Earth at Work

There was a time when having a roof garden simply meant growing a few struggling plants in  a collection of sun-weathered pots on a roof terrace. Yet as rising temperatures and declining biodiversity in inner cities take their toll, roof gardens are becoming  increasingly popular.  Just think about all that unused space up there – and the potential of gardens to moderate temperature and foster urban wildlife.

Installing a proper roof garden isn’t for the faint-hearted – there are structural considerations to be aware of for starters – but if you have the time, money and will, the results can be spectacular – as these roof gardens featured recently in National Geographic prove.

Click here to read  the full article, which I found on the blog of green architect Justin Bere.

Artichokes. Cut down now that their flowers have passed.

In full flower they seemed enormous although, considering that size is relative and that the garden isn’t actually that big, I expect they were something more akin to a size 14 model at London Fashion Week.

I was  more intrigued, however, by the husk of seed and stem that emerged after their moment of splendour had passed.  Beautiful.

Beautiful piece about Roald Dahl’s garden at Great Missenden in the Telegraph, which you can find here.

The garden is open today.  I am sorry to have missed it – and not to have told you about it earlier.  Another time.

The only place in the garden where time has stood still is the locked shed where Dahl sat with a writing tray balanced on his knee. There everything – from the fag-ends in the ashtray, to the ball of silver foil formed from KitKat wrappers – remains just as it was when Dahl sat there inventing his fantasies.

Been ill with flu this week, so today two simple shots that I took in the garden this morning.

Some cherry tomatoes (above) which we have been growing from seed collected from some particularly good tomatoes bought at Sainsbury’s earlier this year.  I doubt the Lords Sainsbury had that purpose in mind when they put them on shelf but no matter.  They are called ‘Vittoria’ and although there are plenty of young fruit, they’ve been taking their sweet time to ripen.  I hope they get it over and done with before the cold weather sets in for good.

And some clothes pegs on the line. I know it’s only gravity at work, but they seemed so disciplined hanging there on the line, one after the other, that they reminded me of toy soldiers waiting for a young emperor’s command.

Speaking of rulers, I was interested to discover that a pair of spiders has been turning a corner of the garden into small, silken empire. Pity the unsuspecting insect that enters that territory.  I’ll post photos if I can get something on a dewy morning.

With an old woman’s wheezes,

xx