Better Day

Tuesday 31st May 2011

Monday was altogether a better sort of day. Despite it being grey with pretty steady rain until mid-afternoon, I managed to get a few things done. Finished the hated bio-fuels chapter at last, I've found it tough, full of strange chemicals and processes that will not stick in my head, never mind I can always go back to it later. Sequestered myself in the kitchen with the radio on and re-potted all the chillies, peppers, amaranthus and borage seedlings. Just when I think my plant stocks are running low, within an hour I'm back looking like a nursery again!

Later I took a very satisfying amble round the garden to see what was looking good. The sea holly is doing well this year, it's stems and flowers turn a stunning electric blue when mature. There are rumours of a return to warmer weather at the end of the week-HOORAY!

"God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in the plants, walks in the animals, and thinks in man"

Arthur Young

Frustration

Monday 30th May 2011

The weather this weekend has in turns been, cool, rainy, and windy, or a combination of all three. This has meant that the grass and hedge remain uncut, the seedlings will have to be patient a while longer and the weeds have a stay of execution again.

Just managed to squeeze a walk in on Sunday morning, before the tell-tale zig-zag signs of a migraine made their presence felt, and it turned into a humdinger. Three hours back in bed later, and I still felt like a wrung out rag. No chance of finishing the bio-fuels chapter of my studies feeling like that. Some weekends you just have to write off, still it is a bank holiday today so I might get chance to catch up, if only this rain would stop!

"laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion...... I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less clearing up to do afterward"

Kurt Vonnegut Jr

Where Have All The Bees Gone?

Friday 27th May 2011

Set off for Southlands at a brisk trot in glorious hot sunshine, by the time I arrived the sky was looking ominously black. No sooner had I planted the Brussels sprouts generously donated by Jim from across the road than the heavens opened. Val's attempt to get me involved in carpet bowls or dominoes fell on deaf ears, as I'm an outdoor sort of a girl. Instead I donned my waterproof and went out to garden in the rain, much to the amusement of the residents. I weeded out this weeks crop of nettle seedlings and dead-headed the hanging baskets. Then I picked up all the twigs and branches blown down by the shocking weather on Monday and Tuesday. By this time I was rather wet so called it a day.

The bad weather this week has done more than upset us humans, the poor old bees have been having a hard time. I've noticed many stunned and dying, just not able to cope with the wind, poor things. People have been bemoaning the lack of bees in their gardens and I will tell you why, they are all at my house visiting the campanula! I counted four different species in one glance today. So if you want more bees, plant the right flowers, avoid any double or over fussy varieties as they cannot retrieve nectar from those, and plant good old fashioned cottage garden stuff like foxgloves and sweetpeas. The bees will thank you for it and they may just pollinate your veg at the same time!

"The pedigree of honey, does not concern the bee; a clover, anytime, to him is aristocracy"

Emily Dickinson

A Morning Full Of Nature

Thursday 26th May 2011

A lovely start to Wednesday morning found Dave, Chum and I taking what has become our usual route, on our way to me being dropped off in Spofforth. It ticks many boxes, being traffic free,( it is an old by-pass ), lined with fields of crops for Dave to keep an eye on for his work, and absolutely stuffed with nature. Oh and Chum likes the country smells too! Today's pictures show what we found, a poppy in the rape-seed field and a caterpillar nursery.

At Diana's we first took the customary tour of just what has changed since last week, then we got down to tidying up a neglected flower bed. I rescued plants and Diana potted them up. It was a perfect chance for her to explain nodal and inter-nodal cutting techniques to me. Then the clearing began in earnest, digging over and removing tough old roots. The hard work was more than compensated for by a blackbird, who worked alongside me, collecting grubs to feed his brood. I started throwing tasty morsels in his direction, which he took with great relish, it was a good symbiotic relationship!

"And let them pass, as they will too soon, with the bean flowers boon, and the blackbirds tune, and May and June!"

Robert Browning

Relaxation

Wednesday 25th May 2011

Sometimes the most enjoyable time spent in the garden is when you don't really have anything specific to do. Increasingly as I spend more time in other peoples gardens, I realise just how much I like my own. The urge to learn all I can about horticulture, means I'm under scrutiny most of the week, and therefore when I'm pottering about on my own, it is more relaxing than it ever was before. Yesterday was a good case in point, I put a couple of hours study in after breakfast, and then the rest of the day was my own. A little gentle potting on and some light watering (hasn't this wind dried everything out?) was all it amounted to, and a feeling of peace and contentment descended upon me, at least until the children got home!

I spotted this cow parsley as I walked Chum and thought how beautiful it was, it's an umbellifer , I love the plant and the name (very popular at Chelsea this year too ), must grow some of the decorative types next spring.

"Beside the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials"

Lin Yutang

Un-may Like Weather

Tuesday 24th May 2011

Yesterday was just like autumn! Rainy gales stopped play at Tate House about 1pm, but we had a good mornings work behind us. Phil drew the short straw and tackled the long neglected compost heap and Nick and Jack tidied the shed. Neither job was to my liking, the first being jolly hard work, and the latter too spidery. I busied myself with pricking out and potting on the brassica seedlings that I'd sown on the first day of the project. They have really come on well, we even chanced putting some straight out into the veg garden, if they come to nothing we will have more mature plug plants to replace them with.

Due to the early finish, when I got home I attempted to create my first proper garden plan of the sensory courtyard. It's a bit busy perhaps, but not bad for a first attempt.

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood..... Make big plans, aim high in hope and work"

Daniel H Burnham

Birthday Bonanza

Monday 23rd May 2011

Hardly any time to spend in the garden this weekend on account of it being my birthday. I had to do all sorts of un-Alison like things such as going clothes shopping and going to the hairdressers. Still I did manage to squeeze an hour in on Saturday morning, instead of doing the housework, one has to get one's priorities right! I planted out the ornamental millet, put half a dozen geraniums in pots, trimmed the allium leaves and found places in the border for some spare parsley plugs. Finally I planted a wild rose in the nature corner, I've grown it from a hip I picked up on a gleaning mission last autumn, I've put it in a large pot so hopefully it won't get too rampant. The hips are what I'm after for late colour, and it should be good for lots of creepy crawlies to hide in.

Well I've been thoroughly spoilt this year, I received a beautiful Hawes watering can, gardening vouchers and a luxury kneeler amongst lots of other lovely treats, but top marks to the kids for a hand made card with a poem and a little book entitled "50 ways to kill a slug"!

Messing around with the new camera, I came across the first cornflower in the garden.

"It takes a long time to grow young"

Pablo Picasso