Garden Stroll...

Now it has stopped raining...

After so much rain this winter it was beginning to feel like the ground might never be dry enough to start working in the garden. But finally, some sunshine, some dry days and some spare time.
Getting the grass cut to a sensible length has taken several sessions of mowing, a week or so apart, using the highest blade setting to take off the top and allow the grass to dry out underneath.
The lovely soft ground has meant weeding is easy and so is digging. Unfortunately the dog has found the digging good too and we now have a few extra holes in the lawn to fill and seed...

The old shed/summerhouse, with its rotten roof, finally succumbed to the winter storms and so dismantling and clearing out has left us with a big new area to use. The new, smaller shed has arrived, flat packed, so a good project for the rest of this week (holiday! Not coronavirus... ). This will give us much more patio area up at the far end of garden where the leaf-free views in winter are an extra bonus. A little seating area might well be called for. Certainly the water butts will be better positioned and less intrusive this time.

Spring feels in full flight now it has stopped raining. Bees, birdsong, the daffodils almost over, a chance to sit and sketch. To top up pots with compost and split up the pot bound hosta. To check what vegetable seeds are still in date and sow some spinach and lettuce in the raised patio planters after meticulously picking out the weevil grubs and rejuventaing the compost...
Flower seeds need sowing, cosmos, wallflower, calendula and little drifts of seedlings need identifying in flower beds.

At least two butterflies have visited the garden today and a beetle flew past. The whirring wings and unwieldly shape awkward in the air. Washing down garden furniture and clearing away the old moss and dead leaves from paths, weeding out the worst of the winter brambles and self-seeders from walls and decking, the list of jobs is long but now, at this time of year, the light is pushing on past the afternoon and into the evening. Soon there'll be plenty of time to get it all done.

Rosemary in full flower.

Raised planters ready.

Spring colour.

New growth and plant pots to sort out.

Plant identification....

Celebrating International Women's Day 2020

Into the Light - Spring Exhibition

Into the Light - Spring Exhibition

Featuring Local Artists and Artisans:

Monday 17th Feb. to Saturday 29th Feb. 2020

at the

 Crispin Centre, Street, BA16 0HP.

Go On, Grow a Tree!

After a tough summer of neglect for the garden, the last week has been a pleasure to get back to some Autumn maintenance. Some projects have been ongoing since we moved, the rejuventation and reduction of the trees and hedges, being one of these. Last week we tackled the remaining laurel hedge, deciding on taking it down by half in height and width, leaving it a 'Trisha-sized' scale for me to manage. There was also a lavetera for the chop, one of two I planted from cuttings taken from the garden. One cutting behaved impeccably, the other decided on world-domination and tried to crowd out the top flower bed, grapevine and nearby tree, not to mention the view... We'll have to dig out the stump or will have the same problem next year, I'm hoping the plants lost in its shade over the summer will survive.

I'm still working my way, very slowly, along the long flower bed by the new fence, clearing brambles, day lilies, overgrown clumps of kerria japonica and self seeding geraniums. I'll keep two of the kerrias, much reduced, so probably few flowers next year. New roses should arrive soon, climbers with scent and single flowers good for pollinators. The idea is to cool down a south-facing red brick wall, providing shade and cover.

Each year I try and grow a few trees, last year it was Monkey Puzzle trees, this year I couldn't resist a couple of lovely shiny conkers found on a walk, so two horse chesnuts, a pine cone and some cyprus seeds as well. Checking through my seed tin and there is still some Giant Redwood seeds so into the fridge with them for a few weeks. It will be interesting to see if any of these germinate. 

I was given a packet of Bird of Paradise seeds the other day, the packet is ancient (possibly 40 + yrs old!) and only contained two seeds but they look robust and so am giving those a go as well. I have also taken cuttings of hardy fuschia and an interesting geranium. Windowsills are always in short suppy over Winter!

Fir tree seeds

Avocado plant grown from fruit pip, fun for kids to try,

go on, grow a tree!

Twisted willows (Dragon's Claw) potted on