Garden and Patch Update.

With the garden starting to wake up with the warmer temperatures I felt it was time to get my hands dirty so I visited to a local Garden Centre at the beginning of the week to purchase some more compost. Typically I couldn't resist perusing the fresh stock of plants on offer and also came away with a mixture of herbaceous and wild flowers including Helenium, Phlox, Veronica, Knautia plus Black Knapweed and Ragged Robin. Later in the week I also succumbed to buying more Lilly bulbs.

  

A voice said "Where are you going to plant all those?". Never fear I'll find room was my response and a few hours later, under the watchful eye of Mr Blackbird, relevant spaces were found, everything planted and most of the bare soil satisfyingly mulched with organic compost.

While I wait for the small specie Tulips and Narcissus to bloom I can currently enjoy these little treasures (below) ... tiny clumps of Scilla siberica spreading freely beneath the Birch at the bottom of the garden.

I have undertaken a couple of patch walks this week at Epsom Common. Still relatively quiet  although a couple of pairs of noisy Canada Geese have taken up residence plus the Teal and Tufted Ducks are still around but preferring to hide in the marginal vegetation. Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been drumming constantly in response to other males as they stake out their respective territories.

In addition to the permanent well weathered Dragonfly; a sculpture erected many year ago on the fringes of the Great Pond; it was good to see the Salix buds bursting open. Five Greylag Geese also made a brief appearance and my first sighting for this year of Chiffchaff (2) singing from their lofty perches. Hopefully it won't be long before I'm listening to the songs of other returning migrants such as Blackcap, Whitethroat and Garden Warbler.  FAB. 

Early March Garden Colours.

We have had a few sunny days which has provided an opportunity for me to do some tidy up jobs in the garden after a wet, windy winter and to locate a few of the 'stars' that are on show at the present time. 

The Hellebore's are putting on a decent show but aren't the easiest to photograph when most of their faces are pointing towards the soil!

One of the few remaining Snowdrops still in flower is this Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno', a very familiar double variety.

Just a couple of Crocus still hanging on but other bulbs such as the numerous clumps of Leucojum vernum (Spring Snowflake) have continued to increase in volume year on year.

For many of my followers who are still having to contend with a long cold and snowy winter I hope it won't be too long before you soon see signs of Spring in your own gardens.  FAB.

Colour to raise the spirits.

A rise in the temperature and the once barren winter garden 

now has a few more colourful highlights to cheer the spirits.

 I'm not sure how but the dainty heads of Cyclamen have popped up 

in the most unexpected parts of the garden .... quite some way from
their original location!

At the moment the Hellebores are all hanging their faces downwards 

so I had to prop them up to take these pics!
I'm still waiting for the darkest hybrid to open up.

A small group of Crocus ... regretfully not a patch on the swathes of blue all around my Mother's garden.

I am dedicating this post to my Mum who has had to put up with my very demanding one-legged Father for the past four months but whose mobility is now much improved. Last Wednesday he returned home after only his 16th daily visit to Roehampton with a NEW artificial LEG. He stepped out of his wheelchair and walked upright (still using 2 walking sticks) into the kitchen for the first time in many, many months with the widest grin I have ever seen on his face .... just hope this happy phase continues.

Of course, this is only anther stage in his amazing recovery .... he now must continue to build up the strength in his other leg so that he can safetly negotiate the steps and stairs to enable him to sleep upstairs .... I have no doubts that it won't take him long.

P.S. I have now heard that he has already climbed the stairs to survey what will soon be his new sleeping arrangements after we make some minor layout changes .... now if only the Local Authorities would get their act together and provide the equipment he desperately needs he might even be able to safely use the upstairs bathroom facilities and also access the garden in the not too distant future.

And ... to  Shirleyanne (one of my earliest blogging friends) and to Cheryl (a very accomplished and inspiring wildlife gardener) who are both going through a tough phase at the moment .... so if you have a moment please drop in on them and say 'hello'. I do hope this will lift their spirits as they continue to deal with the extra demands currently placed upon all of them.   FAB.

New Beginnings.

During the last few months of 2011 much of my time was taken up assisting my parents so blogging had to take a back seat.  My father's deteriorating  health and mobility problems eventually necessitated the amputation of his right leg (above the knee) but for an 87 year old everyone has been amazed by his recovery to date although daily life in a wheelchair is no fun for someone who was so active. He is so determined to walk again and following an assessment today at Roehampton he has just told me there is GOOD news .... they have agreed to make him an artificial leg and will teach him to walk again. A you might guess, he is delighted and ready for this new lease of life.

To celebrate here are are a few images of new life that I have seen over the past few days.

The garden is currently awash with the nodding white lanterns of Leucojums ...... in fact two clumps have been in flower since mid December .... the earliest I have ever known them to flower here.

Other garden delights include the Muscari, one Narcissus already in full bloom, the clusters of dark red buds on the Skimmia 'Rubella' plus a very early bud on a potted Exochorda 'The Bride' (Pearl Bush).

Many of the Helleborus orientalis hybrids are nearly ready to show their colourful faces and I found one already lifting itself towards the sunlight. I have no doubt that the forecated easterly winds and drop in temperature will slow down much of the early growth.

Finally a very young Fallow Deer gave me a very inquiring stare during a walk in the park last week.

It will take me some time to catch up with everyone but in the meantime enjoy your wildlife watching.  FAB.

Garden DIY.

Following a revamp of the garden back in the early 90's the only space for growing fruit or veg was within the fruit cage. The raspberries were eventually removed (suffered with cane spot disease) and over the ensuing years most of the free space within the cage was used for plant propagation and storing pots etc. We have grown a few potatoes, tomatoes and salad crops in large pots for two years but I have been dabbling with the idea of resurrecting a proper vegatable growing area by creating a raised bed within the fruit cage. The cost of a ready made kit seemed rather expensive so the DIY skills came into operation.

First a measure up of the available space, then a quick sketch and a visit to a local fencing company secured the relevant timber (barge boards and posts) at a much more reasonable cost. First job was to clear out the bed area and then construct the solid beast to sit within the confines of the existing paving.

I have purposely split the bed into two compartments so that it will be easier in the future to replace the soil when needed. You may ask "Why so tall?" ... well who wants to keep bending over as they get older!

The most laborious task was locating existing and buying additional compost to fill it up! Well I'm nearly there (just some good topsoil now needed) and then we can start to plan the crops for this year.

The rest of the garden is looking after itself .... the ever expanding clumps of Leucojum vernum are providing splashes of white, green tipped miniture lanterns throughout the main border.

Elsewhere more colour is now apparent with the yellow Narcissus, pink-red Symphytum (Comfrey)  spreading out everywhere, spots of blue from the Scillas (Squills) and Brunnera 'Jack Frost' starting to open its tiny delicate flowers, plus the pinkish-white Prunus blossom which won't last long if we get some strong winds and the increasing display from the varied Hellebores.  

At long last the darkest of the Hellebores has opened up to provide pollen for any visiting insects.  FAB.

February Flowers.

The weather over the past few days has been typically grey so little opportunity to capture any wildlife pics so I spent a few hours in the garden doing some much needed tidying up, pruning etc.

The Hellebores (Orientalis hybrids) which continue to self seed either side of the path are slowly opening up and showing off their varied petal forms. I'm still waiting for the really dark forms to open up to see if any new patterns emerge.

Elsewhere there are a few early Narcissus starting to bloom, Cyclamen hederifolium, various small clumps of  Snowdrops; this one is Galathus woronowii  and the Lion Mask (hand-pressed by you know who ... courtesy of Whichford Pottery) is now uncovered and patiently waiting for the sun to shine.

Just for a bit of fun I took this close up of something that needed serious pruning as most of its entaglement was hanging into my neighbours garden although it will mean a reduction in flowers this spring it will benefit in the long run. I'm sure all the gardeners out there will easily identify this climber from the cross-section of this very old stem.   FAB. 

Not Quite all Blue and White.

Whilst doing some work in the garden my eyes where drawn towards the two main colours, blue and white, that seem to predominate at the moment.

Muscari and Scilla's.

Crocus.

The whites are predominately from various tall and expanding clumps of Leucojum aestivum, which began life as just three bulbs some years ago, (the flowers open outwards and have green nibs on each petal); the much rarer and shorter Leucojum vernum 'Podpolozje' (the flowers hang downwards like lanterns and have distinctive yellow nibs) and of course the Snowdrops.

The Narcissus are only just thinking about showing some colour but ther is still others to enjoy including the Hellebores with a few darker forms now adding to the palette plus the striped Tulip leaves and the gently fading long catkins on the Corylus contorta.  

Some of my readers will remember the pair of special pots that were a surprise gift from my dear friends at Whichford Pottery and at long last I have planted these up with two different Phormiums underpanted with some Heucheras.

One main task was to tidy up an old Clematis that constantly outgrows it's support. I have therefore used some old metal tubing from the defunct fruit cage to extend its height and spent ages untangling the old stems, pruning and then retying into the support. I just hope the display is as good as in previous years, but only time will tell.  FAB.

Garden Update.

During the past two days I have spent a few hours in the garden checking for signs of life and pruning back a Clematis montana which has decided to dramatically invade my neighbours garden. I know this is not the correct time for cutting back this species and we will loose a proportion of blooms this year but if I left it alone someone else would reap the benefit!

With the suns rays shedding a little warmth on the very wet clay soil there was some life and colour to be found in an otherwise 'skeleton' looking garden. The Euphorbia has stood up well throughout the winter; various pots bursting with the green shoots of Narcissus, Tulips and Alliums hinting at the colourfull show yet to come; some Cyclamen corms left in a seed tray have flowered; new growth on the Chaenomeles 'Yuki-Goten' and not least the small clumps of Snowdrops dotted around the main border.

The Hellebores (mostly orientalis hybrids) have spread, with the help of self seeding, from one side of the path to the other. I took the opportunity to lift a few decent sized seedlings and pot them up and hope there may be some different forms for a future spring show. Below are a few of the faces I enjoy looking at.

Whilst the Robin and Blackbird made occasional forays into the garden I was delighted to capture evidence that at least one Long-tailed Tit, (four were first seen a few days ago) had decided to pay me a personal visit while I worked and kept a eye on my apparent lack of progresss! 

Another good piece of news arrived by e-mail; the National Trust at Hatchlands have decided to go ahead with a Dawn Chorus walk on 2nd May so I'll be getting up very, very early to identify the sights and sounds of our rich bird life for their vistors.  FAB.

Garden delights - Euphorbia & Hellebores.

A few images from my garden, taken on Sunday in-between doing some paperwork and helping Anita to complete 70 odd 'handmade' Wedding Invitations for a friend. I was hoping to post a photo of the finished articles but Pam dropped by today and collected them.

First is the new 'reddish' blotchy growth on a Euphorbia and then the acid green bracts contrasting with the darker leaves on the more mature stems that have not been cut back.

EuphorbiaBefore our recent 'large' snowfall I cut back the old leaves on the Hellebores in order to more easily see the new flowers as they open. However, the weight of snow has done a lot of damage around the garden but a few hardy individuals have come through to present their fresh colours.

Helleborus orientalis

Winter garden images.

Whilst doing some tidying up in the garden I thought I would share a few images, including the first Narcissus coming into flower.

Tatty Snowdrop

Helleborus orientalis but what colours will I get from the various self sown seedlings?

Seed heads on Leycesteria formsa (Himalayan honeysuckle)

Euonymous alatus (Winged spindle)

Echinops (Globe Thistle) that doesn't know it's not summer!

And finally a very welcome visitor BUT should it be out in the cold?