Catalpa speciosa and Impatiens tinctoria

Catalpa speciosa

Two beautiful, orchid like flowers can be found next to each other by the Nuffield Building.
The first of these is on the Indian Bean Tree, Catalpa speciosa, beautifully fragrant, white frilled flowers with a purple speckled and yellow blotched throat.
The second is on the perennial plant, Impatiens tinctoria, growing 6 feet tall with sweet scented, large white flowers with a red streaked throat.  

Impatiens tinctoria

A Poor Year For The Roses

Rain, followed by rain and then more rain has resulted in a poor year for our roses in the rose garden. The roses are of the old fashioned variety and do not repeat flower, flowering just once so today Ali, Callum and Ady started to dead head all the faded, wet, rotten and mouldy flowers, many were buds that failed to open after getting wet. Due to the many hundreds of failed flowers they will be back in the garden to finish the job, in between the scattered showers due over the next few days.

Cucumber 'Zeina'

The five cucumber plants in the tomato house are starting to produce the first crop of delicious, sweet, juicy, small cucumbers. When thumbing through the Thompson & Morgan catalogue, choosing our seeds for the year, the description drew our attention, 'Cucumber ‘Zeina’ is an excellent smooth-skinned hybrid cucumber, specifically bred to provide lots of mini cucumbers that are best harvested when 20cm (8") long.  This RHS AGM variety is suitable for indoor and outdoor cultivation'. Judging by the vast number of flowers and tiny cucumbers still to come, these five plants should keep us supplied with a delicious crop all summer, a highly recommended variety.

Charity Open Day

The gardening team at Worcester College are pleased to announce our charity open day on Sunday 29th July 2pm-5pm. Funds raised will be donated to our two chosen charities S.S.N.A.P (Support for Sick Newborn and their Parents) and The Cystic Fibrosis Trust. We look forward to seeing you. 

Quick Germination

Sown on Monday, the wallflower seeds have already germinated and the trays have been brought out from underneath the glass and newspaper onto the glasshouse shelving. Once the first true leaves have emerged, (the second set of leaves that emerge after the tiny seed leaves), the seedlings will be pricked out into their individual pots.

Non Refundable Deposits

The Sainsbury Building platform has been slowly disappearing under a thick layer of duck deposits, and the ocassional feather!

Graham, kitted out with boots, protective overall, gloves, face mask and face shield, spent the morning power washing all the deposits off, and the feathers.

Let There Be Light

The large Robinia in Dead Squirrel Alley (so named by the gardeners due to a deceased rodent found in the walkway) has been casting shade over the small walk through that connects the Ruskin Building and Gloucester House and the Earl Building.

Today the gardeners made the decision to remove the lower limb that has been making the area very dark. As can be seen from the photographs, the walkway is now bright as light floods in on the area.