is is less cold this year or am i getting tougher? since i met Carrie i have certainly acquired more outdoor clothing...........and the imperative of having two gardens to do instead of one has forced us out early..................what's so nice is to see the signs of growth already, even so early in the year. a lot of things that i thought were dead have turned out not to be after all, clipping and clearing the dead vegetation reveals little shoots at the base. i did very little tidying before the winter...........wildlife garden you know.........and was rewarded by Dorcas bringing in a frog (alive), and by visits from a handsome great spotted woodpecker. the birds are quite spoiled and have a luxury circuit between me and my neighbours with plenty of courses to choose from.........the old apples have been a great success with the blackbirds, but they're not so sure about the turkey stock.........
since i don't have any notes from this time in the year before, i don't know if it always looks as bare as this. apart from the bulbs there are huge gaps, and it's hard to remember how big some of the plants will get later and resist the temptation to throw more things in. and of course, there are never enough bulbs. however............i've stocked the problem bit by the lilac with Christmas roses and a Christmas box............last year it just became a mass of weeds and grass and i need to keep a closer eye on it this time..........
..............turning scientific, i tested the soil for the first time ever.............with some interesting results. the right-hand bed turns out to be acid, which may explain why some things have done well there and some haven't. i've stuck in a pyracantha, given the vinca a severe haircut because i don't want it swamping everything, tidied up the ceanothus which looks very nice but didn't flower last year. the Himalayan poppy may be dead as apparently they only flower once, but i've put in the ones i grew, which look absolutely nothing like it and may turn out to be a lovingly cultivated weed. the oriental poppies are still going strong, but there are still some gaps......it's early yet though so worth waiting to see what else is in there.........
Catmint Corner looks a bit scruffy but has benefited from a tidy.............no sign of the lemon balm, but it may still be alive............the hemerocallis is flourishing already, i remember it did this last year then grew absolutely huge in the summer and filled that whole space........
............let us not forget the carefully constructed and beautiful new veggie beds at the bottom through the arch...............one lone occupant in the form of the bronze fennel so far, but great plans............
Hopetoun's search-and-rescue corner has provided a mystery chaenomeles, a white currant, and a mystery rose. i've just put in another chaenomeles at the front but it's a bit of an experiment, hopefully one of them will make it. one of the pot clemati has gone to SQ and i've planted the other at the front - again a bit of an experiment. we also rescued a nice wee hebe and a perfectly healthy-looking escallonia for Carrie's garden, plus a mystery variegated bush, we know not wot but it looks quite nice anyway.............
..............plans include the mini-pond and the indoor hydroponic garden........and now that we have our COLD FRAME the sky's the limit............