Selling the snowdrop

How could I resist showing a few snowdrops on the blog? Most of the snowdrops in this garden are in the Woodland Border and it's still too wet to tread on the soil for a close up.  These are strays in the orchard.  I think that these bravest of flowers always deserve excessive limelight.  They may look a picture of innocence but here they showing the world how tough they are when little else dares to show more than a tiny green shoot.  I love their bitter sharp scent and their little nodding heads.  These are all the more precious as there aren't great carpets of them in this garden.  They are multiplying to respectable numbers but the trouble is; you can never have enough of a flower that shouts, 'Winter's nearly over!'

Another Pear for PTC's Garden

Another Genever Pear.

Look what's appeared now!  Chris's idea - to cut a pear out of a broken piece of stone.  10 minutes with a massive angle grinder and this was the result!  Check out those curves!  Some people are just too clever!  Look at his pointing between the granite sets.  He's managed to frame each one. 

While all this artistry was happening, the other Chris was busy replanting the roses and climbers which had been laid in for the past few months in the veg patch.  I spent the day helping both Chris's - one minute brushing off mortar and the next, digging up Clematis!  At least the re-erected trellis doesn't look quite so bare.  If we can make some more panels up this week, maybe could replant all the Aubretias and pinks......................?

Dragons, snow and a feeling of spring!

The arrival of Al's 'other' dragon!

Chris looking triumphant!

Idris on his new perch

First job this Saturday was for Chris to install Idris in his new home.  Amazingly, it was dry AND sunny!  More flagstones and stepping were laid.  Roses and climbers were replanted - having spent most of the winter in the veg patch.

Black Betty, Lulu, Poppy & Tosca

Elsewhere in the garden, now that the snow has melted, I found snowdrops and primroses.  I also found the odd Pulmonaria and even a Celandine as well as Hellebores pushing though in the sunshine.  Some of the primroses looked understandably a little bedraggled but it was still lovely to see them!   I have been picking twigs of Prunus and placing them in a vase as it's so nice to see the flowers blossom in the house.   Even the girls were enjoying scratching around in the dry for a change.  The Hennery has had it's 'spring' tidy up and I think its 4 occupants are noticing the ever lengthening days! 

Freed from their blanket of snow!

The Woodland Border

For more photos see:  https://plus.google.com/photos/100788191989823327785/albums/5846326241732005313  or https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/DragonsSnowAFeelingOfSpring

Gardening Maldivian Style

How could I go to the Maldives without checking out the local gardeners?  These chaps were tidying up the coconut trees and pruning out the flowers and the tiny immature fruits which, despite their size, are heavy and very waxy.  They don't want the much heavier mature coconuts falling on the tourists!  The young green coconuts were delicious and shinning up the trees was made to look easy peasy by these blokes!  Hibiscus and Bougainvellia grew everywhere.

In the evenings, the scent from the Frangipani blossom was overwhelming and watching the fruit bats coming in to land was highly entertaining.  Because they have to hang upside down but land the right way up, much crashing around up in the palm trees was heard.  They looked rather like flying ferrets with little foxy faces. We left whispering palms and white sand to return to even whiter........ snow!

Frangipani

Meanwhile..............

Lady Christl

................the potatoes are chitting away happily in the tool shed window!   This year, I have strayed from Arran Pilots and gone for this new variety.  This straying from a lifelong tradition is due solely to Steve's influence.  If I had more more room, I'd grow more varieties.  I hope these taste as good as Steve's did last year!

Monday is the new Saturday!

For very nice reasons (which we won't detail on this blog!) Monday will become Chris's new day in the garden at PTC!   It's a big change in horticultural tradition round here - as for 8 years; Saturdays were pretty much sacrosanct! Last week it was Friday and he brought his friend Nick.  Between them, they lowered the soil level ready for Chris builder to lay the new flag stones thereby extending the terrace.  They also dug out the soil from beneath the new stepping stones.  

With ever an eye for detail, it was Chris who noticed that the gales had blown over the Wollemi Pine over and immediately rescued it by staking it.  At first it looked as if the top had been broken out but luckily, it remained in one piece.  He also found the very first bloom on the Lonicera Fragrantissima - I told you he has an amazing eye for detail!

Novice stone dressing & carving

Saturday was dark, dull and dismal but at least it remained dry allowing Chris Builder to lay loads of flag stone and for me to try my hand at a bit of stone dressing!  Some of the quoins around the arch had to be cut to size leaving rather new looking  faces.  It was out with a selection of hammers and chisels to see how they could best be 'aged.'  It didn't take long to realise that a bit of tasteful graffiti could be attempted by way of inscribing our initials, the date and even a pear!  The more I did, the more my confidence grew.  The first attempts were  a bit disappointing as I wasn't able to carve out letters with clean edges.  I kept chipping the letter edges.  Then I remembered that I had a small 'V' shaped wood carving chisel and decided to try that.  A bit of a big ask - using a woodworking chisel on stone but, it stood up to the task quite well.  I left an unchipped rectangle to try and make it stand out a little more.  At least it's a permanent record of another garden project!

Wall Work in Wintry Weather!

In absolutely F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G  conditions, work on the wall continued.  As it was such a clear sunny day, the photo disguises the glacial temperature and the chilling winds!

Chris finished the brickwork and laid all the really pretty roll top ridge tiles giving the wall its own little roof which will serve to keep out the weather as well as adding the finishing touch.  He also (rather sneakily!) removed the wooden form revealing his arch in all its glory.  I was allowed to do a little pointing, brush down the nearly dry mortar and also chip out the squodgy bits of dry mortar ready for re-pointing.  My duties also including breaking the tiles in half ready for laying beneath the ridge tiles, passing up shovels full of mortar and stacking bricks ready for laying.  Well, I am only the apprentice after all!  With all the extra layers of clothing (7 in places!) including my rather fetching overalls, it was about all I was capable of doing.  We're now waiting for the arrival of Al's (other!) dragon which we hope will sit on the end pier.