New Trees!

We now have 18 trees.  If you view the blog as the web page version (scroll to the bottomof this page and it gives you the option of viewing the full blog), I've created a list of our trees on the right, along with their care since the labels are discarded and names can be forgotten over time.

A few weeks ago we ordered 3 new pot grown trees from an online supplier.  Last week however I received an email to refund my payment as the order could not be filled.

Thankfully, the garden centre where we usually go reopened this week, so we decided that we would kill two birds with one stone, buy the trees and take Daisy with us to help with her socialisation.

We queued for about half an hour, spaced according to the social distancing measures.  It operated on strict numbers within the garden centre with a one-in-one-out system, and everyone in the queue around us were in good spirits.  I guess like us, pleased to have the garden centre open again.

This centre of choice is in the countryside, about 20 minutes drive away and was a lovely run out in the sunshine, giving Daisy a chance to settle on the journey.

Once in, we didn't dilly-dally,  like we usually do, and went straight to the trees. We were able to find 2 out of the 3 varieties I wanted.  The third was a similar variety to the one I had ordered online.

Straight back to the tills which are in a hut at the exit, again queuing as per the social distancing measures.  We pushed the trolley up to the lady behind the screen then stepped back to the box marked on the floor to allow the assistant to tell the cashier what to run through the till.  As we were having them delivered, the assistant then took our trees away, moving the trolley into the cleaning station to prepare for the next customer.

And off we went, allowing the next people to enter.

I suppose now would be a good time to show you these new additions.

The Man that Can set to planting them up straight away. 

With a little help from Daisy who wanted to play with the pebbles. 

On the Terrace and patio, prunus Stella and prunus Athos, both in large green glazed pots.  There is fruit already on Stella, albeit small and green.  Both of these varieties are self pollinating. 

The third tree is p. Fragrant Cloud, an ornamental cherry with, as the name suggests, scented blossom in white that ages to pink.  This has been planted in the Long Border. 

Of course the blossom has passed but next year should be a real treat.

If we're lucky, and beat the birds, we may be enjoying our own cherries come July!

Stay safe and enjoy your garden. 

Easter

It's relatively easy for me as an introvert to cope with the lockdown as I don't feel the urge many people do to be out and about. I'm happy to spend time in the home or garden with my family.

Mother nature blessed the 4 day weekend with good weather so out came the cushions for the patio furniture so we were able to enjoy it.

There has been an explosion of foliage on the trees in the garden. The Tibetan cherry has even put on a display of tiny white flowers.

Before the serious business of relaxation could begin, there were a few tasks to attend to.  I removed the rotting log roll from the Terrace border and both sides of the patio borders.  TMTC cleaned the pond pump and the water butts, and between us we cleaned the trunks of the birches and Tibetan cherry, along with the seating in the Yen, Mugwart's Retreat, and on the patio.  Everywhere was watered really well and mulches applied for the roses with manure and the acid lovers with old ericaceous compost mixed with some slow release fertiliser. 

  

Time to sit and stitch in the sunshine. 

The blackbirds aren't afraid of us and come very close.

Tulip time.

And....Ellie.  She is such a sun worshipper.  Angel rarely sat in the sun and actively sought the shade, preferably inside.  Ellie is the opposite.  She will follow a shaft of sunlight around and if the door is open will sit outside on the terrace alone if she has to.

However, if she can sit on the sun lounger, pushing you into the shade cast by the parasol then she will.

She's such a diva.

Another Bank Holiday Weekend

But vastly different from the last as there's very much a chill in the air.

Bank holidays are generally big business for garden centres who are more than happy for you to hand over your hard earned cash in return for great looking summer bedding plants...but beware as there's a frost looming that can kill those young plants.  Bring them into a porch, shed or garage if you don't have a greenhouse or coldframe.  If that isn't possible, throw over some fleece and tuck them up against the house.

The roses are beginning to flower, thanks to the unseasonably warm April.

At the top, orange r. Maigold in the front garden, pink r. Special Daughter in the Terrace Border...

...and white r. Margaret Merrill also in the front garden.  I hope they make it safely through the cold snap.

In the Yen Garden the Cotinus coggygria (smoke bush) is finally coming into leaf.  It's difficult to get the light right to show just how beautifully vivid the red-purple foliage is.

The rhododendron is happily joining the spectacle too.

With a backdrop of hundreds of pale pink clematis Montana Rubens blooms, the final daffs sing out.

A little movement in the Long Border is required to fit in another tree.

Having removed the syringa Sensation which didn't seem to be particularly thriving in the Long Border, the Photinia red robin standard (which is still a work in progress) has been moved along and the new tree planted.

The label states that it is an Acer aureum but it doesn't have the promised red new foliage.  I couldn't find a picture of the bark on t'interweb but I'm certain the blurb somewhere would mention the unusual colouring and stripes. 

We have therefore contacted the nursery for confirmation of the variety. 

The syringa Sensation has been replanted in the Terrace Border in full sunshine which should improve the vigour and flowers.

Aquilegias, as mentioned last time, are quite promiscuous and cross so easily.  This can produce some lovely variations. 

In the newly emerging Mugwort's Retreat, a new seating area is being created.

This will form a much needed private area now that our neighbour has converted their loft including a balcony with doors.  Their views must be amazing, but it's made my agoraphobia kick in again, hence all the trees.  Making a garden is a wonderful task.  Not being able to actually sit in it to enjoy all that beauty is so heartbreaking. 

On a brighter note, a young robin has been happily pottering about in the back garden while we work, coming closer and closer to see what goodies we might be digging up.  We hadn't seen our usual robin since last autumn (hopefully old age rather than the neighbour's cat has been responsible).

This new robin looks young and sleek.  Today he discovered the bird feeders in the front garden.  He spent around 5 minutes on a recon before flitting off again.  He's easily unnerved by the marauding sparrows but if he's anything like his predecessor, he'll soon make our patch his territory and defend it fiercely.

Other new visitors spotted today were a pair of greenfinches! It's been a couple of years since they were last seen but I could hear their distinctive voices before they descended on the sunflower hearts.

Our bird feeders are positioned just outside our sitting room window at the front, and keep me entertained for many hours.  Along with sparrows, regular feathered friends include goldfinches, long tailed tits, coal tits, great tits, blue tits and blackbirds.  The latter are very amusing to watch in the birdbath, which is a large black plastic plantpot saucer on a stack of bricks to raise it to viewing height.  We put a couple of rocks in it to keep it steady and it's relatively secluded beneath the Photinia in the front garden.  All the birds use it, whether to bathe or drink from it so it is regularly cleaned and replenished. There is another saucer-bath set up in the Long Border.  It's thirsty work raising chicks!

Winter or early Spring?

The sun on my face and the birds singing suggests that spring is almost here.  In the garden it's a balmy 13c...however the realist in me poo-poos the very idea that winter is over.

"Ne'er cast a clout til May be out".  Clout meaning clothing and May actually refers to Mayflower, or hawthorn in what was thought to be the original version and when exactly that is can differ enormously depending on where in the UK you live. 

Since its February, winter therefore it still is.  But as its mild, a few jobs were in order.  Firstly the Acer in the front garden was in need of attention.  

When we moved here in June 2013, almost all the trees were removed.  The front garden was pretty much impenetrable due to overgrown trees and shrubs.  The Acer was actually cut right down at the base and the stump had an x cut into it, which the tree guy said would kill it.  A year later, like a phoenix it rose up once more and we gave the tenacious tree a stay of execution on the understanding it had to be spectacular.  It didn't fail.

Winter is the best time to prune most trees (a particular exception are cherries which are pruned in summer).  Last week a large branch was removed from the staghorn tree, this week the "phoenix" acer had its turn.  All the twiggy bits were removed from the lower stems to begin to shape a multi stemmed tree.  Then any crossing branches and a couple of thick stems were cut out that were growing out at the wrong angle.  Now we'll let it leaf up and look at it again.  If any further branches need cutting out, we can make a note for next winter.

Next up, we removed all the dead foliage from beneath the bergenias (along with any slugs and snails that tend to hide out in their dark, damp bases).

The old foliage from the hellebores was also snipped off to help prevent leafspot.

Better late than never, well rotted manure has been mulched around all the roses (apart from r. New Dawn which are still in containers on the terrace).

We had friends from the Midlands visit yesterday so went to a garden centre for a cuppa and a slice of cake.  I was coerced into purchasing this new Acer Sangokaku.  Honestly, talk about twisting my arm! 😉 

It'll look amazing in the Yen with the bright red stems picking up the red details in the pergola and the red winter stems of cornus siberica.

And now we have 15 trees!