Winding down for winter

At last a chance to draw breath, take stock and relax a little. Like everyone its been a challenging year with covid. For us add in two deaths in the family, a house move, several legal things to sort out, two business to get through this covid year, not being able to see our loved ones and friends, we are more than ready to down tools for a break. Slow living, walks, long lies, catching up on bits and pieces that we haven't had time to do around the house and so on with some good food and catching up on the book mountain both at the side of my bed (novels) and in the lounge under the chair (gardening books!)

Most of these I've been lucky enough to buy second hand, a couple I bought
because they will help with garden planning

Behind the scenes - all the seeds I have collected from the nursery gardens. Now drying in paper bags, they will get cleaned and sorted in December, ready for sowing next spring. Some are also destined to be available for sale in the nursery next year.

 

Autumn Bounty Still Life

Every year I try to create an autumn still life with bits n pieces I've found on my autumn walks and different kinds of squashes I've bought. I'm really quite pleased with this years effort, it's quite different from the ones I've done before. Usually they are outside and this year its all contained in a basket. I wanted to try and create the feel of 17th or 18th century still life paintings which I love.

There are acorns from our walk at Pitlochry, sweet chestnuts from Monteviot garden chestnuts from our trip to Saddell Bay on Monday and walnuts gifted to us from a customer in East Lothian from their tree. The squashes were bought in the farm shop at Whitmuir.

Enjoy a bit of autumn in a basket

Our last weekend of opening in 2020 was a bit wild weather wise! Thanks to our hardy customers who visited and braved the weather. We are open by appointment through December, January and February, then open on the 6th of March 2021.

Stormy weather ushers out of our 2020 season

Enjoying a wee local walk with bracken, the autumn colours are still lovely

Alchemilla vularis, common Lady's Mantle

Useful Plants from the garden - Alchemilla vulgaris

Common Lady’s Mantle is a herbaceous perennial plant native to Europe and Greenlandandin Britain on higher ground including the Scottish hills above 3600 feet. It has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy and is used in horticulture as a ground cover. Growing to a height of between 30 to 60 cm it is almost identical to Alchemilla mollis, except it is slightly shorter in height and the flowers are smaller and greener than A. mollis. The leaves are rounded with shallow lobes and toothed edges. The flowers begin to bloom in June and fade in September.

Lady’s mantle has a centuries long history of herbal use. Externally it was used to treat cuts and wounds, given its astringent and styptic properties, on account of the tannin it contains. Even applying a leaf direct to the wound will have a quick effect. Internally it has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea, and many women’s ailments, mainly menstrual. In the Middle Ages, alchemists used rain water or dew collected in the leaf centre for its purported magical and medicinal powers, a custom derived from the plant's generic name "alchemilla," which is from the Arabic word "alkimiya," meaning "universal cure for disease."

In modern herbal treatment, it is employed as a cure for excessive menstruation and is taken internally as an infusion 1 oz. of the dried herb to 1 pint of boiling water) in teacupful doses as required and the same infusion is also employed as an injections. The freshly pressed juice is used to help heal skin trouble such as acne.

# I haven’ tried any of the herbal uses of this plant so cannot say whether they work, as always it is good to do some research or buy ready prepared products from a reputable herbalist.

On Wednesday Bracken and I did a hill walk, more on that in another blog

On Thursday Bracken and I had a lovely long lie to recover from our hill walk the day before, not sure what David's excuse was Big cooked breakfast then off to Peebles for some shopping. Love living near Peebles and being able to shop in all the independent shops there. Home to then process all the apples I picked in the nursery. Big thanks to David for helping peel them. So far 5 kg put aside to make apple jelly, 4 kg of apple chutney made and 4 kg chopped to stew Time for a lie down again

I love supporting independent artists and artisans, this just caught my eye
 with its lovely colour and it ahs my favourite wild flower on it, cow parsley
@wendycalderceramics

Making apple chutney from the many kilos of apples we picked in the nursery orchard, 
its a great recipe I've used for the last couple of years after being kindly given it by Anne.

Great sunset over the Pentlands on the way home last week

Well that's it for the nursery season 2020, what a year! I have managed to write many more blogs this year, which is something. I might not be around at the nursery but I will be popping in and out of all our social media, the links are below if you want to like our pages or follow us on insta.

See you soon

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Find out what's been happening in our garden at home like our Facebook page 

                                            The quirky Bird Gardener 

 If you to see whats new and looking good at the nursery like our Facebook page

                                                Quercus Garden Plants

Find out more about the nursery here - our web site: www.quercusgardenplants.co.uk

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