The Orchard Studio

Wish I Was There

I realise this post has nothing to do with gardens, gardening, plants, horticulture, but then I did'nt really set out to exclusively stick to that subject!  I am glad it's the weekend and am craving some sun and fresh air!

This image was taken by my lovely talented husband Tom Dawson.  It shows the lighthouse at St Ives, our most favourite place on the planet apart from anywhere in Italy!  We are going there at the end of the month and I cannot wait.  My mother-in-law Val Dawson also is in love with St Ives and we are all going to meet up when we are there and breathe in the fresh air and relax knowing we are 'home'.  Which it strictly is not, but always feels as if it is! 

We always go to the Barbara Hepworth sculpture garden when we are there and I will post some of my images from past visits when I can find them!

Is there anybody there?!

I realise that blogs take a long time to attract any audience and I have only been writing mine for a short time but I have been wondering this week if I have any audience at all!  I am really enjoying writing this blog and finding new things to write about, but it would be easy to become downhearted about the fact that ocaasionally it feels like I am writing in a void.  So if you are reading my blog, and you have enjoyed any of the posts, please do say hi as I would appreciate it enormously!  I will keep on writing and posting and eventually the readers will come along.  Meanwhile this is an image taken in my garden last summer.  Sadly got eaten by the masses of slugs which invaded during the wet weather.

Mushroom Furniture

This week I have feature pea jewellery and biodegradable houses so why not a bench which will provide a habitat for mushrooms?  By Shinwei Rhoda Yen this bench will sustain the growth of mushrooms eventually breaking down into a rotting pile for more mushrooms to grow on as well as insects and other species of plants. 

It's brilliant!  I love any design like this which pushes boundaries and makes the approach to gardens and design far more interesting!  It's easy to keep ploughing the same old furrow and I applaud designers who have the vision and humour to create these products.

Peas in a Pod

I could not resist this wonderful charm necklace from Eclectic Eccentricity.  So unusual and wonderfully sweet, I will wear it whilst planting out my real peas!  There is an amazing array of really gorgeous jewellery on this site, including another necklace featuring a watering can! Just the ticket for all gardening girls!

Wonderful Willow House

This gorgeous children's playhouse was designed and made by the very talented Judith Needham.  I worked with Judith on a project last year for a family garden in Bath and we installed one of these houses in the garden.  These are truly an eco product, they are completely recyclable and eventually degrade down to nothing after about five years. I absolutely love this house and have never seen anything so magical and unusual.  Because of their natural organic shape and texture they merge beautifully into a garden and are further enhanced by having lots of planting all around them.

These houses could be used by both children as well as adults as a perfect and unique hideaway tucked away somewhere in the garden as they allow dappled light through the small gaps in the willow and would be an ideal place to just while away an afternoon, with a good book and a glass of wine!

All Things Glass

Now that spring is starting to finally appear my thoughts are turning to sowing seed.  First I need to clear the mess of my vegetable garden and find new ways to keep my four cats and dachshund off the beds. Every year it is a fight between woman and beast as none of the animals can resist newly turned soil. Last year we constructed a complicated arrangement of netting and sticks but unfortunately the only thing that will keep them off is barbed wire and an electric fence, and even then they would find a way.  I always end up starting everything in pots and trays and buying plug plants later in the season.  However, these beautiful glass cloches would certainly be pet proof.  They are from a company called Bells of Suffolk and are the best value cloches I have seen. 

As usual I have bought enough seed to grow vegetables to feed all of Bath. I really need an allotment but I have enough on my hands with my work and family life not to mention working on my new writing career!

Hyacinth Vases

These are beautiful and hard to find in these colours.  From Cox and Cox.  I adore having hyacinths in the house at this time of year.  I usually grow them in bowls and use chopsticks and coloured pencils as stakes to support the heavy flower heads.  I love the scent of them and try to stick to single colour mixes, preferring white. It is best to start with a dry bulb rather than try to wash the soil off a planted bulb and then put in the vase, I have tried this but it never seems to work.  Once the flowers have gone over the bulbs can then be either left to die back and then saved or planted into the ground for next year.

Sissinghurst

I have been watching with great delight this gem of a programme hidden away on BBC 4 on Sunday evenings at 8pm  about Sissinghurst and the relationship between Sarah Raven and her husband Adam Nicolson, the grandson of Vita Sackville-West and the mighty National Trust.

They live in part of the property and want a say in how Sissinghurst is run.  They struggle with the National Trust about trying to bring about change in the garden and restaurant.  Adam Nicholson is hugely entertaining and funny and I adore his observations on the NT.  Sarah magnificently fights against resistance to growing food on the land around the garden and tries to convince a very reluctant head chef to change his ways. Wonderful. Do not miss!

Tools for the job

I have coveted everything from Baileys Home and Garden  for ages and adore the vintage simplicity of their online catalogue.  The shop is in my favourite part of the world and whenever we can get to Monmouthshire and Herefordshire we do.  There are so many wonderful silent hidden churches and castles and mostly it feels deserted.  I can imagine living there in rural bliss.

I love these old beehives.  They look really lovely plonked into a border or placed in a corner of the garden.  If only I had space for one in mine!

I have these hand tools and find them amazing.  They are tough and durable and because they have been made with good sharp edges and they really do the job.  Plus they are good looking!

The Joy Of Dachshunds

I recently bought a book called Picasso and Lump which wonderfully illustrates the relationship between Picasso and his dachshund Lump.  The book has been around for a while but I came across it whilst looking for a book on dachshund training.  Ned remains untrained, as I bought this book instead.

I was forced to return home from the studio early today having spent several hours in the company of Ned who would not stop barking at every person who came near our door.  How did Picasso cope?! 

Dachshunds by their very nature are very vocal creatures and coupled with a slight complex about their size feel the need to let everyone know they are around.  On some days this can be trying.

Many famous people have owned dachshunds including my own favourite the late Christopher Lloyd who was often photographed at his garden at Great Dixter with his own beloved beasts. 

E B White wrote of dachshunds:

The Dachshund's affectionate
He wants to wed with you:
Lie down to sleep,
And he's in bed with you.
Sit in a chair,
He's there.
Depart,
You break his heart.