I’ve now started work on the raised beds and steps closest to the house. I’m planning to build the beds out of fence posts and deck boards. We’re also going to clad our “feature sleeper steps” (estate agent speak) since they ooze tar when it’s warm weather and so we can’t sit on them. We could just buy pressure treated ones but it seems a shame to get rid of these ones so cladding with... Read on
Honesty is the best policy…. if you want some really attractive early flowers that is. We’ve got both pink and white Honesty (Lunaria annua) growing and flowering in the wildflower meadow as this photograph just about shows: We’ve also got lots of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) growing under the plumb tree and I’m hoping it will attract Orange-tip butterflies (Anthocharis cardamines) as I’ve seen them in the garden before. Read on
The meadow has done really well in its first year and many of the plants are still flowering. We had some beautiful blooms in the meadow, the Corncockle (Agrostemma githago), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) and Corn Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis) all spring to mind. The Corn Chamomile is still in bloom, albeit much reduced, but the cutting down of the meadow was long overdue. So, today, I delicately cut round the plants that were still in bloom.... Read on
We had some good weather this weekend so I took the opportunity to put another coat of paint on the back of the house and also tidy up the veg plot a bit. I dug up the shrivelled remains of the beans, tomatoes and sweetcorn… all have been a disaster this year. I’m not sure if it was just the weather (a bit cold and very wet) but we’ve had very little out of the... Read on
In early May, I sowed our wildflower meadow. The plants are all now sprouting: Plant growth in the meadow Read on
You may remember that, a few days ago, I mentioned tidying up the left-hand side of our garden. This area I plan to turn into a wildflower meadow. I’ve not been able to get this started as early in the year as I’d hoped but, as we’re still (just about) in spring, I thought it worth a go anyway. I’ve cleared this area of all the old wood (left behind by the previous owners) and... Read on
