Under Gardener Triumphs!

Under Gardener in action

Result!

As predicted: as soon as the blossom is in flower and the daffodils at their best, down comes the horizontal slashing rain accompanied by thrashing gales!! Typical English spring weather! Sigh! No wonder we gardeners are never happy with our weather! 

Still, it didn't stop quite everything.  Just before the worst of the weather struck, our Under gardener complete with (nearly) new knee gave the lower lawn its very first spring cut and this time - no nasty symptoms afterwards.  Triumph!!  Not only am I thrilled that our favourite Under Gardener is pain free again  but, it's also so nice to have him out and about in the garden again.

Chris and I spent our time moving lengths of conifers in miserable conditions in order to re-stack them in a tidy fashion.  We made 22 stacks in all and I hate to think of the weight of wood that we moved.  We were working in a very tight and narrow strip with no room to swing a cat and were continually at war with brambles, dog roses, whippy hazel saplings tangles of dead goose grass and barbed wire. YUK! It took all of Saturday afternoon but it's now finished and no longer looks as if a tsunami has swept it all across the orchard!

Another Home Available for Rent

On a bright March morning as the sun melted away the frost, Chris Genever and I set up a traditional beehive down in the lower border where it will nestle amongst the Lamium beneath the Acers.  Alas no honey bees but if wild bees decide they'd like to come and squat inside (instead of taking over a bird house by the tool shed and evicting the birds), they would be more than welcome.  The hive was bought on Ebay and as much as I love the thought of keeping bees, alas I have no experience and little time. Shame really as we are surrounded by apple orchards and not only would pollinators have plenty to do but apple blossom honey sounds really tempting!  

Looking up and down during an eclipse!

Obviously the blackbird was unmoved and the eerie sunlight made little difference to the pots of spring flowers on the Herb Garden wall as the partial eclipse began.

Vernal Equinox at PTC

Here at Pear Tree Cottage, we didn't need an eclipse to remind us it was spring although it was rather good that it should occur on the vernal equinox!   It took more than an half an hour of eerie daylight to eclipse the Prunus blossom or any of the other spring shots although my photos of the actual eclipse were less than impressive. It was the flare that made them!  Check out:  Pear Tree Cottage under an eclipse

Result of the Genever Bonsai Demonstration

Before I go on to the next post, here's a quick photo of the finished Acer (from the previous post) all potted up and back in position - it's the one in the blue pot!  The photo definitely does not give a true idea of either the scale or weight of it.  The pot is about 2'sq and I can't imagine the weight when filled with wet compost and a tree.  The Acer on its left is about twice the size and will fall due for the same treatment next year.................Paynes cranes spring to mind.

Practical Bonsai Tuition!

The master at work

Wet tea towels, root brush and Vaseline(!)

How lucky am I?  Today, I have had the VERY best kind of help to repot an enormously heavy Acer in a very big pot.  It had been languishing in its present pot for several years before I was given it and that was 2 years ago.  I just KNEW it must be desperate. Somehow, Chris Genever managed to lift the whole shooting match of its stand and between us and after a struggle we were able to remove it from its pot with both tree and pot intact.  He them lifted the tree into a wheelbarrow and with the help of a special root combing tool and root pruners, much of the spent soil was removed and its roots trimmed.  

Water spray, root pruners and  trimmed excess roots

I was shown how to only comb outwards from the centre, how to even brush the soil from around the roots.  This is all pretty new to me but the REALLY useful thing is knowing that I can keep the tree in the same pot and not have to keep potting it on to  bigger, heavier and even more unmanageable pots over time.   The other fact to borne in mind is that this is the absolute perfect time of year to complete such an activity ie. just as the buds are swelling but before leaves emerge.

This was a a big undertaking and as lunch was overdue and to ensure the roots had no opportunity to dry out, they were sprayed with water and wrapped in wet tea towels before being parked in the shade whilst we grabbed a well earned sandwich. Root pruning then recommenced and as larger roots were cut, Vaseline was rubbed on the raw cut. Chris made a mix of part horticultural grit, ericaceous and J.I. No. 2 potting mediums with added bonemeal and ercicaeous slow release fertlilizer. Whilst still empty, the pot was then placed in position - no flies on us!!   A layer of gravel was placed in the base to ensure the roots are never waterlogged and the tree was carefully repotted with compost being gently firmed around all the roots ensuring no air gaps.  After a thorough watering, it was top dressed with a layer of horticultural grit to hold in moisture.  Hey presto!!  Job done!!

The really surprising thing was the huge volume of redundant roots and spent compost left in the wheelbarrow seemed 3 times bigger than the fresh potting materials used!  Anyway, it should be happy for a couple more years and I have gained much practical knowledge!

Introducing Rob in his Retreat!

It's getting on for nearly a year since 'Rob's Retreat' was constructed in the Wooodland Border and it was a tad too chilly to sup cider in it - even if he had had enough time which, he didn't.  But, here he is - at long last - our neighbour: Rob in his own retreat!  A big thank you to him for the materials and also for the expert pruning on our two apple trees (hic slurp!)  For those who may not know, I should perhaps say that Rob manages and cares for hundreds and hundreds of acres of cider apple orchards and is a real expert in his field (sorry, orchard!) Even more importantly, he is the world's best neighbour!