1. We have a new little grandson Fred. I have been to the UK to meet him and he is wonderful; trips to France are already being planned - so look out for blogs about how to make gardens child friendly and which plants are poisonous!
2. I have a new job. I have changed the agency I work with (as an estate agent) and now work with Maxwell Storrie Baynes. It is a big job as I have the agency for the Garonne valley territory and will be specialising in selling non-vineyard chateaux (Karin Maxwell and Michael Baynes look after them) and prestigious country houses to international clients. I hope some of them have fantastic gardens which I will be able to take lots of photographs of.
So I am turning over a new leaf, as it were. Hence the photograph below. This is a Virginia Creeper which is currently putting on a real firework display on our barn wall.
The Latin name for it is Parthenocissus Tricuspidata, and it is is the best member of the Parthenocissus genus to choose for growing up a wall. P. Tricuspidata is not to be confused with Parthenocissus Quinquifolia which has a different leaf shape and a different habit. As the name suggests P. Quinquifolia has 5 distinct leaflets to each leaf whereas P. Tricuspidata's leaves look more like those of a maple tree. P.Quinquifolia will not cling to a wall very successfully and whereas it has fantastic leaf colour in the autumn, it looks better weaving up and through trees. P. Tricuspidata, on the other hand, is ideal for training up a wall - although you do need to prune it firmly each autumn to stop it running riot all over your roof tiles. See below on out tobacco barn where it has grown up behind a bay tree hedge and is about to establish a claim to the roof.
Finally a picture of some Firethorn looking quite beautiful. To be enjoyed before all of those berries become bird food.
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