Spotted this afternoon…Mrs Blackbird sitting in the large nest she and Mr Blackbird have built in the ivy wall in the back garden, nicely hidden behind a large conifer.
I noticed the nest a few days ago but it was only today I spied one of them actually in it. And she spied me spying on her – she doesn’t look very happy about it does she?!
Scarifying has been the main aim of today. Recently I was enjoying a cup of coffee in the garden and surveying the back lawn, when I realised that it was looking decidedly mossy – in fact it was starting to take over. The blades of grass were poking up sporadically between large patches of spongy moss, and it was starting to look like 70/30 in favour of the moss – maybe more in places!
So a plan of action was formed. The Head Gardener (aka My Dad) appeared today with an electric scarifier and we set to work trying to hoik up a large amount of moss and thatch and non-grass from the grass. He did the scarifying, I did the raking and scooping. We filled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow until his trailer was full of a giant pile of moss, ready for tipping at the local recycling centre. It seemed like a big job but actually took less than an hour – and was SO satisfying. Removing all the mossy stuff has left the grass looking a bit scruffy and muddy in places but I’m assured by the aforementioned Head Gardener that it should come back looking much better, although we may need to repeat the procedure annually, if not twice a year.
One of many, many wheelbarrows full of moss
He’s very good at reminding me that gardeners must play the long game. We can’t always get results straight away – in fact, we hardly ever do! It takes time for seeds to germinate, for buds to form and flowers to bloom. If we prune a shrub, it will take time for it to re-grow into a more pleasing shape; some trees will take years and years to grow – we have a Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana) in the front garden which will take so long to reach a significant height that we will probably be long gone by the time it does so! And he likes to remind me, Instant-Gratification Girl, that I must be patient when it comes to my garden. I hope to enjoy it for many years, so a quick transformation is not necessary and virtually impossible, so I must take my time, plan carefully and be persistent with things like the grass and the Secret Garden/Allotment. Grass must be looked after, soil must be enriched and worked – the results will show themselves in time, and will be worth the effort.
In Bargain Shopping News, I was at Lidl today and picked up some more cut-price plants: two geraniums (99p each), four primroses (£1.89 each, 12 box (£1.99 for six) and a jasmine (£4.69).
The primroses are gorgeous – I chose two cream/white plants and two in pinky-purple shades. I will probably put these in pots but to be honest I’ve fallen so suddenly and completely for these sturdy little flowers with their vivid colours that it will be difficult to resist going back for more for the flower beds…
Primula
This weekend was unfortunately spent not gardening, so this is a ‘not gardening’ blog post. I was Not Gardening for various reasons:
However, even when I’m Not Gardening, I’ve found it’s difficult to shake the gardening habit. When I was in town for the hairdresser appointment I popped into a few shops and discovered that my eye is now drawn to garden-themed clothing. The evidence…
I’ve also been inspired by a couple of books which will hopefully help with my garden plans – I’ve been reading Chicken Coops for the Soul, which I stumbled upon at the library when I was looking for something completely different. It’s a useful insight into the realities of chicken-keeping and is helping me to get an idea what it might actually be like, if/when I take the plunge. So far, it’s not putting me off!
I have also recently received this book which I ordered from a second-hand online shop…
…and I can’t wait to get stuck in. Although I haven’t read it yet, it’s one of the inspirations for this blog – Monty kept a diary, written and photographic, of everything they did when they moved to Ivington and this book is the result. Now. I KNOW I am nowhere on the scale of the mighty Mr Don, but we do plan to be in this house for a long time, so I’d like to think that a record of the development of the garden would be a great thing to look back on in years to come. And if at that point I’m a big famous gardening expert *ahem* , a publishing deal will certainly be very welcome…so I’m getting started early!
Look at this face, how could you not trust the advice he gives…
Don’t even get me started on his new puppy.
So, as I said, it’s been a weekend of No Gardening. Followed by today – the Springiest of Spring days and, Sods Law, I’ve had to go to work, in a windowless office, with zero plants or soil or anything. It is genuinely frustrating, to have to spend such a beautiful day indoors, but when I start to get worked up about it I remind myself that I am very lucky to have a good, flexible, part-time job, and that my three days of work allow me to have two days of non-work and the means to own the house and garden that we do. So the next time I get annoyed about it, I will take a breath, count my blessings and walk through the office door, dressed in one of my lovely new garden-themed shirts…
Julianne Robertson 