Trimming the bay tree

This is what I was up to today - a massive bay tree next to the fence had a haircut. I was grateful for an electric saw and rachet long-armed loppers. They made cutting it down to size much easier.

The whole tree has about a dozen of stems about 4-6 inches in diameter, most had grown to about 20 feet high in recent years - when my focus was on working rather than gardening. It definitely needed to be cut hard back. I hope it will soon grow new shoots to cover the stumps.

I will spend some time cutting up the prunings and taking them to be recycled at the local authority tip. There is too much to go in the green waste recycling bin and it doesn't chop well in my grinding machine - that only takes small branches. The bay leaves may be good as flavourings but they dont rot down well in the compost either.

 

Madeira in Spring - Tropical Gardens

This peacock was wandering around the gardens showing off his feathers.

 

Spring in Madeira - a tree fushia in the tropical gardens

Although this one is in Madeira, I have a similar plant blooming in my front porch. in fact I did not know it grew into a tree until I saw these, they are lovely.

Spring in Madeira - a grotto in the Monte Tropical Gardens

An interesting grotto with lots of ferns growing out of the walls. These gardens are full of water features such as a mini levada, a man made watercourse bringing water down from the top of the mountain where it is much wetter - mist an rain clouds gather here each day. There are fantastic waterfalls, water steps, streams and grottos(or is the plural of grotto: grotti? I wonder.). This garden is high up of the mountain outside Funchal. The ferns are both ground and wall growing types and tree ferns. Wonderful leaves.

Spring in Madeira

Not a garden really but a cruise ship approaching the port of Funchal. Apparently, lots of cruises stop here - I prefer a hotel myself, ours was towards the left of the photo on the sea front - except that it was on a cliff and only the gardens went down to the rocks, some people did actually swim off the jetty but I'm not that brave. Lounging on the verandah was more my style when not visiting gardens or simply walking around marvelling at all the wonderful plants in flower. Things that require a greenhouse or conservatory (heated glass house) in England are rampaging all up the cliffs here. 

Madeira in Spring - Tropical Gardens

This Chinese style lion has a ball in it's mouth - this was carved when the lion was made I guess. The tree fern behind looks like a sun shade.
 

View over Funchal, Madeira from Monte Tropical Gardens

I love this - amazing plants in the foreground and an interesting city in the distance. Funchal is in an ampitheatre at the base of the mountain. The cable car comes right up to these gardens from the city. 

Spring in Maderia - view over tropical gardens and out across the atlantic

This is fabulous, the sea in the distance and these beautiful gardens with a lake, palm trees and the old house in the foreground. We took a cable car up from Funchal, the capital, to the Monte Tropical Gardens - what a brilliant trip. The roofs of all the houses, their gardens and vegetable plots were quite close. The view was fantasic back over the city and out to sea.

Madeira in Spring - Tropical Gardens path

This path in interesting and inviting. (You don't get that very often.) It is a mix of wooden tree slices and gravel making a woodland path with little plants growing in between. It is a good ida to copy but in might become slippery in the wet. 

Spring in Madeira - ferns in the tropical gardens

Ferns and tree ferns everywhere in this part of the garden. They always make interesting subjects for photos as the fronds have a regular pattern that appeals to me.

Madeira island Cable Car

Madeira island Cable Car

Look here for details of the cable car

Camelia in Spring

A camelia in my mothers garden 2004 She gardens on a chalky hillside where the soil is thin, free draining and the site is rather windy.

My Garden from the House

View of my garden from the terrace, my summer house is nice to work in in the warmer weather. With Wifi broadband I can even use my computer in there but the signal is not very strong. The weather has been so wet that we haven't been able to cut the grass recently and it looks rather shaggy. Spring 2005

Acer

Fresh leaves on my acer shine out agains the wall of the house, this lovely little tree has red stems that brighten up the winter too. Spring 2005

Black Tulips

These tulips in my garden were excellent this year. Their glossy blackness stands out from the background on this dull day in Spring 2005

Cherry Trees in Berlin

Jewish Museum in Berlin May 2005, Contrast between the Flowering Cherry Trees, the formal garden and the amazing jagged architecture by Daniel Liebeskind

In Prague Botanic Garden 2004 I like the mathematicial nature of these 

Picasa 2 Link for photo editing

Useful free tool for handling photos.
Picasa 2

Hampton Court 2005

Formal beds filled with 1000's of tulips with underplanting of violas and perenial wallflowers. Ancient yew trees in background.

Hampton Court Privy Garden 2005

The Privy Garden at Hampton Court today

Delightful choice of tuplis and narcissus mixed with the box and other clipped shrubs made this a light and airy garden.