Trees - Barnsdale, Islip and home

Thanks to Dawn and Richard, I now have the names of two trees, one in their garden and one in Barnsdale Gardens.

The tree, in the photograph above and below, is an Acer Davidii Ernest Wilson or commonly called a Snake Bark Maple.  It is kept beautifully pruned by Richard and Dawn, and is very much a feature tree.

I was fascinated by the trunk of this tree in Barnsdale Gardens.   It is called Prunus Serrula, a native of western China, and is grown for its bark, not for its flowers.   The common name is Ornamental Cherry.  There is a connection with the Snake Bark Tree in Richard and Dawn's garden, in that both of the species were introduced into Britain by a great plant hunter, Ernest Wilson.

Yesterday, the temperature reached 32 degrees, and even for us, it was too hot.  Thank goodness we live on the top of a hill, and have plenty of greenery around us.  So I put the lounger in the coolest spot possible, which was under the tree, where I could catch the lovely breeze, blowing through the garden.   Normally this part of the garden is just too cool.   But not yesterday.   I settled down to read my new book, a birthday present from Kathy, called 1000 Ultimate Experiences.    A Lonely Planet book.   There are certainly some inspirational places to visit in the world.

 But I became very distracted by the immediate world around me, which looked pretty good on a clear sunny day.    This tree, a variety of silver birch, self sown, and just in the right place, is very beautiful and provides dappled shade in the garden.  

There was once a huge chestnut tree on the left of this photograph, and we reluctantly joined forces with our neighbours and had it cut down.   The tree was part of the boundary fence.  We felt very resentful at the time, but it certainly allowed more light and moisture into our garden, and we no longer had three drops each summer - flowers, prickly chestnuts and leaves, to clean up.   I planted an acer (forgotten its name) which will grow to be a huge tree sometime in the distant future, and now we have a self sown silver birch.   Both trees complement the garden, and are at a sufficient distance from the neighbours.

 

The trouble with lying on a lounger, and taking photographs of the garden, you see jobs that need to be done, such as the grass growing in the borders, and the rhubarb that needs to be picked and made into jam.  That is not good!

 And looking down at the house, conservatory and patio, I see that our attempts at keeping everything shaded, two umbrellas, an awning and shade cloth, partially works.   We just need something on the front half of the roof to ensure coolness on a hot day.   Roller blinds using shade cloth, might be the answer there.   I am trying to get Walter enthused about that one.  All he can see at the moment is a difficult task.

 And a quick photograph, taken through the front windows, where the front lawn, and gravel road, looked very hot, even with the woods on the other side of the road.

Storms and rain today, and I am inside writing this blog.   Just as well I took advantage of the opportunity for some photo shoots yesterday.   Still it is cooler, thank goodness.