This dressing includes the spring blooms of apple blossom, tulips, Dicentra, Akebia quinata, spirea, Clematis montana, anemones and violas; fronds of fern, nigella and Tellima grandiflora, sprigs of ash; the fresh foliage of hawthorn (May blossom), hazel, Kilmarnock willow and the tiny leaves of oak, welcoming the opening and warmth of summer … “In fact,[…]Read more…
This Well dressing includes Thuja plicata, Pittosporum tenuifolium; budding leaf branches of hazel, medlar, silver birch and amelanchier; flowering branches of weeping cherry, ornamental quince and forsythia; alder cones; and flowers including primroses, polyanthus, hellebores and daffodils.
Here we are still in winter but with our thoughts turned to the hopes of spring. As before and especially at Winter Solstice, this dressing is built upon the strength and ongoing growth of evergreens, long looked to as symbols of hope.
The foundation of this Winter Solstice dressing is made from yew (Taxus baccata) and larch (Larix decidua), symbols of transformation, rebirth and spiritual connection. Simply as an evergreen, the yew represents perpetual life and hope; whilst birch (Betula pendula) acknowledges the turning of the Wheel. With them is holly (Ilex aquifolium) for protection and in[…]Read more…
Be not dishearten’d—Affection shall solve the problems of Freedom yet;Those who love each other shall become invincible- From Over the carnage rose prophetic a voice – Walt Whitman This is the time of year for drawing in. As the hours of daylight lessen and the sun sits lower in the sky, we look for shelter[…]Read more…
The dressings include Thuja plicata, Pyrus (pear), purple pittosporum, Lysimachia clethroides, Spirea, Panicum elegans, amaranth, medlars, rosehips, pyracantha (orange) and callicarpa (purple) berries, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Verbena bonariensis, the last of the dahlias, zinnias & chrysanthemums and pumpkins ‘Jack Be Little’, grown in our cutting garden. At this time of withdrawal comes opportunity to pause,[…]Read more…
“The garden surrounding the Chalice Well has been created to allow and support the mystical experience and therefore the relationship with nature and its kingdoms is a conscious and harmonious one.“ From The Chalice Well – a place of sanctity, healing and peace “‘God’ does not pour out His beneficence like rain from the skies,[…]Read more…
The Madonna statue honouring the last rays of summer is decorated with Panicum elegans, rowan berries, amaranth, vines, sunflowers, yellow and orange dahlias, yellow calendula and acorns collected by our visitors. The Well is dressed with the foliage of Thuja plicata, Malus, Pathenocissus quinquefolia and spirea; and flowers and fruit in gratitude for the harvest[…]Read more…
The meadow has been looking particularly beautiful in the early autumn sunshine. The light, already mellowing, illuminates a hundred suns of corn marigold (Glebionis segetum), their central pads filled with pollen. All are celebrated in the flowering rays of the Buddleja x weyeriana ‘Sungold’, also often full of feasting bees and butterflies. The bright yellows[…]Read more…
We have begun the harvest in the orchards at Chalice Well. It has been a good year and the trees are abundant with apples, up to half as much again as normal. Mike and Anthony are busy picking them for our juice, carefully selecting the variety that is ripest at the time. Over the season[…]Read more…
