A new year in the garden
It has been at the back of my mind for a while now that this is probably the best time to start forward-planning for the coming year in the garden. Choosing just what plants to grow, changing the uses of beds and borders, and making use of this new 'clean sheet' to show our garden off to its best.
Following last weekend's visit to a massive and rather spectacular garden centre, I am now filled with ideas of what to grow, what plants to try, and where new beds and borders will be cut. On our shopping trip, we bought seeds in abundance, which I am waiting to sow with great glee. The back bedroom/creative haven will be sacrificed for this use, which will have to double up as bedroom/art studio/drying room and now plant nursery. The things we do for food, eh? It's all in the name of self-sufficiency, which of course, is worth every bit of energy we put into it.
On my afternoon walks with 'the Mut', I have been noticing subtle changes in the flora and fauna. Everyone tends to think that winter is a completely dead time. Not so, dear friend, not so - in fact, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Admittedly, at the moment, plants aren't at their most active, but the snow and ice, harsh frosts and rain are all playing their parts to prepare the garden for spring. The smells in the air have changed, even from xmas, they are definitely not autumn smells anymore. That warm-damp-leaflitter smell has been replaced by a cold, earthy smell, which seems to linger on anyone who has been outside. It turns cheeks rosy, and nips at fingers and toes. Snowdrops are starting to come up, which to me is the real sign that xmas is over and winter is in decline. Birds too have been singing different songs, and there are so many! Oh too many to count, from Blackbirds (turdus merula) and Dunnocks (Prunella modularis), to Magpies (Pica pica) and Collared Doves (Streptopelia decaocto) one of my favourites being the brave Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Their song is also starting to change; soon they will all be finding mates, building nests and laying eggs. The Collared Doves cooing to each other, and sitting atop the Victorian electricity pole necking (as they do love to do) is one of the surest signs that Spring will soon be here. One thing that I love to do, and has been a ritual of mine for some time now, is to get up very early (usually around 4.30am) on 1st May, the date of Beltane - a Pagan celebration of May Day - and listen to the dawn chorus. Inevitably there is dew, fog, and rain, but that does not stop the wonderful birds singing their song loud and clear for all to hear. In the semi-light, the mix of tiredness, cool air on a warm face, and the song of birds is altogether somewhat fantastic.
Having first measured the length and width of the garden (over 34 metres long!) it is now time to start deciding how much of the lawn will be removed. This serves two purposes; at the moment, it takes forever to mow the lawn, which as nice as it is to have, isn't the highest priority for us right now. So a small amount of the lawn (about 1/6th of the 19 metres of it!) will be sacrificed, at the farthest end for vegetable beds, and down one of the sides as semi-circular beds for various plants, including the vast array of annuals and roses that I've had my eye on. This year we'll see the addition of two of my favourite shrubs, a magnolia and a buddleja. Both are really great to grow, although the magnolia will only grow on ph neutral to slightly acidic soil - which rules out most of east anglia and Lincolnshire (we know this from experience). They are also very pretty to look at, and fantastic ways to lure more insect life into your garden. Two doors down from us, they have a huge buddleja which in summer is completely covered in butterflies and bees - both very beneficial pollinators and important insects to have in the garden.
There are some of my plans for the garden this year... What are yours?
Following last weekend's visit to a massive and rather spectacular garden centre, I am now filled with ideas of what to grow, what plants to try, and where new beds and borders will be cut. On our shopping trip, we bought seeds in abundance, which I am waiting to sow with great glee. The back bedroom/creative haven will be sacrificed for this use, which will have to double up as bedroom/art studio/drying room and now plant nursery. The things we do for food, eh? It's all in the name of self-sufficiency, which of course, is worth every bit of energy we put into it.
On my afternoon walks with 'the Mut', I have been noticing subtle changes in the flora and fauna. Everyone tends to think that winter is a completely dead time. Not so, dear friend, not so - in fact, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Admittedly, at the moment, plants aren't at their most active, but the snow and ice, harsh frosts and rain are all playing their parts to prepare the garden for spring. The smells in the air have changed, even from xmas, they are definitely not autumn smells anymore. That warm-damp-leaflitter smell has been replaced by a cold, earthy smell, which seems to linger on anyone who has been outside. It turns cheeks rosy, and nips at fingers and toes. Snowdrops are starting to come up, which to me is the real sign that xmas is over and winter is in decline. Birds too have been singing different songs, and there are so many! Oh too many to count, from Blackbirds (turdus merula) and Dunnocks (Prunella modularis), to Magpies (Pica pica) and Collared Doves (Streptopelia decaocto) one of my favourites being the brave Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Their song is also starting to change; soon they will all be finding mates, building nests and laying eggs. The Collared Doves cooing to each other, and sitting atop the Victorian electricity pole necking (as they do love to do) is one of the surest signs that Spring will soon be here. One thing that I love to do, and has been a ritual of mine for some time now, is to get up very early (usually around 4.30am) on 1st May, the date of Beltane - a Pagan celebration of May Day - and listen to the dawn chorus. Inevitably there is dew, fog, and rain, but that does not stop the wonderful birds singing their song loud and clear for all to hear. In the semi-light, the mix of tiredness, cool air on a warm face, and the song of birds is altogether somewhat fantastic.
Having first measured the length and width of the garden (over 34 metres long!) it is now time to start deciding how much of the lawn will be removed. This serves two purposes; at the moment, it takes forever to mow the lawn, which as nice as it is to have, isn't the highest priority for us right now. So a small amount of the lawn (about 1/6th of the 19 metres of it!) will be sacrificed, at the farthest end for vegetable beds, and down one of the sides as semi-circular beds for various plants, including the vast array of annuals and roses that I've had my eye on. This year we'll see the addition of two of my favourite shrubs, a magnolia and a buddleja. Both are really great to grow, although the magnolia will only grow on ph neutral to slightly acidic soil - which rules out most of east anglia and Lincolnshire (we know this from experience). They are also very pretty to look at, and fantastic ways to lure more insect life into your garden. Two doors down from us, they have a huge buddleja which in summer is completely covered in butterflies and bees - both very beneficial pollinators and important insects to have in the garden.
There are some of my plans for the garden this year... What are yours?
posted by VintagePretty at 3:08 pm
1 Comments:
I love that you all are self-sufficient. I often dream of being self-sufficient, but, sadly, I have not a green thumb. Which makes me appreciate even more what you are able to do. Maybe, when we get into a house, I might try my hand at something rather small.
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