Spring Gardening 2020 – Tues 24th March -Thurs 26th March

I planted more seeds. As I don’t have a heated greenhouse, I have to bring indoors the ones that need warmth. I only have a few places where there is heat underneath – i.e – a radiator – so I usually stagger the sowing. Once the first ones have germinated I can move them to other window sills and then finally to the greenhouse. Then I can sow some more!

I have now sown :

Stocks – a lovely fragrant bedding plant. Zinnia – a brightly coloured mix. These have to be planted in individual cells as they don’t like to be moved. They are also devoured by slugs, so I sometimes I have lost the lot!

Lobelia – these are white ones and the seeds are very very small and they take a long while to germinate so you need to be patient. However, once they get going, they are great and produce lots of lovely white flowers.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli – I have grown these in cells.

Tuesday March 24th

Oh dear 1st day of Coronavirus lockdown – I took solace I the garden and the sunshine to take my mind off it.

Today the seeds arrived from my brother – so kind – basil, butternut squash chilli and yellow courgette?

I sowed chillis and basil and put them on the windowsill in one of the spare bedrooms. It’s very sunny and above a radiator so it should be ok.

I also moved the blue and white agapanthus back out into the garden from the greenhouse, where they have been overwintering. I watered all the pots as it’s been unusually dry.

Some herbs survived the mild winter, so I have got oregano,parsley and chives already.

Flat leaf and curly parsely, chives and oregano

Weds 25th March – I sowed some veg crops straight into the ground. Beetroots, spring onions, radishes. I have left spaces to sow another line of each in a fortnight.

Thurs 26th March – I weeded the path of the woodland garden. I was really pleased to see that the Erythronium Pagoda bulbs have started to bloom. There’s not much else to do here at the moment.

The woodland path was dotted with Spanish bluebells which I don’t want!

I tried to get as much done in the garden whilst the weather is good, as it is forecast to get cooler and cloudier, so time to move indoors and get back to the sewing!

March 26, 2020 0

Spring Garden 2020

Well, it’s the beginning of a new year in the garden. Who knows quite what this one will be like? Today I am starting to keep a log of what I do.

Day 1 – Cleared out all the dead foliage in the bedsand cut down some Rosa Ragusa which was taking over.

Gave the pond a quick clean of weed. I had given it a thorough clear out in the Autumn, so it wasn’t too bad.

Mark cut the grass, it’s looks very green and healthy and no sign of the leather jackets like last year.

I looked at what seeds I had – vegetables, herbs and flowers. I need to think what else I need and then order them. My lovely brother has some of the seeds I need and is going to put them in the post to me. I tried in vain to order from two plant websites last night and resorted to Amazon.

Day 2 – Planted some seeds – tomato, spinach, lettuce,coriander, lemongrass, pea shoots. I left the spinach, lettuce and coriander in the greenhouse and bought the tomato and lemongrass in as they need warmth. I decided not to grow too many tomato plants this year as if they go I can’t bear to throw them away.

Mark went to B&Q to buy some compost and horticultural grit so we have it when we need it, in case these types of shops are closed in the near future.

March 22, 2020 0

The Woodland Garden – a year on

Last October, we set about making a woodland garden at the front of our house. We have a piece of land which was basically used as a dumping ground ever since we moved here and before by the previous owners.

My original blog about the Woodland Gardens explains what we set out to do. During the past year, we have continued to develop it and it is now looking quite good.

We have added a path and a boundary fence, to one side. It’s just a rudimentary boundary but defines our plot.

I have planted around the trees. Around this Yew, I have planted heuchera, hosta, fern and a white bleeding heart.

Under the dead tree, which we decided to keep as a natural habitat, I have planted a honeysuckle. However, I think the deer have been munching the roots, so I have put some chicken wire around to keep them away, hopefully!

The path runs from the roadside and meanders round to the compost bins and round to the other entrance. We dug up all the brambles, spread some sand down and then added lots of bark chippings, so that it keeps fairly dry.

Around the pathway I have planted ferns, hostas, other shade loving plants plus bluebells, snowdrops, aconites and erythroniums to naturalise. I am hoping that wild natural plants come though too now that the rubble has been cleared and the light gets through more.

There’s no more to do now until the spring. I am planning on adding more plants and bulbs each year until I am happy with the displays.

I am more than happy with how it looks and am pleased that we decided to make it an attractive space. The wildlife are already there and I plan to add a few bird boxes in the spring.

November 8, 2019 0

What shall I do with all my tomatoes?

Well, we’ve had a bumper crop of tomatoes. I tried a new variety called ….. .They have done really well and taste good. At the moment we are managing to eat the red ones daily. Each day there are more. I love going into the greenhouse each morning to see how they are doing. I am still feeding them every week with a liquid seaweed feed diluted with water. I haven’t had any bugs and I think that is because I companion plant the tomatoes with marigolds and basil. Apparently the smell of both deters the white fly. It works for me so I do it every year now.

One of my favourite ways of using the tomatoes is by making a tomato salad.

Ingredients

Ripe tomatoes

Basil Leaves

Red Onion

French dressing

Salt and Pepper

Simply slice the tomatoes onto a large plate in a single layer. Tear some fresh basil leaves over the top, slice some red onions and arrange over the tomatoes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and drizzle some home made French dressing over the top. Delicious!

French Dressing

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove – smashed

Half a teaspoon of mustard powder

Salt and Pepper

Shake all the ingredients in a jar – that’s it!

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As for the rest, I try to be imaginative and think of recipes I can use them in, such as Aubergine Parmigiana, Pasta sauces, Ratatouile and Chilli, but after that I bung them in the freezer to use like I would use tinned tomatoes. I wouldn’t waste any of my hard work.

August 31, 2019 0

What makes the garden look great in July?

Well, it’s that time of the year again when some of our hard work reaches fruition. We’ve had some produce from the garden and a lovely display of flowers that makes it all worthwhile.

The garlic has now been harvested and is drying out in the greenhouse.

We’ve had several meals of our delicious early potatoes. What’s nicer than a bowl of warm herby and buttery potatoes from the garden to eat with fish or salad?

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My first lot of basil didn’t do very well. I wondered if this was because I bought them for a £1 at a cheap supermarket, but I sowed the rest of the packet and its looking great. I will pot them up individually and that should keep us going through the summer for pesto and tomato salads.

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The bell peppers look fantastic and are actually dripping from the plants! I have used one in a stir fry and very good too.

We have had beetroot, radishes and spinach from the veg patch already. The aubergines have loads of flowers which I am hoping develop into some decent fruits. The tomato plants in the garden and in the greenhouse are all fruiting now. I can’t wait to have those.

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The flowerbeds are looking lovely. Just a few gaps to fill to keep it looking that way. We have dahlias, arum lilies, day lilies, cosmos, jasmine, honeysuckle, alliums, crocosmia, passion flowers, love in a mist, to name but a few.

The wildlife pond is almost covered in lilies and will need some thinning out later in the year.The newts have done their thing and have now disappeared from the pond again. They’ll be hiding under rocks and stones in the garden.We won’t see them again till spring. There will be a few little ones in the bottom off the pond growing up. I only know their are there because when I use a net to get the blanket weed out, I sometimes capture a little wiggly newt. I just leave him/her on the side to slide back in. There are loads of damsel flies about, their beautiful blue bodies shimmering in the sun light. I have yet to see any dragonflies but they will come.

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I’ve tried over the years to have a succession of plants in the garden throughout the year but always find August a bit of a struggle. I’ll let you see how I have done next month.

By then I also hope to have harvested some tomatoes, which I am really looking forward to.

July 22, 2019 0

Whats happening in our garden in June?

I started to write this blog last week and this is what I had written …At last we’ve had some rain! I know I shouldn’t wish for it but I have planted a lot of new plants into the ground so they needed a good soaking.

Well we got some rain and more and more and more!! I suppose its my fault then we had so much ….

So here’s what’s happening (good and not so good) in our garden in June.

The Hot Border

I have added in some of the red dahlias (called Bishops Children) I grew from seed last year. Let’s hope the slugs leave them alone. After all that rain it’s unlikely…

The peonies have come out but the rain has bashed them down now sadly. There are a couple of pink ones which need to be moved to the long border as they don’t really fit with my hot colour scheme, which is reds, oranges and purples mostly.

The honeysuckle on the back fence behind the border is growing well. It’s gradually covering the right hand side of the fence and I am trying to train it over the grey curved wall.

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The four new lupins are finally starting to bloom, albeit one is pink and should be purple! I thought they would be a darker purple than they are but they still look very pretty. They will look better next year.

The Long Border

The delphiniums burst out and joined the alliums and the roses, which both looked lovely, until the rain came. The geraniums are still being thuggish and I’ve had to pull a load out.

The Pond

The white iris and water marigolds have died down now and the yellow flag irises are just coming out. The water lilies are out and look as lovely as ever. There will be lot’s more to follow throughout the summer.

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The Greenhouse

This year I have had a lot of success with my seed growing. I have loads of parsely, coriander and lettuce. The tomatoes and basil are now in their final places and the marigolds are planted beside them to help keep the white fly away.

The aubergines and bell peppers that bought as organic plants look really healthy and I have great hopes for a good crop.

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The cosmos are now in the long border and are growing well. The alyssum are a bit a slow and the rudbeckia didn’t all germinate.

The Woodland Garden

I have now planted the plants I bought from the Malvern Flower Show, the Tiarellas and the Spotty Dotty, which both like shade. I had also been a bit ambitious and planted the Eucalyptus Tree I dug up from the long border. It started as a small shrub but has now grown too big. I’m not sure whether it will survive but we’ll see. It looks a bit sad and dead but I’m not giving up yet. We have loads of poppies which have sprung from nowhere. They have survived the rain just about.

The honeysuckle I have trained up the dead tree is gradually climbing up the tree. I’ve put some wires up to give it a helping hand. Once it takes hold it will cling on by itself and hopefully look as if it has been there for years.

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The Vegetable Plot

We aren’t doing too good this year. The birds have pulled up beetroot, spinach and spring onion seedlings and some things have failed to grow after I transplanted them, ie.the chillies. We’ve planted more in the hope that the birds will leave them alone this time. Last year they all came up and we didn’t cover them so why it’s happened this year I don’t know. Still that’s gardening for you!

The potatoes Mark has sown in sacks are doing great.

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The garlic will soon be ready to harvest and looks good.

The Lawn

Hmmm… Mark was spent a lot of time trying to get the lawn back up to its best. However, there are now patches which he has had to re-seed but they are growing. We will add some more nematodes in July and hope they prevent the leatherjacket grubs from eating the lawn.

The Courtyard

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The Arum Lily is my pride and joy. It comes up year after year and looks more splendid each time.

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So that is it from me for a week or so. Hopefully we will get some sunshine and the garden will look its best.

June 14, 2019 0

How to make Elderflower Cordial – no cooking required!

If like me you like a cold, refreshing and non alcoholic drink, you probably like elderflower cordial.

You can buy it in the supermarket but it is quite expensive. If, however, you can get your hands on some elderflower heads at this time of the year (in the UK) then prepare yourself for a real treat. Be quick as they aren’t around for long!

Ingredients

Elderflower heads

1.7 litres/3 pints boiling water

900g/21b caster sugar

50g/2oz citric acid – available from online stores or chemists

2 unwaxed lemons

2 unwaxed oranges

You need to collect about 30 elderflower heads. I make sure that these are not growing by the roadside, so they are not contaminated by car pollution. Just snip them off near the flower, with not too much stalk.

You may want to give them a quick rinse, to get off any little insects.

Put 900g of caster sugar in a large bowl and pour in 3 pints (1.7litres) of boiling water. Stir and leave to cool.

Add the slices of lemons and oranges, the citric acid and finally the elderflower heads. Give it a stir and leave covered for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. You will be able to smell the elderflower fragrance almost immediately.

After 24 hours, strain the whole lot through some muslin and transfer to sterilised bottles.

Serve by diluting with water, sparkling water, or sparkling wine for a delicious cocktail.

I am going to pick some more to make some brilliant Elderflower Champagne and will give you the recipe soon. I made some last year, in June and we opened it at a family party we had in August. It was really fizzy and delicious.

May 29, 2019 0

What’s happening in the rest of the garden?

The lawn may look a bit sad but there are some lovely spring flowers and plants in the garden just now.

I’ve finally got round to continuing with the woodland garden. Some of the plants I put in in the autumn like the hostas, bluebells, ferns and solomon seal have started to grow now. Unfortunately they are in desperate need of some rain to give them a boost.

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I’ve planted a honeysuckle to grow up the dead tree. We decided not to have it felled in the end and to keep it as a habitat for wildlife.

I’ve pulled up a lot of weeds and left anything that looks like a wildflower. We’ve moved the compost bins out of site now and used the compost and leftover soil to mulch around the trees.

The next thing I need to do is to make the path. I want it to meander round the trees. I am planning to make the shape and then just add bark for now.

The herb, vegetable and and flower seeds I sowed are coming on. I have pricked out some of the bigger ones like the tomatoes and basil and put them into to small pots to grow on. The lettuce I am growing in the greenhouse is growing well and slug free.

April 23, 2019 0

We have some pesky critters ruining our lawn!

When we came back from Spain, our lawn was in a terrible state and looked like something had been digging underneath it. It was all bumpy and it was threadbare in places. The lawn keeper truly believed that someone had been in and sabotaged it, as it looked so bad! This picture was taken today so you can see what a state it’s in!

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Eventually after much research on the inter web, we discovered that it must be leather jacket grubs which are the caterpillars from crane flies.

I always assumed they were harmless creatures, which I think they are, but their offspring can decimate a lawn in a couple of months.

Apparently the eggs are laid in the lawn in the Autumn and then hatch out early spring. That’s when they chew up the lawn and eat the roots. This is then followed by the birds and squirrels pecking at the lawn to eat the grubs which makes it even worse.

We have seen the grubs on the patio but didn’t know what they were. They look revolting as you can see.

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It seems that there are no pesticides that you can use to get rid of them. You have to resort to wetting the lawn, covering it in black plastic, wait for them to rise to the top and them pick them up!! Well, him indoors has said he won’t be doing that. I feel really bad for him as he takes great pride in the lawn and has spent many hours scarifying, aerating, over seeding, watering, mowing and weed killing the blessed stuff and to have a load of ugly grubs undo all your work is soul destroying.

We’ve now discovered that you can buy a biological control to help get rid of them. It’s a nematode which you water into the lawn. It’s safe and environmentally friendly. So we’ve ordered some and are going to give it a go.