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24 January 2012
Snowdrops in the Green
From February 1st we will be sending out these beautifully wrapped parcels of 10 bulbs in a eco-cardboard tube. They make a great and original present for Valentines Day and at £3.95 plus £4.95 p and p they aren't expensive. The snowdrops come with their bulbs attached so they can be planted straight out into the garden.
22 January 2012
January thoughts
Christmas is already a distant memory (very good, thank you) and the days are noticeably drawing out. Nearly an hour of extra daylight eases the pressure on our timetable.On the other hand, the ground is warming early this year and there are no excuses not to get on.
An articulated lorry delivered more topsoil this week.Our ground is mostly poor limestone, in places just bedrock.So this year we have decided to build up every big flower bed by a floorboards width of soil.A mulch of spent mushroom compost, due to arrive on another lorry, goes on top. A deep loam will protect our plants from drying out and help to prevent nutrients leaching from the soil on wet days.
Thin alkaline soil doesnt have to be a curse.The yew trees and hedges seem to have enjoyed the dry summer and we never get club root on our brassicas (cabbages). The biggest blessing this soil bestows is the potential for limestone meadowland. At this time of year I go across the steep terraces removing ragwort and thistles by hand and intrigued by the tapestry of tiny plants that will make knapweed, scabious,vetches and clovers in summer. The remembrance of last years flowers is nearly as good as the real thing.
The gardens look tidy now and briefly, under control. The mild weather is bringing a crop of weed seedlings to the surface and the snowdrops are racing the aconites to flower first. We kick off the season with snowdrops from February 18th so the relative peace of deep winter will soon join Christmas as a distant memory.
The January lull before the snowdrop bank becomes covered in snowdrops,dogs mercury and early narcissi.
An articulated lorry delivered more topsoil this week.Our ground is mostly poor limestone, in places just bedrock.So this year we have decided to build up every big flower bed by a floorboards width of soil.A mulch of spent mushroom compost, due to arrive on another lorry, goes on top. A deep loam will protect our plants from drying out and help to prevent nutrients leaching from the soil on wet days.
Thin alkaline soil doesnt have to be a curse.The yew trees and hedges seem to have enjoyed the dry summer and we never get club root on our brassicas (cabbages). The biggest blessing this soil bestows is the potential for limestone meadowland. At this time of year I go across the steep terraces removing ragwort and thistles by hand and intrigued by the tapestry of tiny plants that will make knapweed, scabious,vetches and clovers in summer. The remembrance of last years flowers is nearly as good as the real thing.
The gardens look tidy now and briefly, under control. The mild weather is bringing a crop of weed seedlings to the surface and the snowdrops are racing the aconites to flower first. We kick off the season with snowdrops from February 18th so the relative peace of deep winter will soon join Christmas as a distant memory.
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