In pictures: Langham Wine Estate’s fine vines

English sparkling wine is now recognised as being among the best in the world, but this year we heard reports that late frosts and unseasonal high winds were causing havoc with the nations vineyards. So we darted off to Dorset to view the vines at Langham Wine Estate and can happily report that all looks good for another great harvest and some more exceptional wines.

Langham Wine Estate is situated in Crawthorne, Dorset, with a south facing aspect and the perfect chalky soil for growing Champagne grape varieties

 

The vineyards have been planted with three varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – and their buds were on the verge of bursting into flower when we visited

 

Trellis wires need to be raised in late spring to give the rapidly growing vines something to latch onto

 

Inside one of the barns where wines are pressed, fermented and aged in barrels

 

Langham Wine Estates range of wines includes classic cuvées, rosés and a limited edition blanc de noir

 

Thanks to Daniel Ham, Langham’s winemaker, for showing us around the vineyards

For more information on the Langham Wine Estate vineyards and a list of stockists visit www.langhamwine.co.uk

The post In pictures: Langham Wine Estate’s fine vines appeared first on Two Thirsty Gardeners.

from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/07/in-pictures-langham-wine-estates-fine-vines/

3 garden tips of the season

Spring brings out the best in Mother Nature. This is when she gets the opportunity to take back the original definition of the word “blooming” into its literal and natural sense of the word. You witness the fields reawakened with the presence of azaleas, redbuds, dogwoods, carpet phlox, daffodils and flowering quince. The air smells sweet of the fruity fragrance of cherries and pears along with some rhododendron and forsythia. In case you haven’t realized yet, welcome to the Piedmont landscapes. Some of you may be expecting “Welcome back to the Piedmont landscapes”. Because by the time these flowering beauties have been enumerated, you have reimagined Piedmont all over again as if meeting it for the first time.

Gardening enthusiasts familiar with this kind of landscape would have loved to see and smell the flowers for all of the four seasons that they have lived in the Piedmont landscapes. Green is good as far as landscapes may go. But not so good if it is at the expense of that sweet smell and lively colors. With these concerns noted, you should keep in consideration these four-season gardening tips:

1. Apply color contrast. 
Not all leaves are green and it does not mean lack of health on the part of the plant. Think of the burgundy leaves associated with certain flowering plants. As much as your plants bloom in spring, they don’t last that long. So to balance the color schemes present in your garden, have some plants with colors other than green to make up for the absence of some flowers. It also creates the illusion that winter hasn’t gotten that close yet.

2. Know which flowers can get through the winter and bloom in spring.
Some gardeners have their stock of tubers and bulbs bought from some specialty gardening stores. Plants like tulips, daffodils, amaryllis and crocus, to name some, survive the winter season. Think of them as similar to animals who hibernate in the winter only to come out come spring time. Except that these plants bloom in spring to make your garden colorful again. Asiatic and Oriental lilies are lovely in spring but tough in winter. They have flowers that you’d love to have on your vase by the guest room.

3. Sequence your plants based on which blooms first in the summer.
Hydrangeas are recommended to include in your collection of blooms. Different breeds bloom in different parts of spring with the Annabelle hydrangeas blooming first. Blue mophead hydrangeas bloom next and finally, pinky winky hydrangeas. Pinky winky hydrangeas are interchangeable with firelight hydrangeas and limelight hydrangeas depending on which breed do you find in your chosen gardening store first. Various breeds of hydrangea are known to be “southern belles” which gives you an idea of how well the blooms would flounder in the hotter months.

from Sublime Wind Chime http://www.sublimewindchime.com/2017/07/28/3-garden-tips-of-the-season/

Enjoy these two easy home grown gin cocktails

Every summer we tramp up and down the land providing booze making demos, with a home grown twist, for punters eager to expand their drinks repertoire.* This year’s tour kicked off at RHS Hampton Court where we impressed the assembled masses with a close up look at some key gin ingredients, including a juniper tree, sticks of licorice root and Rich’s Bearded Iris before conjuring up a pair of tasty cocktails – recipes below.

Our summer supply of gin was kindly provided by Tanqueray – it’s our favourite of the widely available gins and a great example of the London Dry style, showing off the juniper with a minimum of other complimentary botanicals. It’s also a great base for any number of drinks, including our cocktails.

We each made a home grown cocktail, asking the crowds to vote for their favourite**, and have reproduced the recipes below. Try them out and let us know which you think is best…

Grow you own cocktail recipes

Nick’s ‘cool as a minty cucumber’ cocktail

Nothing can be more refreshing than an ice cold gin cocktail infused with the fresh summer flavours of mint, cucumber and lime. And to make it couldn’t be easier. You’ll need (per serving)…

• 50ml gin
• Six to ten mint leaves
• A slice of cucumber the thickness off a thumb
• Half a lime
• Tonic water
• Ice

To make, simply put the gin into a small jug or cocktail shaker, add the mint leaves (scrunching them up first) and the cucumber (chopping it roughly first). Squeeze in the juice from the lime, then bung in the de-juiced rind for good measure.

If you’re using a jug, bash it all about a bit with a spoon; if you’re using a shaker, give it a vigorous shake then let it sit for a few minutes while filling a tall glass or tumbler with ice cubes. Pour in the gin and top up with tonic (we suggest a ratio of 1 gin to 2 tonic, but you can adjust for your own preference). If you’re serving this to someone special, top with a sprig of mint and thin slice of cucumber. If it’s for yourself, don’t bother – they’ll only get in the way.

Enjoy.

+++++

Rich’s rhubarb collins

Make it a rhubarb boozeday with Rich’s cocktail, which first requires making a simple syrup.

For the syrup…
• 600g rhubarb
• 200g caster sugar
• 30g grated ginger (optional)
• 500ml water

Chop up the rhubarb into 4cm pieces and lob the above ingredients into a pan. Bring to the boil then simmer for approximately 15 minutes with the lid on, until the rhubarb has turned into pulp. Carefully pour the hot mixture into a pitcher, and then strain through a muslin cloth and funnel into your chosen bottles.

For the cocktail…

• 50ml gin
• 25ml rhubarb syrup (or 50ml for those with a sweet tooth)
• 25ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

Put the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, along with a 5-6 large ice cubes. Give it a good old shake before straining it into a tall glass half-filled with ice. Top up with soda water. Drink.

Rich in action at RHS Hampton Court’s cookery stage

 

*Or, more likely, eager to snaffle some free samples

**They were far too polite to express a preference, generally hailing both as tasty successes

 

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from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/07/enjoy-two-easy-home-grown-gin-mint-rhubarb-cocktails/