My neighbour brings barrowloads of horse droppings. When he's filled one site I have to get out there and find him somewhere else to tip. It will either have to be done today or tomorrow.
Only having two days a week to get out there is pretty good motivation - although i agree with KEF - sometimes dragging myself away from here and my gardening mags can be a tad challenging
Just had a go at weaving buddleia branches between conifer trunks to make a fence ( as seen on Tudor mon farm). Loved doing it but decided I wanted the space behind the conifers ( need to find something to grow there!). Instead i built up a stack of bran he's to try and keep cats out (hmmm, yeah right, like that's gonna happen)
Well, that's a good morning's work done OH has raked all the leaves and put into bags for leafmould (I supervised and held the bags open ).
We've wrapped the most precious pots with a double layer of big bubblewrap, and moved lots of pots so that they're huddling together in the south-ish facing corner of the terrace keeping each other warm.
I've put those that need better drainage up on feet or bricks - didn't have enough for everything but they coped with last winter so I've told them they've just got to cope with whatever the winter throws at them.
I've stapled a couple of layers of fleece to the fence behind the fig and tied it up - when we get hard weather forecast I'll untie it and drape it over the fig and weight it down with bricks etc.
I've planted two dozen Negrita and Shirley tulips into the sunny end of the Shady Bank - they were a retirement present from a colleague
I've taken the runner beans down and the haulms are heaped over the Hedgehog House to provide a bit extra protection from the cold.
The wet and slimy hosta leaves have been removed, and some of the spent foxglove plants have joined them on the compost heap.
The hellebores have had their old leaves removed and they're happy on the garden bench on the terrace where I can keep an eye on them. And it's here that I have to acknowledge an embarrassing slip - I said the other day that I had a "Helleborus×hybridus' Mandela' ........... but I checked the label today it's http://www.perennials.com/plants/helleborus-hybridus-tutu.html.
H. niger Christmas Carol has one bloom nearly open, and more buds coming, and Snow Love has some lovely fat buds too.
Oh, and I can report that although H. lividus Silver Edge was sold to me as hardy - it isn't - it didn't survive last winter
OH has swept the terrace and I've nearly slipped top over bottom three times - I think I'll have to invest in a Karcher - shall be reading the thread shortly.
I've found a little pot of snowdrops that I'd forgotten about, hidden away in a shady corner - they're beginning to peek up through the compost - I've put the pot in a sheltered corner opposite the dining room door where I'll see them when they appear properly.
The rhubarb has been mulched with FYM and has its forcing pot over it, and the French tarragon behind it has a broken terracotta pot protecting it's base from the worst of the winter (although it survived last winter without any additional protection as I forgot it ).
Oh, and I've picked a small dish of raspberries to go with the leftover B&B pudding from yesterday - fresh raspberries in November!!!
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Feet are up for a few minutes, then I'll get into the kitchen to prep the roast lamb etc - after that feet will be up for the rest of the afternoon to listen to the Britten concert from Lowestoft
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Who lives in a house like that? Hefty, the happy hedgehog
Only done couple of things on the garden left to do list. Very damp & cold here. Hopefully we are to get a few dry days this week.
Been a domestic Godess..well not really, have cleaned two kitchen cupboards out. Lamb Kleftiko now in oven, couldn't believe it was still part frozen at 9am this morning, it had been out of freezer in fridge since 4pm yesterday and in conservatory overnight ( we do have heating, but not at night). Not cold here then !
Talking of which some basting to be done, back soon.
Posts
It's raining.
My neighbour brings barrowloads of horse droppings. When he's filled one site I have to get out there and find him somewhere else to tip. It will either have to be done today or tomorrow.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Only having two days a week to get out there is pretty good motivation - although i agree with KEF - sometimes dragging myself away from here and my gardening mags can be a tad challenging
Well, that's a good morning's work done
OH has raked all the leaves and put into bags for leafmould (I supervised and held the bags open 
).
We've wrapped the most precious pots with a double layer of big bubblewrap, and moved lots of pots so that they're huddling together in the south-ish facing corner of the terrace keeping each other warm.
I've put those that need better drainage up on feet or bricks - didn't have enough for everything but they coped with last winter so I've told them they've just got to cope with whatever the winter throws at them.
I've stapled a couple of layers of fleece to the fence behind the fig and tied it up - when we get hard weather forecast I'll untie it and drape it over the fig and weight it down with bricks etc.
I've planted two dozen Negrita and Shirley tulips into the sunny end of the Shady Bank - they were a retirement present from a colleague
I've taken the runner beans down and the haulms are heaped over the Hedgehog House to provide a bit extra protection from the cold.
The wet and slimy hosta leaves have been removed, and some of the spent foxglove plants have joined them on the compost heap.
The hellebores have had their old leaves removed and they're happy on the garden bench on the terrace where I can keep an eye on them. And it's here that I have to acknowledge an embarrassing slip - I said the other day that I had a "Helleborus×hybridus' Mandela' ........... but I checked the label today
it's http://www.perennials.com/plants/helleborus-hybridus-tutu.html.
H. niger Christmas Carol has one bloom nearly open, and more buds coming, and Snow Love has some lovely fat buds too.
Oh, and I can report that although H. lividus Silver Edge was sold to me as hardy - it isn't - it didn't survive last winter
OH has swept the terrace and I've nearly slipped top over bottom three times - I think I'll have to invest in a Karcher - shall be reading the thread shortly.
I've found a little pot of snowdrops that I'd forgotten about, hidden away in a shady corner - they're beginning to peek up through the compost - I've put the pot in a sheltered corner opposite the dining room door where I'll see them when they appear properly.
The rhubarb has been mulched with FYM and has its forcing pot over it, and the French tarragon behind it has a broken terracotta pot protecting it's base from the worst of the winter (although it survived last winter without any additional protection as I forgot it
).
Oh, and I've picked a small dish of raspberries to go with the leftover B&B pudding from yesterday - fresh raspberries in November!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Cheers Mrs G
much appreciated
Feet are up for a few minutes, then I'll get into the kitchen to prep the roast lamb etc - after that feet will be up for the rest of the afternoon to listen to the Britten concert from Lowestoft
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Who lives in a house like that? Hefty, the happy hedgehog
Only done couple of things on the garden left to do list. Very damp & cold here. Hopefully we are to get a few dry days this week.
Been a domestic Godess..well not really, have cleaned two kitchen cupboards out. Lamb Kleftiko now in oven, couldn't believe it was still part frozen at 9am this morning, it had been out of freezer in fridge since 4pm yesterday and in conservatory overnight ( we do have heating, but not at night). Not cold here then !
Talking of which some basting to be done, back soon.
Why have we all gone into Bold print?? I blame that Lily
Mrs. G … a thread in Spring reached a consensus that the smell of Jeyes fluid was good for deterring cats.