TLC is Long Overdue

So today I decided it was time to stop talking about the lack of love and to start giving love. Yep! I worked in the garden today, uh huh, I think the garden was as shocked as I was ;)
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So the sun was shining and beckoning me out to play, the spring flowers were revelling in the warm sunshine.
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Critters were about as well and I spotted the first of this year’s pond skaters on the two mini ponds today. There was also the peculiar sighting of a what appeared to be a green back male chaffinch. It didn’t appear unwell and sat for a long time on the wisteria pruning it’s feathers.

I’ll be sending a photo to the RSPCA to ask if this colouring has ever cropped up before.
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Anyway enough sidelining, so what did I get done. Well the whole garden could do with a proper spring cleaning; the flower beds need last years old vegetation removed now that the hibernating insects are up and about. The mini ponds which I neglected to cover last autumn are full of old leaves and need cleaning, even the frogs forgo spawning in them this year, boo hoo, not that I blame them. The vege beds were only partially cleared last autumn so they need to be cleaned of old vegetation and I need to start sowing new crops into them (since I am running about a month behind, I think I’ll be practicing more direct sowing and hope the slugs don’t bite me in the you know where for my efforts). The herb bed needed the woody herbs to be cut back for fresh new growth to flourish and of course the lawn is also ready for its first haircut.

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So where to start, well its always best to start at the top, so it was the flower bed that I concentrated on to today. I went outside about 1:00pm and finished at just before 6:00pm.

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As you can see in the before photo, all the old vegetation gave the flower beds an untidy look and so had to go.
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On emptying the first lot of dry material into the compost bin I found this monster clump of mushrooms growing in the cooked side of the bins. I really wish I could id them as I am sure they are edible but since I didn’t want to chance a trip to A&E for the family, I opted to leave them well alone.
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Before After

The herb beds are parallel with the upper part of the flower beds and so while I was up on that end I also tackled the pruning of the woody herbs. It is all looking sparse now but there was lots of fresh growth left on the shortened stems which will soon full out again.
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While sourcing some self sown feverfew plants fro the vege patch to replace dead specimens in the flower beds, I came across this seedling of a self sown French marigold, which gives me hope that the other seeds I scattered between the edges of the footpaths and the raised beds sides may have survived the harsh winter conditions and may germinate.
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So check out the flower beds now they have been tidied up, what a difference.
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Just before going inside I chopped up the dried out stems of the three clumps of fennel I have growing in the flower and herb beds. I use these to create habitats for the little mini beast in the garden. As you can see in the photo, the stems are hollow and are perfect then for solitary bees and wasps to lay their eggs, spiders and woodlice wouldn’t give it a miss either. And later in the year lady bugs might over winter in the larger holes.
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As you can see in this picture something gnawed its way in during the winter months either to forage food or to keep out of the cold. Which is why I leave them in situ till the spring but I am careful to remove the fennel seed heads late autumn, I keep some in the kitchen for use and the rest I throw away, as I don’t particularly want fennel plants popping up all over the garden.
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I got quite a lot of habitat material from the three clumps of dried out stems, so I’ll use some to plug the gaps of my insect motel and the rest I will tie into bundles to hang around the garden. I’ll sure to have more than I need so I’ll take the rest to hang around the plot down at the allotment.
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Well the compost bin is looking nearly full again, so tomorrow I’ll tackle the lawn, vege beds and if time permits one of the mini ponds.
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I have also updated my other blog: Me But A Little More In Depth and you are more than welcome to pop over for a read.

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Catch you all laters,
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Day 15 of the Advent Season and The First Hard Frost of Winter 2009

Floral Headbands

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The girls got some more hair accessories from the Advent Calender today, they both loved them and the little one didn't take hers out till bath time and the eldest has plans to wear hers to her school dance on Friday.
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The bible story they heard is pictured on the right.

Well if I wasn't sure I am now, winter is definitely here. We woke this morning to our first hard frost, everything is coated in a layer of icy crystals.

Plant foliage, seed heads and fallen leaves taken on a wintry beauty, which helps to take your mind off the numbing cold but only just! The birdbath and mini ponds with their frozen surfaces needed melting too.

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The greenhouse door was frozen shut, when I finally wrestled myself in, I found standing water frozen and frost damage to my yakon and tomato plants (those leaves are frozen and

were crinkly to touch).

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There was a small ray of warmth, this chocolate cosmos (given to me by a thankful freecycler back in the summer) which I am attempting to over winter in the greenhouse was blooming! It sadly had no sent but I would think it would need the warmth of the sun to gets its oils going.

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Well with the definite return of the cold weather, I decided it was time to start feeding the birds. I normally start to feed the birds with the return of the first hard frost, I generally don't tidy the garden too much at the end of autumn, so prior to this first hard frost there was lots of foraging foods for the birds to find amongst slightly tall grass, fallen leaves, wind fallen apples, numerous seed heads, etc.

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So with the ground becoming frozen and the temps getting to -1C during the night and barely getting above 1C during the day, its time to help out the feathered friends of the garden. So I have put up three feeders to begin with, a fat ball made by myself with lard, rowan berries and seeds, a regular bird feeder with wild bird food and another feeder(not pictured) filled with nyjer seed to attract goldfinches and sikens.

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For dinner tonight I used some of the pumpkin 'Snowman' in a rice and beans dish, I found the taste quite bland not much sweetness all. There is three quarters of it left in the fridge and I'll try it i at least two other types of dishes before making a definite judgement on whether I'll grow it again but at the moment its not looking too good. Interesting to look at though.

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Today's Trini Christmas song reminds us that not everyone enjoys a merry Christmas but be aware the singer I believe is getting his comeuppance for possible past bad behaviour but a surprised ending. Its a very catchy tune and is another local favourite sung by a Calypsonian with a parang influence to the music.

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Crazy (his stage name) - Yvonne

Catching Up - 15th to 21st of June

This week was spent filling in gaps with a few late sown sweetcorn seeds, removing side shoots from the tomato plants and tied them to their supports. I also put the larger of the side shoots to root in water as I would like to grow these on in large pots which I plan to bring inside the greenhouse to extend the tomato season, dare I say "home grown tomatoes for Christmas".

A fair amount of weeding was also done and I have also conceded and have started to water the crops that seem to need it to produce fruits every other day, such as the mangetout which seems to be finished after three large harvest, which is weired for me, as I normally get at least 6 - 8 crops which normally takes me into the 1st week of July. So I watered them well over the weekend but thus far no new flowers as yet, the plants still look very health so I'm hoping they will perform.

The ladybug larva are growing nicely on the aphids which are on the greenhouse plants, the aphid numbers are reducing.

There are still the odd painted lady butterfly to be seen.

The mini beast hotel I built last autumn was starting to look a little dilapidated with the tiers beginning to sag, so I repaired it and doesn't it look smart.

Hi there, you are welcome anytime in my greenhouse, just remember to earn your keep and eat only the baddies.

Adalia 10-punctata - 10 Spot Ladybird.

This is the second one I have seen of these 'Volucella zonaria - UK's largest hoverfly'. They are almost the same size of a hornet but are fatter around the middle and with much bigger eyes.

Just your regular fly but doesn't it look pretty.

Saw this growing as a little seedling last year near one of my vege beds and simply assumed it was a St john's Wort plant as there used to be a clump growing in that very area five plus years ago when we inherited the garden and so I moved it to my flower beds but with its lovely red tipped flower buds as well as its general appearance now I believe its a 'Hypericum Pulchrum - Slender St John Wort' which is in the same family as St John's Wort.

Borage in bloom.

Opium poppy art.

Carrot flowers beginning to open their blossoms

A ornamental allium that produces bulbils at the top of its stem instead of a flower, inherited them with the garden and they are everywhere.

Another white clover its so pretty.

The kids morning glories have begun to bloom.

Another inherited plant, I think its a type of arum lily.

The first open runner bean flower.

The garlic will be ready to be harvested soon, I'm just waiting for the leaves to start dieing back.

First strawberries, of which the kids scoffed the lot.

The house sparrow population has grown in the last few weeks with young ones joining the ranks. They are certainly welcomed as the love spending time in the vege garden eating the baddies.

The fox cubs are still about leaving me all sort of smelly packages but this one seen outside the kitchen window looked rather sorry as it had a very bad case of mange and was quite emaciated. I don't think it will survive the next winter.

I was not thinking or I would have recorded this as a video the noise these crows were making and their attacking antics aimed at the cat was quite entertaining, my daughter said she saw a young crow escape into the oak tree (which is on the left just out off the camera's shot) just as the adults began their attack. It lasted about five minutes before the cat slunked off.

Their are now tons of little froglets in the vege mini pond but some are still yet to lose their tails.