Lighting up with Leaves!

Arum italicum Marmoratum

On yet another dark and freezing cold spring day, it was a variety of leaves that stood out. The daffodils are fading fast and maybe that's why they all caught my eye on such a dark day. It was exciting to find a single Smyrnium as I've been trying to establish a small colony in the Woodland Border for a few years and it's taking ages. Still, there's only a single plant. I understand that these plants are a triennial and that once established, they'll be everywhere. I wish I could speed them up - we need their lime green colours in a shady border on a really dark day.

Also of interest is the highly poisonous Veratrum with its concertina-like leaves.  These were a present and I can't wait for them to flower down in our Poison Patch.  I understand that the sap was used by Indians on their arrow tips. Leaf well alone, I say!!

Pulmonaria Blue Ensign

Epimedium perralchicum Frohnleiten

Veratrum

Smyrnium perfoliatum

Rocking Around the Pond!

Finished pond with its newly placed rocks!

Chris levelling the Sarracenia pot

Despite the sulking dark skies and sullen clouds to say nothing of the incessant drizzle and freezing temperatures, most of Saturday was spent around the pond with Chris moving exceptionally heavy rocks and boulders and me shouting, 'Left a bit. Left a bit more!'  The very biggest and heaviest rock had always been a bit of a historical garden landmark as, since time immemorial, it had resided in the top of the Woodland Border - quite a trek from the pond!  Chris managed to roll it on to a sack truck and drag it to the pond before rolling it uphill on a wet and slippery wooden plank into position.  Well done Chris!

Other jobs done were to divide and  plant some hardy Geraniums and also plant out Lilies-of-the-Valley, move a Eucalyptus and some huge clumps of Nerines.  It was pretty heavy (pun intended) wet and miserable going in freezing temperatures.  Last Saturday in was in the 70's and yesterday it was way down in single figures.  Little wonder we Brits are always droning on about our weather!!  Where exactly did spring go??

It doesn't look much here but this was the heaviest rock of all!

Nortyculture!

Guess what! The spring sunshine has disappeared, it's freezing cold and pouring with rain. Luckily, mowing and edging was done yesterday and the newly sown lettuce seeds are germinating really fast. So here's a little light hearted offering from Pear Tree Cottage Garden on a very dreary day!

Keeping up with the Weather!

The end of another long Saturday!

It's still all go in the garden as we try to keep up!  Notice I said keep up and not get ahead! The vegetable bed has been dug (thanks to Chris) and I've now planted 4 rows of potatoes and sown beans, peas, carrots, onions, beetroots, radishes and lettuces.  The top lawn border - the wettest in the garden has now been thoroughly weeded and self set Foxgloves at the front have all been moved to the back of the border thus allowing all the Geums to fill any gaps and spread beneath the shrubs and trees.  Chris managed to scramble beneath the Beech hedge and eradicate all weeds and debris there too! He strimmed edges and just when it was time to call it a day, spotted some Bryony. Even though dusk had fallen, he dug and dug and positively mined until every bit of a huge Bryony root was removed.

Removing the Invaders!

It's difficult to imagine that weeding around a little pond would take all afternoon!  Well actually more than that as it went on well into evening. two reasons, wet soil - especially around the margins and more importantly removal of as much Lysimachia as was possible. I have never pruned Dogwoods this late in the year as usually, they're all done in early March.

Anyway, 'tis all now done! Chris has placed a stepping stone at the entrance to the jetty and we have reshaped the grass border and its levels. Having replanted some pretty striking stripey irises near the Jetty, the plan is to allow the Symphitum to grow down towards the edge of the jetty. Where we had planted Lysimachia to hide the electric box, there is now a low growing conifer stolen from the bottom of the Sofa Border! Lysimachia was just far too invasive and it just flopped everywhere. After yet another day's rain; will I ever get around to edging the grass with long handled shears and the half moon edger???

All Change in the Greenhouse!!

Botanical Neonatal Unit!

A Saturday without glacial temperatures or rain!!  Instead, spring arrived and not a moment too soon. Although very late, it was a good time to move out the biggest winter hibernators from the greenhouse before the inside temperatures start to rise and give overwintering plants too much of a shock in the outside world. Out came the Oleanders and the lemon tree leaving the need for much reorganisation in their wake. It's that brief in between time when the big things are out and the babies are all most definitely in. In this case, the babies are Nemesias, Antirrhinums, Tomatoes, Gazanias, Chrysanthemums, Chillies, Geraniums (of all types and ages!). In the cold frames are Lilies-ofothe-Valley, Heleniums and some Geneva Mallows of differing varieties. Next job is to prepare tomato beds and secure a cane framework for their supports.

Greenhouse Transition

 Who knows? With some really settled spring weather later this week, we may even get some vegetables sown and planted and borders weeded!

Balancing Garden Jobs!

At the end of a really busy day when it was really time to call it a day and have a beer (or, in my case, a G&T,) Chris appeared with ladders ready to remove the pond pump and see if there was any obvious reason for its unusually loud noise.  As it turned out, there was no apparent fault and the following day, it was replaced and the frog was cleaned allowing the pump to work more efficiently.  Chris balancing on a bouncy extended ladder hauling out a very heavy bucket of water with a concrete slab wired to it with one hand & no board on the ladder on which he could comfortably kneel was the reason for my mirth! 

The Magic of Making Compost!

As much as I enjoy a bit of creosoting, doing the compost heap is not the most joyful of jobs but,  as they say, someone has to do it!   A once a year job which, due to a combination of incessantly wet and cold weather and until February a  distinct presence of compost, means that the window of opportunity has been smaller than usual this year. Anyway, having now done it, Chris will turn last year's compost into the freshly painted bay and then I'll give the left hand bay the same treatment and it will be ready to receive this year's vegetable and garden waste. 

Whilst anything too woody or pernicious is burnt, the ash is returned to the compost heap  along with grass cuttings, soiled chicken newspapers and all soft garden waste. After turning and covering, it will be left for a year by which time it will have reduced down to half its volume. Unlike Monty, we have better things to do than turn compost every 5 minutes!  Patience makes perfect compost and, early next year, these contents will be ready to top dress all borders. Ain't nature magic!!

The New Branch Line!

Service path down to the cairn

The new 'Branch Line'

I've always extolled to virtues of service paths! A service path at the back of a wide border is super useful for discreet access.  We put one in behind the Lower Border some years ago but, since building the cairn buy a swing seat; it was lost beyond. Thanks to Chris who secretly left a load of Ilex wood chip on the drive we have now been able to continue it from the cairn down to the Henclosure with access from the lawn at the bottom of the Sofa Border.  To contain the wood chip, it's lined on both sides with mossy branches and logs which used to reside where the jetty now sits. Some are pretty rotten but it does give this new path age and maturity. This provided an ideal opportunity to do a little planting!  To the left of this 'branch' line, are a couple of huge clumps of Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum) some wild ferns and Pulmonarias.

This new access will make hedge cutting and weeding much easier and there was enough wood chip to top dress the original service path. Thanks very much Chris!

Furthermore and for the first time all weekend, the sun actually came out on Sunday evening making it feel vaguely spring-like!

Access between a Hazel & a Lilac

Nakedness!

Naked wall.

Pyracantha outline

Following the loss of our Pyracantha and paving over its grave, it's still looking VERY bare. We await the return of Brian who has promised to paint virgin wall next month.  In the meantime, a seat reposes in its spot along with some Yew logs and a couple of old steens (not sure how it should be spelled. Some people called them coppers - even though they were clearly cast iron! I do remember lighting the fires beneath them). Anyway, if the weather ever does warm up, I plan to put the Oleanders, Lemon tree and other tender plants in its spot. Meanwhile it does look very bare!

No wonder I miss it!