In message , Sacha
writes
On 2009-06-17 10:27:16 +0100, June Hughes
said:

In message , Sacha
writes


It was a short but really lovely visit ending with a family lunch
for 20 at a super local restaurant (Café de la Poste, Derek, though
off your beaten track!) We were intrigued to see how far ahead
some plants were but on the other hand, the Embothrium in my son's
garden is still flowering, while ours went over a couple of weeks
ago. I don't understand that because CI gardens are usually about 4
weeks or more ahead of UK gardens. Their veg garden is yielding
loads of courgettes, carrots, potatoes (of course!) and the sweet
peas are flowering magnificently. Ray found some huge 'apples' on
some of the Camellias and has brought them home in the faint hope
they'll ripen. He took some cuttings from a Salvia we'd given them
but have since 'lost' and he hopes that their Stauntonia will fruit
again this year so that we get lots of lovely seeds. We're also
promised more of their ever-green Agapanthus. My son and daughter
in law can't abide them and I adore them, so lucky us!
Sounds lovely Sacha. I have only seen Jersey from the air and you
have tempted me.

Avoid July and August, IMO because it's terribly crowded then and the
Battle of Flowers is always held on the second Thursday in August,
ensuring great crowds. I think the 'shoulder' months are loveliest,
April, May, September, October. In October Jersey can get some really
beautiful weather, and if it's been a good summer the sea is still
warm. From a gardening pov, not many of the really good gardens are
open to the public regularly, though Samares Manor is worth seeing. In
the summer months there used to be a charity open-garden scheme for an
organisation called the Jersey Association for Youth and Friendship.
If JAYF is still doing it, this opens some wonderful private gardens up
for one Sunday and there's usually around 10 or 12 of them, IIRC.
Derek will know if that's still running. Strangely - and I've never
understood why - Jersey has no botanic garden and it really should
have. It was mooted at one point but the authorities wouldn't cough up
the cash, or so I understand and it never got off the ground.

Thank-you Sacha. Much appreciated.
--
June Hughes