Apple Pruning

It's that time of year when the real experts have been busy in the surrounding cider apple orchards pruning the apple trees.  Whilst we only have two (as opposed to 24000!) it was time to sharpen the secateurs, loppers and pruning saw. Now; this is exactly the sort of job where height is a very distinct advantage!  With Chris being 6'5" plus he definitely had the advantage over my meagre 5'5"!  What's interesting here is the fact that Bulmer's trees are pruned purely to maximise yield and they don't need to worry about shape.  We of course want the best of both worlds and prefer to keep a traditional shape to the tree as well as having plenty of fruit.  Our expert neighbour: Rob grafted a desert apple by the name of Falstaff on to our Bramley and this has to be born in mind especially when pruning!  Our other apple is a Katie - also a present from Rob.  Well, we done our best (as they say) with both trees' and time and season alone will tell.  We pruned the fruiting spurs back by a third to a bud and cut out all the misshapen and rubbing branches in both trees and then, in much need of a warm job, we cleared up all the prunings and went off to have a monster bonfire!

Chit chat in the tool shed!

Arran Pilots chitting in the sunshine!

It's such a lovely verb I thought I'd see what Wikipedia had to say.  The only revelation for me was was to read about them being watered.  I had never heard heard of that and, in any cae the egg trays wouldn't hold water and would just become soggy and then disintegrate.   These will be left on the tool shed window sill  waiting for their shoots to form and planted when the ground warms up - which won't be for ages yet!                     

                                                                   

Chitting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chitting is a method of preparing potatoes or other tubers for planting. The seed potatoes are placed in a tray (often in egg cartons) in a light and cool place and given a little water. All but three or four of the "eyes" (sprouting parts) of the potato are removed, leaving the strongest growths only. After the sprouts are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, the seed potatoes are planted in the ground.

Frosty Transformation

The Henclosure

J. Frost Esq had paid a lengthy visit overnight and gone was the dark, damp, dull weather.  Everywhere was bright and crisp, the landscape was completely changed as everything had been painted with a sparkling rime. The ferns looked pretty again and the surrounding apple orchards so it was out with the camera before it all thawed! For more scenes, see   J. Frost visits PTC  The chickens' water was frozen solid and after thawing it out, they were given extra foodie treats to help keep out the cold. Lot to be said for wearing duvets on mornings like this!

Virtues of Garden Lighting in Winter

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When we first began the arduous, back breaking and super tedious job of digging trenches all around a 3/4 acre garden and laying in cables, I seriously doubted myself and I mean: seriously!  It took FOREVER and it was the worst time of year - spring.  All those emerging tender and vulnerable shoots.  My vision had been balmy summer's evenings with a glass in one hand and admiring the light bouncing of a canopy of leaves.  Not a single thought was given to winter.  Here we are 5 years down the line and it's THIS time of year one reaps the real benefits. When the trees are bare and the evenings are long and dark, gazing out of the windows to see uplit silver birches, garden statues and pretty skeletal outlines well, this is the time of year all those hours of toiling are worth every aching muscle!!  Yes.  I know these photos weren't taken in winter but that's only because it's too cold to go outside with a tripod.

Cheering Sights in a January Garden

Lonicera Fragrantissima

The old Victorian tree guard

A calm and frosty day with not a breath of air moving and I found a shrub covered in highly fragrant blooms to remind us that the days are getting just that tiny bit longer as the sun came up behind an old Victorian tree guard.!!

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Burns Night Gardening!

Heinz....

Not many Saturdays have I ever abandoned outdoor gardening duties entirely. Early Burn's night supper preparations meant I did just that! Poor Chris was left to finish emptying the compost heap all on his own and it was such a lovely clear crisp day - sigh!

....Heathers!

One idea I had both for the table and as gifts for the ladies was recycling empty tins.  I soaked off the old labels and as the glue has a half life of 2000 years, I made new labels and stuck them on using the original glue!  I printed out some random sheet music giving it the title of a Burns poem, cut it to size and tied around some ribbon, Lastly, I popped in a heather and put a row of 4 down the centre of the table.  Alas, if I'd had red ribbon, it would have looked much better!

Proved

Baked

To maintain a horticultural theme, I made some flower pot bread in a clay pot given as a bread making present by Janine.  It worked perfectly and just required an extra 10 minutes in the oven.  I did cover the top to ensure it didn't burn and it turned out perfectly!

Burn's night means that almost more time is spent is spent on the table - menus, poetry sheets, place names, themed decorations etc etc than the actual food.  Well maybe not quite as I made cock-a-leekie soup and butter shortbread as well as the bread.  The lovely thing was that guests brought deserts of crannachan and bread and butter puddings.  I'll have to make up for lost time next Saturday!!!