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My week of leave is almost over and I have got very little done in the Magic Garden. It is supposed to be dry tomorrow so hopefully I will be able to do some winter pruning. Today I filled the mealworm feeders up again and enjoyed a few moments sitting with a coffee watching Ben and the birds. My first snow drops are now out which is always cheering.
I hope the new dogwoods do as well as the one at the back of the garden.
Its still bitterly cold and damp. Today I re-potted the Christmas trees, Norway spruce, into their summer homes. I will be a little surprised if they survive but they weren’t too great an extravagance. I replaced them in the front door pots with red dogwoods and white hellebores. This was done in the dark so photographs tomorrow! Meantime an aerial view of the Magic Garden that I’m using to plan and label for the coming year.
Its still bitterly cold here and we seem unable to get through 24 hours without it raining. I’ve filled up the feeders again and today have put the wildlife cameras back up too. I was pleased to see the longtailed tits back with the bluetits in toe
Slightly surprisingly it hasn’t rained since the early hours today. It is though bitterly cold. Ben had a happy wander round but even with his fur coat he clearly found it too cold to stay out long.
It was cold and wet again. I was delighted though to see siskins in the Magic Garden.
Although damp today and cold, both Ben and I spent some time out in the Magic Garden. Today’s main task was to fill the bird feeders again and to plant out 6 Cyclamen Cyberia Rose Silver that I had treated myself to. They are in the winter border at the back now in front of the replanted dog wood and the new Christmas Box plants. The lenten rose is coming on beautifully under the apple tree and the pulmonaria are showing signs of life too.
It continues to be wet much of the time. Ben has been out to investigate but even while I was filling the bird feeders he was back in!
I was busy in town this morning so Ben only got a few moments in the Magic Garden this afternoon. It is terribly wet & soggy now. I filled up the feeders again and the mealworms are proving extremely popular. I think there was a flock of siskins today coming through the trees.
The year started with a beautiful sunny & dry day. The Magic Garden is wet through out. Today I did a tiny amount of tidying up - clearing broken solar lights and removing some rubbish. I also pinned down the micro mesh again over the curly kale & hooked out some slugs.
The hellebores in the north quadrant and under the apple tree at the back are both in bloom but are also both looking scruffy. The first snowdrop is almost ready to come out. Its lovely to still have roses out too! The Christmas Box in the pot group is looking well with berries as well as flowers.
The wind has gone down for the moment although it is the calm before another storm. Today was cold and bright. I planted out the tulip bulbs and some alliums. I also retrieved the gorse plant before planting the rose that Hedgewatch have given me.I will need to remember to water it while it settles in.
It was very windy again yesterday and I spent some time trying to get the broom behind the pond to stay in the ground. I have a suspicion that I will be replacing this plant. Today was calmer so Ben and I enjoyed a little birdwatching and just being in the Magic Garden.
Its been continually windy here and the Magic Garden is looking a bit unloved.Today I moved the red dogwood further back against the back fence and also planted the Sarcococca ruscifolia Dragon Gate plants I treated myself to for the Solstice. I put some of last year’s leaf mould round them so hopefully they will settle in well. I pruned the dogwood a little to improve its shape.
I picked a Solstice bouquet of olive, bay, holly, teasel, thistles, ivy & a winter rose & added dry allium heads. Ben checked on his catnip at the back before coming charging back in!
I spent quite a long time in the Magic Garden today, doing some essential clearing up and planting some bulbs. Ben and I sat in the sun for a while and enjoyed the sunset.
I had moments in the Magic Garden when it didn’t rain today which I utilised to refill and rearrange the bird feeders. Ben briefly investigated the catnip at the back & marked his territory.
We seem to have gone from snow and cold to endless wet and wind with another storm passing through. Meantime Christmas is creeping up on me and so I have put two wee trees outside the front door.
Been a bit busy lately! Had planned to plant the bulbs out but the weather had other ideas and this weekend we’ve had snow. I’ve been kept busy filling the bird feeders and keeping the water unfrozen. I was surprised to find the rose is still trying to bloom!
Been a busy week with an unplanned trip to north Wales but today was dry and cold and gave me an opportunity to do a bit of a clean up in the front garden. In principle, I believe in leaving leaves on soil and allowing the worms to do their work with them but the load on my front border is too great and tends to choke the plants so I have done a thin out of the load and at the same time propped up the buddleja and lavatera which both are trying to grow horizontally rather than vertically. At the same time I cleared the public path by my house into the garden waste bin and my own driveway into the leaf litter bins I established earlier this autumn. Ben felt it was a bit chilly to be outside!
It remained damp all day today but Ben did investigate the back of the Magic Garden
I have had time away from home so the Magic Garden has been a bit neglected. Today though I got out the secateurs and cut back the rose along the back fence. Ben watched from the arbour seat and also checked out the summerhouse for its box possibilities.
I am delighted to have chaffinches in the garden - this is a first for the garden for all that I knew they were around locally. The number of birds in the Magic Garden are gradually increasing and the feeders are regularly being emptied by them.
We had the novelty of the sun coming out briefly today. I took the opportunity to plant out a bag of mixed alliums. I don’t think they will be very tall or big as the bulbs were quite small but I’ve scattered them through the west & south quadrants of the Magic part.
There is a lot of bloom still going in the Magic Garden including second flushes of flowers. I was pleased Ben joined me in the autumn sunshine.