The green and rolling countryside of Worcestershire, England, is home to the cider apple orchards which surround the gardens of Pear Tree Cottage. They enjoy a sunny south westerly aspect with sweeping views across to Martley Hillside, Woodbury and Abberley clock tower. The Teme Valley lies just over the hill and, not far away, is the Herefordshire border. Although our climate is temperate, our seasons are often uncertain and always a challenge to a gardener! This began in 2010 & follows the weekly ups and downs of garden work chronicling both successes and failures but, above all, demonstrates the fun enjoyed by three people who regularly garden in all weathers

Translate

16 May 2012

'This week I have been mainly.........'

.......trying to keep warm in the garden!!  This has to be one of the coldest, windiest and wettest May for many a year.  The wind has been particularly damaging to trees and shrubs with their canopies of new and soft growth.  The thrashing gusts have torn off many leaves and the heavy rain and hail has just sliced through them.  There have been days when the leaf fall has looked more like autumn.  Potatoes have needed frost protection in the form of upturned flower pots.  Even egg production has been down in the cold wet weather!  We put down a few more tons of wood chip so that their run is a mud free zone.

As it's coming round to the 'Shed of the Year Competition' time, I've been glad to work out of the cold and give The Studio its annual spring clean.  Voting starts on 20th May - that's this month and we need all the votes we can get.

Gardening advice for May 2012 is: never have the house exterior painted!  The Wisteria is trying so hard to bloom and the decorators have had to unfetter it and/or paint around it.  As if the sparrows eating all the flower buds wasn't bad enough!  Thank goodness neither sparrows nor decorators have interfered with the Wisterias on the Tool Shed or the Studio.

Following the death of a dear friend, I have inherited some garden seating and a metal arbour.  Sunday afternoon was spent painting a wooden swing seat a rather classy shade of Old English Green which has totally transformed it.  There were those (who shall remain nameless) who took some persuading as they firmly believed that I was bringing home a load of old tat and that it should have been carted down to the bonfire!  Well, OK it did look tatty and neglected but that's cos it was.  It just need some imagination and some TLC - in this case; Tender Love & Cuprinol!  It came with a canopy and cushions so, if summer ever comes, it might even see some use!
From this....
...to this in a single afternoon.









No comments: