How to make plant supports from left over prunings!

Having spent Saturday planting around the culvert and barrowing last year's compost around the garden; one was accused of doing 'girlie craft jobs' on Sunday!!  The cheek of it!  I thought I was making good use out of the dogwood prunings by making plant supports.  OK so they do look a bit rustic - some might say wobbly but, in my defence, I hadn't soaked the rods and it's not the same as using willow rods which are far more flexible and longer!  I had enough material to make a total of 3 and they'll certainly look more natural than canes or those nasty plastic supports.  Anyway, being dogwood, they're a very pretty colour!  As I spent my birthday money so generously sent by Frances and John on more Dogwoods to go round the pond, hopefully they'll approve of this idea and give it a Scottish thumbs up!  I hope to have even more material for next year's supports!  Al thinks it looks like a first nation's Indian village camping by the waters edge!

By the way - they're easy enough to make.  I used a dustbin lid (for the size I needed) and pushed the uprights firmly into the turf making an evenly spaced circle.  I was careful to use the stronger/longer rods for this purpose.  I then tied the top very securely leaving a nice fan of thinner growth at the top.  The younger, more flexible rods were woven around the base (being careful just to bend and not actually kink the rods), leaving enough length on the base of the uprights to push into the soil.  The secret of strength is to keep the weaving pushed tightly downwards.  I kept the weaving to a minimum in order to have enough material to make more!  Being constructed from Dogwood (Cornus Sanguinea) and not Willow (Salix); I didn't worry about all their whippy lateral growth as this will be extra support for things like sweet pea tendrils.

Spring

It's actually beginning - but only just beginning.......... to feel a little like spring at Pear Tree Cottage!  Despite the persistent low temperatures and the cold winds, the grass is beginning to grow and primroses and daffodils are flowering - which usually signals gales and heavy rain!  Still, for now, it's nice to see the spring flowers again particularly after such a ferocious winter with lingering heavy snows and  frequent long frosts.. We're NOT thinking about the high cost of keeping greenhouse plants alive....the heater was only only keeping frosts out too!  Anyway - it will soon be April..........

Home Thoughts, From Abroad

Robert Browning

Oh, to be in England
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!

And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray’s edge— 
That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower
—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

Well, we do live in such a lovely spot!!
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Gardening Gear for Girls!

At long last - proper clothes for gardeners!  Yes!!  Us girls!  They're pretty, practical (& yes, just a bit pricey).  The fabric is durable, trousers come with......wait for it!  KNEEPADS!!  And - they're removable.  The fit is perfect and, no; I'm not being paid for this!  I've waited all my life for kit like this.  Check out:

http://www.gardengirl.co.uk/  Almost too nice for the garden but......not quite.

Compost Corner

Above: A previous arrangement!
Below right: AGT's Stylish new facility
Below: The old compost bays

Whilst the loggers were busy, Al was undertaking a construction project of his very own.  Designing and building access to the 2 bay compost heap.  He made sliding panels from decking which can be individually removed for easy access and prevention of spillage from the loading ends.  BRILLIANT!  Most of the materials were found in or around the garden and only the decking was bought. The backs and sides are made from olf pallets. As well as being utterly practical, it also looks much MUCH tidier.  No longer will excess composting material keep falling out! When he'd finished - he even helped barrow and stack the logs!!  What devotion!

Log Fairy

As well as a list of garden jobs, there was serious logging to be done as the secret log fairy had made a delivery during the week!  The pile ran almost the length of the drive and so on Sunday afternoon, logging commenced.

It wasn't just working with 2 chainsaws; there was axe work to be done.  As usual Chris demonstrated great skill and accuracy.  It's always a real pleasure to see him swing an axe.

The light was beginning to fade, we were still working flat out when Chris said it was time we picked up the pace!!!  Some of us were feeling the pace as it was!

Despite still working by the light of the lantern and clearing up after darkness had fallen; the end result was a practically full log store.  All very worthwhile!

Back to Basics!

From tropical to freezing temperatures; it was back to work.  Chris had fixed and sealed the leak with new piping and had covered in most of the trench whilst we were away. 

I knocked the mortar off all the rescued bricks dug from the old soak away (Mmm!) and ‘cleaned’ them!! All 3 wheelbarrows full. Alas: no photos! The trench in the Bog Garden was then refilled and raked level.  We now have to re-seed the grass-less areas.

The gravel around the new vegetable patch has now been replaced - most was lost when it stuck to the muddy tracks on the heavy plant equipment.  Time to sow some seeds as soon as the weather warms up.  Until then, there's work in the greenhouse.

Gardening - Barbados Style

Having sneaked off to Barbados for a week meant there were lots of opportunities to explore the native flora!  We arrived in the middle of the sugar cane harvest and it was fascinating to see cotton growing commercially and to learn that it's a variety of Hibiscus!

We visited Huntes Gardens 

http://www.huntesgardensbarbados.com/ and this garden was one of the most unusual ever visited - anywhere!  Visitors enjoy drinks with the owner and we came back with even more ideas!  It's always so fascinating seeing our struggling house plants thriving in their native habitats - and an old pair of ubiquitous Felco secateurs!

Oh well - back to reality and time to sow some seeds of our own!