Pinterest

We've started a board on Pinterest - click on the link to take you there.

We are pinning a wide range of images of spherical shapes found in gardens - quite a regular occurence when you really start to look - which shows how important the sphere shape is in nature and the man made landscape.

Burns Night....

Quite a tenuous link here but what the heck - Stoneballs Company has very firm Scottish links!

Today is Burns Night which is celebrated in Scotland on or around January 25. It commemorates the life of the bard Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759. and contributed a great deal to Scottish culture - Auld Lang Syne being but one ditty.

So, in honour of Robert Burns we turn our attention to Scotland today and the link here is the carved Neolithic stone balls found in parts of Scotland.

These are a uniquely Scottish find with over 400 found especially in Aberdeenshire, .
Many of the carved stone balls found have 6 carved 'knobs' / bosses or have intricate designs but some are plain and all are similar in size.

The uses of the stone balls found is unknown but many theories abound. Were they weapons, a throwing game, weighing stones or luck charms? 

For further information click the link.....

http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/britarch/highlights/stone-balls.html

Snowdrops / National Garden Scheme

Despite the wintry weather much of the country is currently suffering from, it's not too long before the first signs of
Spring appear - snowdrops being the first sign that all is not lost! Many gardens will soon be open to visitors to see the carpets
of this very welcome bulb.

Current research reveals that it isn't just a pretty sight but
can be used in the treatment of headaches, as a poison antidote and most interestingly as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease which is associated with a drop in acetylcholine levels. Galantamine derived from the snowdrop bulb may stop or delay the decline, helping to maintain memory according to studies by Dr Melanie-Jayne Howes of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

So, if you can remember do visit a local display near you. Check out the Yellow Book published by the National Garden Scheme (NGS) to find a local garden with Spring displays. (Pictured is last years display at Easton Walled Gardens, Lincolnshire.)

Every year the National Garden Scheme across England and Wales welcome about 750,000 visitors. Most of the gardens are privately owned and open for a few days each year. Some gardens open as part of a group with the whole community involved. The gardens give all the money raised directly to the NGS (including from the sale of teas and plants); the only exceptions being in some cases they ask that a small proportion goes to a nominated local charity.


Postscript:It was great news that Terry And Vanessa Winters are now listed in the Yellow Book so visitors who follow their blog and the creation of Ordnance House Garden will be able to enjoy seeing their new garden first hand. Follow the link for opening days.

http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/gardenfinder/garden.aspx?search=type:advanced-pc:sp5+1je-d:5-dr:6&id=29680

Snow Days

Hoping to avoid losing more shrubs (as we have in previous years) – we have invested in horticultural fleece. Our once 6 feet tall Phormium Tenax was reduced to a rotting stump a couple of years ago in similar snow bound weather. After stripping away the rotting leathery strap leaves (no mean task) we have nurtured and encouraged it back to life. Now the gorgeous, tender young leaves are wrapped up (and securely pegged down) in their duvet like fleece and hopefully will survive the cold spell.

Other snow bound shrubs have had the snow knocked off which may bend branches and bubble wrap swathe the pots on the terrace.

Snow days are a good time to have a look at the structure of the garden as the dark wood of shrubs stand out and you can see the role (if any) they play in the structure of the border. Are they spaced optimally? Clustered in unpleasing groups? Make a note and move them when the weather improves.

Snow days are also a good time to plan ahead on planting. If you care to follow trends in gardening current trends include Kniphofias (easy to grow and great impact in the border) clipped evergreens, Hydrangeas (very versatile as climbers or border shrubs) and (our favourite) Umbellifers are a huge favourite with designers and cover a range of plants – our favourites include Angelica archangelica, Astrantium and Fennel – all give a wayward and romantic look to the border.

Alternative uses?

 

Could this be the oldest recorded use of stone balls? Fascinating article on the National Geographic web site - click on the link.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/101210-stonehenge-balls-ball-bearings-science-rolled

 

It's one of Stonehenge's greatest mysteries: How did Stone Age Britons move 45-ton slabs across dozens of miles to create the 4,500-year-old stone circle?

Now a new theory says that, while the ancient builders didn't have wheels, they may well have had balls.

A previous theory suggested that the builders used wooden rollers—carved tree trunks laid side by side on a constructed hard surface. Another imagined huge wooden sleds atop greased wooden rails.

But critics say the rollers' hard pathway would have left telltale gouges in the landscape, which have never been found. And the sled system, while plausible, would have required huge amounts of manpower—hundreds of men at a time to move one of the largest Stonehenge stones, according to a 1997 study.

Andrew Young, though, says Stonehenge's slabs, may have been rolled over a series of balls lined up in grooved rails, according to a November 30 statement from Exeter University in the U.Kwhere Young is a doctoral student in biosciences.'

 

Kate Ravilious in York, U.K.

for National Geographic News

December 10, 2010

Branch Nurseries

 

As the summer draws to a close we can look back on yet another successful company 'growing' season. We export a great deal to the USA, Australia and New Zealand - where the interest in the English Garden style continues to grow in popularity and magazines showcasing the style such as The English Garden are popular.

www.theenglishgarden.co.uk/subscriptions/uk-and-rest-of-the-world

Texture, shape and form are important to successful garden design and are an essential element in the English Garden style which features a variety of plants with irregular and regular outlines and a variety of colours giving the natural landscapes that were first created back in the 1700's.
Our stone balls have become an integral part of the style as they provide punctuation points amongst naturalistic flowing beds and also act as a foil alongside spiky plants, topiary and clipped small leaved shrubs.

Common species chosen for topiary include cultivars of European box (Buxus sempervirens), arborvitae (Thuja species), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), holly (Ilex species), myrtle (Eugenia or Myrtus species), yew (Taxus species), and privet (Ligustrum species)

One of our favourite suppliers of plants suitable for clipping and shaping is Branch Nurseries near Newark, Nottinghamshire.

 The owner Chris Pike supplies many plants suitable for topiary as well as pre clipped Box balls and can offer advice on the planting of all kinds of trees and hedging whichh are all grown on site.

www.branchnurseries.co.uk

Half balls

 

 

Summer evening in the garden - our half balls with oil burner in the centre.

A lovely atmospheric addition to the summer garden.

'Antiqued' balls

 

A much cheaper option than original antique balls but look the same. We have supplied to many country homes and gardens where clean, new stone may look out of place.

Many owners of heritage homes have replaced stolen or broken original balls and finials with our products.

 

 

Stargazing live

29 March 2011

Professor Brian Cox used some of our striated balls in the recent Stargazing Live on BBC2 - as stand in for planets.

The first series was scheduled to coincide with the partial solar eclipse in Januray 2011 a conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus and the Quadrantid meteor shower.

To coincide with the show, hundreds of Stargazing Live events were run across the UK, . Many of these events were organised by local astronomy societies.

Historic Gardens Foundation and Review

This is a very worthwhile organisation - as well as being a fascinating read for lovers of historic gardens and landscapes.

The Historic Gardens Foundation works to bring lovers of historic gardens together through its interactive worldwide network.

It campaigns for the protection and conservation of historic parks and gardens everywhere in the world, famous and lesser-known, big and small, formal and picturesque.
The HGF is a not-for-profit organisation, which receives no public funding, and so is completely independent.

http://historicgardens.org/

Historic Gardens Review is the HGF’s magazine. Stimulating and beautifully produced, it contains an intelligent mix of articles on all aspects of our international garden heritage. The Review aims to raise the profile of parks and gardens everywhere. Iconic gardens, such as Villandry, Wisley and La Mortola, are featured alongside public parks, botanic gardens and more private creations. Written for and by historic garden enthusiasts from all round the world, the Review is a great way to connect with like-minded people.

Traffic control

 'Stone spheres can be an attractive traditional alternative to conventional bollards.' English Heritage

Solid stone balls either in sandstone or granite can be used as an attractive and elegant alternative to metal or concrete bollards and suit any architectural style from contemporary to historic.

We have supplied to many large projects from international hotel chains, football clubs, tennis clubs, golf coures, spas and also to private homes.

Many councils now use stone balls to enhance and protect town centres and civic buildings.

We provide them pre drilled and with a fixing rod if required and can supply any size or quantity.

Chelsea FC Training Ground

Rill and balls

A new garden has a beautiful rill incorporated in the design - the addition of the balls offsets the linear lines.