Farewell to our pear tree
The start of the new gardening year has seen us take down an ailing pear tree. Over the past 10 years, we’ve picked just a handful of edible pears from this tree, and last year, the top half had no leaves at all. As it was close to the greenhouse, we decided it was safest to remove the tree. Nothing will be wasted though, all the wood is stacked for the wood burner and the twiggy growth will be used as kindling. With the tree down a camellia and Osmanthus heterophyllus, which were growing alongside it should now fare better.
We’re being troubled by rabbits! The fencing around the orchard isn’t rabbit proof so we expect them in there and have had to renew tree guards around all the trees. However, the garden is another matter and we thought the fencing was all rabbit proof. Recently I was horrified to find a few plants with their tops nibbled off and, to add insult to injury, when the security lights came on one night I saw a very plump rabbit having a feast. Investigating round the boundary fence, we found a hole in the wire netting, which has now been repaired. I’ve weeded one of the vegetable raised beds, topped it up with garden compost and covered it with weed suppressing fabric, which will warm the soil for spring sowing. I’m continuing to cut back herbaceous plants when the weather allows and was pleased to find delicate flowers opening on prunus ‘Autumnalis’. It’s also encouraging to see some of our honeybees flying on mild days, showing the importance of growing winter flowering plants.
Tales from a Country Garden 