GARDEN RAMBLINGS

Spring thankfully is nearly here, it has not been a kind winter, the snow fell even earlier this year than last.

The thermometer fell to minus fifteen in this part of the world, admittedly in secluded frost pockets and it is still cold  by comparison to last year, when at this date the temperature was in double figures and the soil gently warming.

There is one day toward the end of winter when you feel the sun on your back and you know that winter has finally gone. You suddenly realise that you do have the energy to get outside and scrape away to see what is growing.




This is a special day, more important than any vernal equinox, a rebirth of the soul for those connected to the soil..

Spring is a tricky time for gardeners, it’s when you get to know what has survived the winter. Expensive planting seems to have turned into no more than  a pile of brown twigs, but look closely and things are stirring.

Last winter was especially hard on a number of plants. Virtually every Cordyline Australis I have seen has been hit by the frost. Sadly these will not survive with their shaggy heads of browning spears. Last winter my specimen, 4.5m tall, was taken by the frost, it was not until early summer that it gave up the ghost. The leaves started turning brown and then a green shoot appeared around half way up the trunk followed by a ring of leaves at the base.



  

Choisia Ternata , especially the golden coloured variety, sundance were also hit hard, the new tip growths all burnt out, but they will come back. Cut out the dead leaves in April and they will be fine.

Even a number of the variegated or lighter coloured euonymus varieties also seem to have suffered rather badly.

Plants we consider now to be hardy in the UK such as established, Bay, Larus nobilis  and Ligustrum privet, (mine has lost its leaves) also suffered along with a number of traditional English mainstays.

They will be fine and being stressed I can see a fantastic flowering this year. Sadly  I have also lost two large Ceanothus. I know that they are not that long lived but I was hoping for another few years of stunning early blue flowering.

Make the most of this Spring stand back and admire, understand  that in cognisance we may  only see this spectacle only forty times in our short lives.

The productive garden cycle now starts again in earnest, but don’t rush into it as I seem to do every year. The soil warms and with a new flush of vigour I am out there planting seeds, germinating and then all is caught by a late frost.. Really it is best to make sure that any digging that has not been completed is done now, just be patient for planting. Leave big clumps of soil and let the frost and wind do your work, breaking down the clods into a fine manageable tilth. Weed when the weeds start growing, use them as an indicator of conditions, then start planting out.

 Winter often has a sting in its tail but lets hope that this year we have had our fair share of northerly wind and snow.

RECENT PROJECTS
Amongst others we have just finished building a bridge. A very “Boy scout”, (but no string or toggles), sort of project and fantastic fun to build although hard work. The bridge was built from timber and spanning nearly nine meters long and as solid as a rock. This project is ongoing as the lake had as yet to be dredged and a pontoon  set into the bank. We had intended to do this last summer but the time slipped by and rather than make a really bad mess we decided to postpone.
Another year slips past.
Always plant as much as you can afford and do as much as conditions allow at the time In my garden. I should have done so much more planting  in the earlier stages and I do now regret this.


PHOTO





You really need to be very careful if you are buying this stone. Many dealers will now offer some provenance (it seems all reclaimed York stone comes from the Tower of London !)
Do not buy this off the internet without looking at all the stone first, there are some charlatans out there who will sell you the contents of a skip and maintain it is top quality. If you are buying and need advice please drop me a line.


Water is always so hard to work with and over the years I begin to develop a hatred for the substance! It gives no  leeway with levels and is finer than silver sand running through the tiniest hole.
This leak is miniscule and we have a number of strategies to deal with it but that’s next week.

Somewhat dreading the next phone calls as we put in a vast amount of planting last autumn… what has survived?

Will let you know