The Frogs are Back!

24th February 2021

I have been fighting technology over the past few days which is my excuse for a delay in writing this blog. The cold weather has given way to a mild spell. The daffodils have taken advantage of a bit of sun to come into bloom.

The crocuses are also developing and multiplying.

We have entered into Lent - a time for taking stock. I find spending time in the garden a great opportunity to be with nature and God - this is my prayer. A robin joined me as I repaired my compost bin and returned the rotting vegetation.

I planted some muscari in the rockery at the end of last year and these are about to come into flower.

On 21st February frogspawn appeared in the pond. This is perhaps a couple of days earlier than normal but it has become very predictable event. I first introduced frogspawn into my pond in 1989 and the frogs returned in 1991 - they have returned regularly over the past 30 years to lay frogspawn in the same corner of the pond!

The frogs are still very busy in the pond.

Chris

The World in Miniature

15th February 2021

The last week has been very cold, with daytime temperatures barely above zero. This seems to have held up the emergence of spring flowers. Today was a lot warmer and I am hopeful that the garden will soon burst into colour. The birds have been in good voice today!

Everything seems to be in miniature this year. There are miniature crocuses coming out to join the irises.

The miniature daffodils which give a lovely display each year are also about to come into bloom.

I have a bit of tidying to do. It is a joy to potter in the garden removing the odd dead stem - such as on the wallflowers, which are about to start their long blooming season.

I have created some rockeries around the ponds over the years where I planted a few crocuses and other bulbs in the past few months. I am hoping for a good display this year.

I still find plants for which I have no knowledge of the origin.. One of these which has landed in a bed in the back garden gives indications of beecoming a hyacinth - we shall see. It looks as if the Head Gardener has been busy again!

 

Chris

Weeds and Wildflowers

8th February 2021

We have a sprinkling of snow this morning. It is bright and crisp - and it feels very cold! It is great weather to be inside looking out!

The crocuses are becoming more numerous.

The first celendine flowers are appearing. I like celedine - they burst out in spring, with their glossy yellow leaves. Many no doubt consider them to be another weed, although the same people will often delight in seeing them on a walk in a wood!

Laurel are not my favourite bushes - probably because mine have become trees and take a lot of light from back garden. They also drop leaves into my ponds. However they are developing buds and will soon be in flower - they also provide berries for the birds.

I think that a fresh lily pad is growing below the surface in my small pond - just to the right of the dying pad.

I continue to feed the birds. It is interesting how over time the population changes. Today they have left their footprints in the snow. My coal tits have been gone for a while but a pair of blackcaps have taken up residence. The female is particularly aggressive and attacks any small bird coming for food - she leaves the woopigeons in peace! The occasional golfinch visits the birdtable. Blue tits, great tits, dunnocks, blackbirds and magpies are regular visitors and my robin follows me around the garden whenever I do any gardening.

The hazel catkins are close to bursting, though I haven't yet seen any sign of the female flowers. The cyclamen flowers continue to develop in preparation of the hedgehog's re-awakening.

Till next week,

Chris

The Head Gardener

2nd February 2021

Two or three years back I bought a few pots and put a few plants in them. I was surprised and delighted to see a couple of  blue iris flowers in full bloom poking out of one pot.

Crocuses are doing their best to come into flower, but seem to be having a struggle - having succeeded some seem to be top heavy and fall over. I am confident that they will have greater success in the coming weeks.

I have just booked my first dose of coronavirus vaccine. Hopefully the vaccine will lead us out of the pandemic and life will look a bit

brighter. I hope that soon it will become available worldwide.

I have mentioned in past blogs that I am not responsible for introducing many of the plants in my garden. During the past week, in particular, I have been reflecting on Jesus the Head Gardener. Personally I am very comfortable with the role of Assistant Gardener. In my student days I spent many of the holidays working in the Parks Department of the Local Authority as an Assitant Gardener.- a job which I enjoyed immensely. My gardens now comprise a front garden, where I have recently attempted to create a bog garden and a back garden dominated by two ponds - they had a pretty covering of snow about a week ago.

A few years back an elm tree in the back garden died of Dutch Elm Disease. I talked to a plaaning officer who suggested I replaced it with another tree. For a small garden I thought my garden had plenty of trees, but after some thought, decided that it would be good to have a nut tree. A hazelnut seemed to fit the brief - being of a moderate size and a native variety.

I am afraid it often takes me a while to sort things out! I looked around local nurseries and online, but after a couple of years, I had still not bought my tree. One day looking around the back garden I spotted a couple of saplings - probably about two year's old. Yes! they where both hazelnut trees. My Head Gardener had taken immediate action, while I delayed!!

I have been looking around the garden for flowers, but ignored the catkins, presuming that they were something left from last year. I decided to look up hazelnut trees, becuse I wanted to cut some of the tall branches. I learned that the catkins are in fact the male flowers. A few days after they release their pollen small pink female flowers should form. There is a delay to stop cross pollination on the same tree. Now I know why he gave me two trees! I also learnt that hazelnut trees can live for about 80 years - if they are pollarded they can live for two or three hundred years!! I cut the tall stems without guilt! I now have plenty of sticks for my lilies!

At this time the mosses in my garden are doing very well. They are growing on exposed pond liner around the pond as well as rocks, concrete and wood. There is something relaxing about moss - it seems soft and almost cuddly! It also has a number of roles in the overall ecologicl plan.

I noticed some more fungi this week - another important plant. The more we look and investigate the more we realise how great a Head Gardener we have!

 

With love and prayers,

Chris