rising at this time of year the tools you use to maintain the form of your shrub soon becomes sticky with sap which can spoil the cutting action.

Essential garden tools like pruning shears or secateurs benefit from frequent cleaning and sharpening which will prolong the life of the product; as well as ensuring that plant material is cut cleanly and therefore minimising the risk of disease affecting your plant. My own choice is the Felco Brand.

The company website produces a useful guide to dismantling and servicing their products which

can be found on the web site.

Felco

Scattered Almond Blossom

A bitter rush of air has scattered

the almond’s blossoms.

The flower on yonder rosemary

is not swept away by wind.

Tomàs Garcés
(Barcelona, 1901 - 1993)

Girona Festival of Flowers - Temps de Flors 2009

The Girona Festival of Flowers 2009 (Temps de Flors) is scheduled to run between May 10th & May 18th 2009. 

Parks and gardens offer free admission though monument sites do make a charge.

During the festival many public buildings and private gardens are decorated with floral motifs, spaces to which the public are not normally invited within the old quarter of the city open their doors to visitors.

Photographs from last years exhibition can be viewed by clicking on this link.

If you would like to visit the Temps de Flors 2009 exhibits in the company of a local guide the estimate of charges is as follows.

Visits to a half day (3 hours):

Of    1 to 25 people: € 110.00 + 16% VAT

From 26 to 40 pax: € 120.00 + 16% VAT

From 41 to 55 people: € 135.00 + 16% VAT

Visits throughout the day (6am):

Of    1 to 25 people: € 175.00 + 16% VAT

From 26 to 40 pax: € 185.00 + 16% VAT

From 41 to 55 people: € 200.00 + 16% VAT

MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS:

POINT OF WELCOME

c / Berenguer Carnicer, 3

17001 - GIRONA

TEL 972 211 678

FAX 972 221 135

pbturisme@ajgirona.org

Shabby chic

Peony

Second flourish

Now that the sun is not quite to hostile to the garden we are getting a second flush of flowers on our plants.