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Postcard from a Seaside Garden in August

/ Annie Graham / 1 Comment

After more than ten weeks of glorious sunshine and intense heat, the rains from the remnants of Storm Erin have returned with biblical force to mark the end of the summer. No complaints – the ground and the trees badly need the soaking. You can already feel the distinct autumnal chill in the morning air and the days are rapidly getting shorter. It will be the autumnal equinox in just three weeks. The visitors have gone, and the beach has now returned to its calm and peaceful state.  

Time to reflect on a few garden favourites as they begin to fade and dieback, and the big clear out begins. My choice is the new bourgy with its concentrated deep fuchsia pink colour. It’s as good as anything I’ve seen across southern Spain and Greece. The deep carmine climbing rose runs a close second and it’s been flowering all summer despite the conditions. And then there’s the vibrant Caribbean cannas which have been on constant show along with the ubiquitous and very English hydrangeas, trailing geraniums and nasturtiums. This is the look of a fine summer.

We’ve been working on the veggies in the new terraces. Best have been my beloved beetroot, along with lots of cucumbers and courgettes, spuds and tomatoes, and lettuce and carrots. The garlic has been harvested and tied into a French-style rope hanging by the front door. That will keep us going through the winter. And a squash has survived the drought and it looks promising for the harvest festival.  

With all this fun in the garden, there has been slow progress on the new Book this month. But June Schneider, the artist, is getting ready to work up the cover design and I aim to have the first part of the manuscript (20k words) ready for the test readers by mid-autumn.

Come back next time to find out what’s happening as we transition into October and return to wintertime. With the long dark nights, this is the best time for writers like me so I’m optimistic that I might have a book ready for late next spring.  

Postcard from a Seaside Garden in May

/ Annie Graham / 4 Comments

Days and days of mostly warm sun and balmy evenings by the sea this month. Hardly any rain or wind resulting in much growth and colour as summer has arrived a bit early. Forget the Chelsea Flower Show and its fancy show gardens, it’s all happening here at my seaside garden. Some days, it’s too hot to do anything but stroll along the beach and take in the briny atmosphere. And we’re about to be famous as the medieval chapel on the bay’s eastern peninsula features in a new movie called ‘The Salt Path’.

May’s garden panorama is a meditation on pink. The show includes the early roses, especially my favourite, the ever-fragrant Rosa Ragusa; and the statuesque foxgloves set off by the gentle tamarix.

The self-seeded poppies have burst out and they give glorious pops of colour, but sadly, they are so short lived they need to be enjoyed in the moment as they open.

After a long winter’s rest, some intense blues have arrived. Old stalwarts like campanula and aquilegia never let you down.

And an unwanted guest has taken up residence on the roof for the next three months, a nesting gull. When the chicks pop out and start learning to walk, this site and its surrounds, including our balcony, will be a right mess.

Oh, the joys of summer with the gull chicks and their aggressive noisy parents!

Book work has been slow as there is too much to do with mucking about in the garden and down on the beach, but I’ll try to catch up through June.

Come back next time to find out what’s happening to the gull and as summer gets underway, I promise you a fabulous Rose Garden.

Postcard from a Seaside Garden in January

/ Annie Graham / 2 Comments

Can’t beat a late afternoon walk by the sea, so quiet, just the gentle lapping of the water. ‘Make hay while the sun shines’ they say is so true. A few hours later, ferocious Storm Eowyn blasted in to pound this lovely harbour that’s been landing fish since Tudor times. And then, as it abated, Storm Herminia arrived from Spain with such force, it uprooted trees already loosened by the earlier gale force winds.

The drenching rain is loved by the plants that can stand the salt blasting like the agapanthuses and heathers that grow wild here. And while the garden is on its winter break, pops of colour in the daffodils and primroses remind you that spring is on its way.

Time to retreat to my writer’s den for book work. The revised and further reworked all important first chapter is now with my test readers for their opinions on whether it has sufficient pace, tension, and ‘turn the page’ quality. But work has stopped for now as the builders have moved in to take shelter from the storm. It’s a bit crowded and very messy!

Will I get my den back? Will chapter 1 hit the mark? Will I get chapter 2 done by the end of next month? Come back next time to find out.

In the meantime, have a happy Chinese New Year as we start the lunar year of the Snake – very auspicious. To all my Chinese friends, zhu nimen xin nian kuai le, and lots of health and fish to eat too.