March 2nd
That’s it for our hedge laying …
We’re carrying on the hard work in the garden, regardless of the weather. Luckily, although we’ve had sharp frosts, we’ve so far escaped snow.
The hedge laying is now complete, for this year at least. My husband John took a couple of days holiday from work to finish the job and younger son Ollie came back from university for a weekend to lend a hand. We’ve also put in new fence posts to hold up the wire fence behind the hedge and generally tidied up the entire area, digging up as many nettles and brambles as possible. I was put to work clearing up all the cut down branches and nettles, providing plentiful cups of tea as well as looking after the bonfire. However, as pruning tools were ‘near to hand’, I took the opportunity of cutting back two rather large red-stemmed dogwoods.
While we were concentrating on the hedge, one of the dogs decided to dig a hole in the spring border. Initially I was annoyed until I realised he’d loosened an old conifer stump that could then be pulled out and placed in the border. It looks quite attractive and plants should grow up around it. Luckily no bulbs were damaged and the hole will be filled in, using earth from the many molehills around the garden.
There’s an area in the orchard planted with autumn-fruiting raspberries, which I’ve now cut down to the ground. Weeds and nettles have been dug out and I’ve mulched the entire area with well-rotted compost,. It’s a relief, though, to carry out slightly less arduous tasks and I’m getting on well with cutting back herbaceous plants and ornamental grasses in the garden.
I’ve also planted some garlic in one of the raised vegetable beds and put seed potato ‘Rocket’ to chit in egg boxes on a windowsill.
My Highlight
It’s lovely to see bulbs flowering, including Crocus tommasinianus, Iris reticulata and snowdrops naturalised in the grass.
March 23rd
Early start for my seed sowing
After impatiently waiting for spring all of a sudden it’s here and the garden is starting to burst into life. I’m determined to savour every moment this year and, more importantly, keep up to date with seed sowing. I already have lots of trays of seedlings in the greenhouse and now the heated propagator is empty I’ll sow more. Most so far are first-year flowering perennials that need an early start.
Hellebores in the spring borders continue flowering and look vibrant on sunny days. We’ve a good range of colours, from white through to deep red and purple. Narcissus Tete-a-tete is in flower and looking lovely. Over the years we’ve planted many daffodils in the orchard and these are now starting to flower. Being taller varieties they often get flattened by a dog or the wind, at which point I pick and enjoy them indoors.
Camellias are looking good – a single variety by the greenhouse is alive with bees on sunny days. The hydrangeas all seem to have healthy buds so I’m now cutting them back. We’ve been busy in the vegetable garden. An area that was covered in pumpkins and flowers for cutting last year has been weeded, rotavated, and new wooden raised beds constructed. The soil just needs raking level, ready for the first crops. We’re trying to make this patch attractive as well as productive so we’ve laid old slabs, lifted from elsewhere in the garden, in the gateway for ease of access. The paths are having a very deep layer of gravel spread along them. This gravel used to be on the drive, however it was degrading and the drive had to be re-done. It’s good to finally clear the heap and put it to good use.
My Highlight
The first flowers are opening on my favourite shrub, Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’.
Tales from a Country Garden 