Garden Blogs

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Episode 4 - It ain't 'alf 'ot!

On reading the other blogs, I feel like a real light-weight in terms of the time I put into the garden! However, having two toddlers, another one on the way, a puppy and a heat wave does give me some excuse, surely?! We've been away this weekend and I've come back to a quite luscious garden - to my surprise! Everything's looking green and bushy - it must've rained while we were off! Has the whole coutry had the greenfly plague that we have had in Staffordshire? Fortunately, ladybird larvae are hatching all over the place, so, hopefully, they'll sort out those pesky flies! Doing well in the garden are: my hostas, all flowering nicely; one of my apple trees (lots of fruit for a small tree! Other two not showing any signs of fruiting...); my plum tree (lots of fruit, very few leaves!); thornless blackberry bush; sweet peas (awaiting Husband to attach trellis to the wall to grow them up!); and the tiny chive plants that I finally planted out a few weeks ago - they now have four leaves each and are twice as tall! Also, the borrage has gone crazy! It's about 3ft tall, there are new ones appearing still and the bees love it! Not doing so well: tomatoes - they're not dead (yet) but are still fairly short and no sign of fruit; the strawberry plant - the dog has found it and keeps picking the fruit just before they're ripe enough for us to pick for ourselves! A mysterious plant has appeared on a barren part of the flower bed. It looks like fennel but doesn't smell like fennel. I've left it (about 5 plants) in the hope that it's something interesting and not a deadly weed! If you can identify it from the poor photo, please leave a comment! On a positive note, the big daisies (can't remember the type) that I planted last year are growing with gusto and are about to burst into flower. They look lovely along the fence framing the view over the rolling fields and woods. And another lovely white flower is blossoming well, above it's rich blue-green foliage - again, not sure what it is so if you can help...! To my delight, we still have fish in the pond! I found a small toad/warty frog in a flower bed (alive!), the pond plants are growing fantastically and there are lots of pond-friendly creatures living on and around it. The water is still green and yucky-looking but I'm sure the plant-life will re-balance the mini-ecosystem! After discovering holes in my and my eldest daughter's lovely pink and spotty wellies, we decided to plant something in them! Pansies in little boots so far. Not sure what to put in my spotty ones! Until next time...

Thursday, 11 June 2009

Episode 3 - self seeding delight!

It's delightful how things seem to have grown in the last few weeks, helped by the rain I think! There are some poppies growing in one of the borders which have snuck in while my back was turned and a rescued pink (I think) that was three inches tall last summer and is nearly 3 foot tall now and about to flower! I am very glad I left those mysterious weed-like plants that were growing abundantly around my herbs...they are borrage! I planted one straggly plant last year because I thought the flowers were lovely - I hadn't a clue about it but was disappointed to find out it was annual. However, that one straggly plant has self-seeded and I now have a patch about 1 metre square of much bushier borrage! First beautiful blue flower has opened today. I hope this means it will happen again next spring as well - saves me having to buy new stuff! My curry plant has flowered and the scent wafts over the patio - great if you're hungry! Plums and apples are on the fruit trees, my thornless blackberry is flowering, stawberries are forming nicely (no bird worries as no birds! Cats and dog see to that!). And, the rhubarb (that I thought had had it because I didn't plant it out for ages) seems to be having a new lease of life! I have finally planted out my lavenders that I grew from seed so that, hopefully, they will grow up between the rosemary and the deck. I also put out two tiny little chives that I grew from seeds I took from my old chive flowers. Hopefully they'll bush up a bit - two short chives per plant is a bit disappointing! Tomato plants are coming along well. I have removed the old windows that were sheltering them to "see what happens to them". We have so many I will need more grow bags! My daughter is looking forward to doing some more planting. Wildlife check list this week - grey squirrel on the fence outside our kitchen window (they don't normally venture over our way - so much for me encouraging birds back to the feeder!) - woodpecker on the support post of my apple tree - deceased mole upside down on the lawn like he'd just had enough darling and keeled over! - hundreds of bees on two evergreen bushes that have blue flowers that remind me of the Licorice Allsorts that are blue and pink with little bits all over them! If the dog counts as wildlife, he caused a stir by finally working out that he fits through the bars on our gate and chasing one of the cats off down the lane! This meant that my planned relaxed reading evening turned into a rain soaked chicken wire fitting session to stop it happening again! Garden party for our daughter's 3rd birthday this weekend with tents all over the garden so no gardening will get done I don't imagine! Until then...

Monday, 1 June 2009

Episode 2 - too many tomato plants!

Not much activity in the garden since last time due to the windy weather and now we're having a heat wave and it's too hot to keep the kids out in the sun while I garden. Weeds are taking over the world! What has been done though is potting up the tomato seedlings that my eldest daughter planted, trying to keep my hardened-off young plants alive while I haven't had time to plant them out, and the arrival, building and painting of the new Man Room (that's a new room for men, not a room full of new men!) - aka "The Shed - Not For Girls". My husband and daughter set to, painting it a much more subtle dark brown than the flourescent orange it arrived as. And the old shed has been swapped for some bark from the local saw mill. It's changed the whole feeling of the garden and I'm loathed to fill the gap back up with a green house...not sure what to do now as I would love a green house! Still no sign of any fish in the pond. I suspect that the heron did get them. Although the water is greener than ever now so I wouldn't be surprised if there are hundreds of fish "lost" in the murk... Something strange has started sprouting next to my herbs - reluctant to pull it up in case it's some beautiful flower...if you can identify it from my dodgy pictures, please leave a comment and any tips! Strawberries are starting to appear on my ancient plant and some lovely fresh shoots are showing on a bamboo that my sister-in-law gave me last year. I divided into three and it just sat there in the border neither growing nor dying so I'm delighted that it's springing into life. My olive tree has also come back to life. I moved it outside and all the leaves fell off and I thought it was a gonner :o( But, hooray, it's covered in leaf buds! :o) And finally...a dandelion-eradicating tip from my neighbour which I haven't tried yet. He used to own a garden centre so I am certain it works! He said chop off the plant near to the ground and put about a teaspoon of table salt onto the "wound" and it seems to kill the dandelion. A fairly organic method I do believe :o) If I ever get round to trying it, I will report back on my success! Until next time...

Monday, 18 May 2009

Episode 1 - last time, I promise!

Please scroll down for something a bit more wordy!

Monday, 18 May 2009

Episode 1

Um, hello? Bit nervous as I’ve not done this kind of thing before… I am a thirty-something mother of two with a husband whose interest in gardening ranges from “I don’t have to mow it do I?” to “where will I park my cars and motorbikes?” My two girls are one and nearly three, and we have three cats, some inherited fish and a new puppy. We live in the middle of the beautiful Staffordshire/Shropshire border countryside, near a canal junction, in a barn conversion surrounded by fields and woodland and in the police helicopter pilot training flight path. Our garden, L-shaped and about a third of an acre, is also visited by pheasants (cheaper than keeping chickens), grouse and a hedgehog. We did have other birds until I moved the bird feeder out of a bush (thought the cats were hiding in it to catch the birds) into the middle of the lawn by the pond. Think I’ll move it back, although that bush, a wonderfully huge lavatera just died on me so I’ll have to use another bush! Cows occasionally graze in the field around our garden and through our fence, and a rogue heron that usually visits next door’s duck pond was seen acting suspiciously near our puddle/pond yesterday. I haven’t seen our inherited fish for a while…hmmm…maybe we need one of those “lifelike” models of a heron to scare it away. The dog would probably pinch it to play with though… The view from the garden is amazing, facing east over rolling fields onto woodland that glows yellow and orange in the evening sun. The soil is a mix of clay, sand and fairly nice soil, all with a good helping of stones! We think our garden was the silage pit when the barns were barns and most things seem to be growing very well without feeding (thank goodness, far too much like hard work!). My eldest daughter loves to help in the garden although her fascination with the hose has led to some near plant-drowning emergencies and, after showing her how to release scent from herbs by gently rubbing them between her fingers and where strawberries are grown, I seem to spend a lot of time saying “NO! DON’T EAT THAT!” She fell in the pond once too. I did a Bay Watch style rescue at 9 months pregnant. Luckily the pond is only shallow and she is a swimmer. She doesn’t go near it now. My youngest is not quite walking and gravel is her current favourite thing to put in her mouth. The dog is interested in gardening too, but favours digging to planting. We moved here two years ago and started with a very blank canvas. The garden is in the sun (what sun?) for the whole day (due to size, not direction as it’s north facing!) and is very exposed to the wind, no matter what direction it blows from! It was mostly grass, some border areas that had blended into the lawn, a bit of parking, a pergola blocking the wonderful view and an old shed on a paved area. The garden is now a lot of parking, slightly less lawn, a slightly tidier pond and a path leading to the shed area. We got rid of the pergola and put three large circular, slightly overlapping decks (referred to by our regular party brigade as “the crop circles”). We created some (very large!) borders which I’m gradually filling but it’s costly so most things I put in have a lot of growing to do! Most of the things I planted at first were out of tubs that I have had for years, (waiting for a garden to “settle down in”) or things I have rescued from other areas of the garden. I have also planted a few fruit trees and bushes around the decks, and a couple of flowering cherries. I’m mostly interested in things that grow either all year round or keep coming back so I have been acquiring evergreens and perennials as and when I have some loose change going spare. I have tried growing from seed this year and the window sills are currently covered in seed trays and 3” pots – not a good idea when you have a new puppy chasing cats up onto said window sills. Soil everywhere! Plans for the garden this year are: • Rehome old shed once new shed is in place – my husband’s “man room” • Find a second hand green house to put where the old shed is • Create a raised bed near the green house in time to use for next spring • Get my daughter’s tomato seedlings off the kitchen window sill into grow bags (she can eat these till the cows come home!) • Get my daughters to help me make some sort of heron scarer for the pond! • Fix the newly erected gazebo (aka “the band stand”) on the top deck which blew away in a gale! • Uproot my eucalyptus gunnii that seems to have perished in the harsh frosts and replace with something more tough! • Erect some more screening to hide us from the wind! Lets see how I do…I’ll keep you posted!