To Walter Degrasse

Dear Walter,

Well, a busy month this one, and I’m pleased to say that one or two big projects have moved on a pace.

Though I’ve made some inroads into digging over the borders and getting seedlings going, these two things are suffering somewhat as I spent most of the available time (dodging windy, cold and wet weather), making progress in the pond garden and to an extent preparing the ground for my new shed (you might recall that I have a supply of old floorboards that I’m planning to use for this and acquired some cedar shingles for the roof).

The new area for an extended shed- and an attempt to keep nettles at bay!

I’m pleased to say that after many sessions of earth removing (I must have shifted ten tons or more), I finally got the underlay and liner installed and some of the major features on their way; stepping-stones, a waterfall and rockery (made out of flints given to me by my neighbour and some old valley tiles) as well as a sitting terrace with a four pole and rope swag along which I plan to train a couple fo yellow roses and some purple clematis.

I’m just at the point of finishing off the surround and path on one side and then putting in some gravel and stones to create a couple of shallow beach areas, before planting it up. I’ve got hold of a good supply of plants from a local nursery as well as things people have given me,  some existing plants I want to move as well as some form seed, so it’s getting to that exciting part of ‘clothing’ the garden structure! I’ve also created a small bog garden at one end so that I can grow marginals/wet loving plants there as well as on some shelves I’ve created round the edge of the pond. I’m also looking forward to getting my waterfall going- I’ve bought a solar-powered pump to supply the water.

The mound I’m creating to overlook the fields and church has grown considerably with the rest of the pond spoil, so this should be quite a feature once its settled. I’ve made up the new bench we were given by Deborah’s mum and put this in the kitchen garden, so the bench that’s currently there will be transferred to the mound. ~And i’m well on with restoring the other, old rustic bench we were also given by Deborah’s mum- painted cherry red with dark brown wooden seating and back. It should make a great focal point in the pond garden. I’ve also re used the three or four Cotoneaster bushes I eventually dug up from in front of the house (the area where we hope to have the paint stripped back)
This was some feat of brute strength in the ned, but I’m pleased it’s now fully cleared, and I can give some thought to what to put in here after the works have een completed.

The mound grows!

Elsewhere in the garden there are plenty of tulips and other spring flowers on display, but I keep seeing the weeds in the main borders and know its unlikely I’ll get to them anytime soon; the pond needs finishing off and next week we are off to the Isle of Skye and Glasgow for about ten days. I’ll try to send some blog posts and pictures while I’m there, as I’m sure there’ll be plenty of horticultural and nature interest (as well as the Talisker Distillery of course!).

In the kitchen garden, things are fairly well organised and up to speed; I have planted my first and second early potatoes, some celery and leeks. I have some seedling Calabrese plants in the greenhouse and we continue to enjoy last years’ planting of purple sprouting broccoli as well as the first very sweet pickings from the forced Rhubarb!

Tomatoes and others under way in the greenhouse…

Strawberries coming on…

potatoes in….

first rhubarb pickings..what’s left!

Raspberries tied in and mulched

A couple of days ago a neighbour made me a very generous gift of a shredder/chipper and home-made collection box. though unused for a while I understand it does work, so I’ll perhaps get it fully serviced before I use it. It will make shredding material for the compost heap and paths etc. a whole lot easier and will mean I don’t have to light quite as many bonfires.

The new shredder…where to store it?

A couple of flowerpots short of a full house- these will display a range of pelargoniums in the courtyard

Hostas putting on new, beautifully fresh foliage

and the bug hotel put in place- i need to secure the contents!

So, this month, old friend , it feel’s like I’m getting somewhere, notwithstanding that lingering guilt at letting the borders get out of hand.. for now.

I hope that you and Lise are well and enjoying the spring- such as it is so far!

Old School Gardener

Hellebores coming to an end…

To Walter Degrasse

Dear Walter,

So, as usual, I’m feeling guilty at all the jobs that are lining up and my failure to make much of an impact on them. Still, I was heartened by Monty Don’s comment in last week’s ‘Gardeners’ World’, when he said: ‘Now’s the time to divide and move herbaceous and other perennials’; phew, at least I’m a little ahead of the game on that score!

However, I do seem to be behind in digging over the borders and getting seedlings going, amongst other things. I got round to planting out some (leggy) ‘cut and come again’ lettuce the other day (under cloches), and yesterday I potted up some other trays of early seedlings. At the same time I started to clear out the greenhouse- of trays of not very successfully overwintered pelargoniums, and the more tender exotics…hopefully a cover of fleece will see them through the remaining cold weather.

Potted up and ready to go- Scabious ‘Nana’, Geum rivale etc.

The little bit of digging I have done was very satisfying, having finished cutting back all the dead growth from last year and raked up the remaining fallen leaves from the borders. The daffodils are well into their stride – mine seem to have behaved much as normal as far as flowering time is concerned, unlike other parts of the country, where the abnormally mild winter has brought many species out earlier than ‘usual’. And the tulips are starting to show their colours. I also gave the grass its first real cut of the year at Easter Weekend and that always makes things look a little tidier.

I’ve continued to dig out the new Pond Garden and also- thanks to a gift from Blickling- set up a lowish rustic fence. in front of this I’ve planted a couple of lines of Yew cuttings (which will, I hope reach a reasonable height to form a hedge in a few years time). I’ve also slotted in an evergreen, variegated Jasmine (the variety escapes me), pink Clematis and a Belgian Honeysuckle; these three should nicely clothe this fence and leave some peep holes into the pond garden.

Grass has had its first real cut…

I’ve firmed up my plans for this new area and have decided to follow a ‘Crescent’ theme- you’ll recall that I cut out a crescent (or arc) along the top of the Laurel hedge that bounds this new garden? I plan to repeat this motif in other features; e.g. a crescent-shaped wall of rustic poles to hold up the embankment behind the rustic bench, and a series of rope swags which will form a nice rose and clematis-clad pergola feature over the bench. I’ve also got a rather fine arc of an oak trunk which will look good placed in the garden and have ideas for some ‘rustic arc sculpture’ to also pick up the theme. However, I’ve looked back at my letter to you about this time last year and was horrified to see that the pond excavation was underway then- so a whole year on and not much to show for it!

New rsutic fence at the edge of the pond garden…

…and the pond area still under excavation, one year on!

I’m using the spoil from the pond excavation to create a mound overlooking the fields and church beyond; where another bench can be placed as both a feature and somewhere different to sit- not that I seem to do much of this these days!

Mound under construction with the view across the field to the Church

Along side this the woodland garden I set out last year is starting to fill out nicely, with several types of spring bulb beginning to form flowers. In due course I’l extend this to enclose the new bench mound.

The woodland garden starting to fill out..

As I write this the remnants of Storm ‘Katie’ have just passed and so I’ve been out with the pressure washer to try to clean up the paved areas of the terrace and around the house. It was hard work and a few hours later it looks better, but retains a lot of algae. I’ll give it a coating of patio cleaner and another go with the pressure washer tomorrow. I also divided up the two main patches of snowdrops the other day, but there is plenty of other plant moving and dividing to do. Along with digging over, mulching, preparing the ground for my ‘first early’ potatoes and so on…

Getting cleaner- the terrace after it’s first pressure wash

The other big digging job that I’ve just begun involves taking out some cotoneaster shrubs and the roots of the ivy that grew up the front gable wall of the house. I hope that once this is cleared we can get the old paint removed  to reveal the original flint facing and at the same time get the roof flashings repaired to, hopefully, overcome our water penetration problems.

The front border is beign dug out to remove ivy roots and a couple of old Cotoneaster plants- these will be relocated to the new pond garden

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I’m pleased to say that more time is now available as the Garden Design course I ran at Blickling has just ended. I think that this went pretty well, though some elements need to be tweaked. The last session involved the participants going into the Walled Garden at Blickling and doing a practical exercise in setting out and preparing the ground for planting etc. Though pressed for time, I think that they found this useful and I’m grateful for Project Manager Mike’s help in this.

Garden Design course participants getting to grips with a setting out exercise in the Walled Garden at Blickling

This is the time of year that is full of promise in the garden- stems, flowers and foliage are sprouting, bringing back a welcome splash of fresh colour. My hope is that I manage to get all the preparation done before it’s too late to tread on the ground- and all this this alongside the other big projects in both house and garden!

All the best to you and Lise,

Old School Gardener