Early Spring?

We’ve had a lovely sunny day today although not without a breeze and not overly warm. I spent some time in the Magic Garden just taking stock of what’s where and enjoying the increasing number of blooms around. I had forgotten that I had iris bulbs in amongst the saled containers on the patio & that they were a mixed selection colour wise. I wonder what other treats are going to come up in these containers - I should really have kept a record!

I am always pleased when all the daffodils start coming out from the little tete-a-tete to the blousie big flowered ones all over the garden.

I have been pleased that the new bird-feeders have stayed in place despite the winds. I felt rewarded today when I looked up to see goldfinches along with the greedy pigeons.

Friday night

I’ve had a busy day at work today & came home too late to play in the Magic Garden. I did a high speed retrieval of blown over structures & watered the inside collection of plants waiting to find homes outside. This weekend I want to do some work on the pond. I dug this out of the subsoil and despite it being in solid clay I did put a pond liner in. Its position was determined really by the position of both the boundary fence and the paving slabs.

The problem with the position is that there is only a relatively back space between the pond and the fence. I had started to grow a clematis up this space which I have lost with the fence! The magnificent broom though looks as if it has survived the experience so I hope to have it back in bloom again this year.

I have a skull wall along the back of the pond as a protection against the evil spirits. This is the same idea as the carved turnips & now pumpkins of Halloween. Around the front white and red valerian have made their home - I pull both out by the armful

Bargain Sempervivum

I went to buy a new bird feeder & suet blocks and came back with plants and a duvet. The plants were some more lavender plants and more heuchera together with a bargain collection of sempervivum. I couldn’t really see why they were reduced beyond that they clearly had been around for a while as there were weeds in amongst the pots. I love the patterns that these plants make with their spikes and rosettes - they definitely are good plants for photographers.

Sempervivum are otherwise known as houseleeks liveforever and hen&chicks. They are beautiful succulents that I treat as alpines. I have two troughs full and more in the ‘rock’ garden next to the pond. They seem to like the crevices if not the clay the mound is made from.. They don’t like the cold and wet as far as I can tell but I do have some pretty survivors. The little rosettes are worth potting up as new plants - they divide naturally from the parent plant.

Sempervivum earn their place in the Magic Garden by their use for pain relief - described by Culpepper as being good for both inward and outward heat. Their use is similar to aloe vera. There is also a belief that the presence of houseleeks is a sign of health & prosperity.

Wet & horrible

I think it was fine during the day, if windy, as the sky I could see through the high up windows was blue. Ben was out in the Magic Garden and was waiting for his cat sitter on the front doorstep this afternoon. He was waiting smugly on the inside when I got home some hours later cold and very wet! I did feel somewhat cheered by my daffodils coming into flower - I love each spring buying bunches of daffodils and having sunshine brought into my north-facing kitchen.

The Moon phase is waning gibbous so by this its time to plant below ground ie roots. So with this in mind I have put my potatoes to chit. I don’t need many potatoes so I have just bought 3 varieties of seed potatoes, with just 5 of each. Albert Bartlett Vivaldi which are main crop or second earlies; jazzy, also second earlies; & Casablanca, first early. These will give me three decent sized potato sacks & I’d expect around a kg of potatoes each, which not a bad investment!

Waiting for the Next Storm

Its feeling chilly here which I think is because of the blustery weather with showers & sunshine. It does though feel as if spring might be coming now with the opening up of more daffodils, a patch of crocuses & snake-head fritillaries

I am still uncertain what to do with the ‘wild corner’ behind the gooseberry bush. I have planted hedging plants along the fence already and today I added in the Hydrangea anomala Petiolaris I chose as a ‘climber’ as it is supposed not to object to the north facing site I have planted it in. Meantime the tulips are pushing up through the disturbed soil and a couple of the catnip plants are showing signs of regeneration & growth.

I also planted out two heuchera that I bought yesterday at the supermarket. They are not named varieties but they are the attractively purple leaved ones. I put them in at the front of the Magic Garden. There are a couple of others along this side which hopefully will get going this year.

February 21st 2022

I escaped home early today & was startled by there being a little sunshine between showers. Its been so windy lately that its was also a surprise that there was only a breeze. I did some basic tidying up & putting things upright again including the new bird feeder pole. I am still very conscious of how bare my fences look and it makes the Magic Garden feel barer too now I no longer have my jasmine and much of the foliage at the back. The cover was bird friendly too and I am conscious that the Magic Garden at the moment is not as bird friendly as it used to be.

I have tried to make it up to the birds by putting in a new feeding station with lovely large feeders. I’m not particularly optimistic about is ability to stay upright but at least the amount of harm it can do is small when it does get uprooted

To accommodate the bird feeding station I have moved the unoccupied hedgehog house back under the black elder. Ben still thinks its for him to sit on which might be off-putting for future hedgehog tenants. The daffodils are coming into bloom rapidly now & amazingly most are still upright.

Black Elder

It was cool, windy and liable to be wet by the time I came home from work today. Ben sprinted to the back of the garden to do his business and to then sharpen his claws on the black elder. I did wonder whether its his claw work that has made the old tree look the way it does as well as its age. It is another ‘original’ in the Magic Garden that I planted when the house was first built 18 years ago. It is just pushing out its foliage now as another sign of spring approaching.

When I originally planted the black elder (Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’) it was a small shrub that I bought for its feathery black foliage. I let it grow & now coppice it so that each year I get a fresh crop of black leaves and the pretty delicate multiflowers that acts as a foil to the rest of the Magic Garden

Black Elderflower and berries are part of folk-lore and medicine. Elder is associated with transitions and boundaries. It provides the wood of panpipes. To my amusement, the berries apparently have antidepressant effects in mice -can’t say I’ve ever seen depressed mice but at least I know how to keep Ben’s ‘mices’ happy!

February 19th 2022

It was very cold out in the Magic Garden today but it was dry and there was only a moderate breeze. Ben decided to come outside and stay out which makes me feel that spring must be in the air. He positioned himself on top of the hedgehog house and watched as I did some repairs and sorted out new bird feeders.

Its lovely to see signs of life through the whole of the Magic Garden. The primroses look as if they will be out by the end of the month & the hazel arch has catkins and the suggestion of flowers. The hazel is of course part of the Magic, associated with wisdom & inspiration. The daffodils are gradually coming out with most still upright despite the winds. There is a continuing mass of irises and snowdrops coming up too & there will be tulips in time too.

Storm Eunice

I feel we have so far escaped relatively unscathed from the latest storm to hit us for all that she is still blowing through. We have ‘yellow’ warnings in place for strong winds this weekend but so far the Magic Garden is only a little more battered and re-distributed than it was yesterday.

Its quite easy to get a bit despondent at the continual bad weather and consequent damage but then I find photos from last summer and have that feeling again of the magic coming back. When I was exploring the garden yesterday I found early signs of the perennials waking up again to fill in the space. The lungworts (pulmonaria) under the bamboo have become visible with the clearing away of the old stuff that was along the old fence. I don’t even know what variety these are but am already being tempted to buy some more to add to these ones. I think they get their name from the appearance of the leaves which are like lung tissue with alveoli represented by the pale spots and the green being the stroma and blood vessels.

The another plant now visible in this space is I think my white monkshood. This of course is poisonous in all parts which has always puzzled me slightly as all my monkshoods are great favourites with the bees and other pollinators. The green is very vibrant compared to the other greens around. I have planted the crab apple hedging plants around this area and behind I have created a hole under the fence with my hedgehogs in mind.

February 17th 2022

I don’t work on Thursdays so was pleased today to find it was sunny if rather chilly and still windy. After going for a walk to North Shields Fish Quays and round to Tynemouth and back, I then went out into the Magic Garden to see how much damage had accrued last night. There are more things horizontal than there should be but I think last night’s wind was less severe than the previous storms. Now we are waiting for the next one, Storm Eunice.

There are definite signs of spring now with crocuses and daffodils coming into bloom and large patches of irises. I always expect my daffodils to get blown over but there was rather a lot horizontal as are a surprising number of my snowdrops. There are a few other blooms too including a Leopard’s bane that has a double round of ‘petals’. I was slightly taken aback to find a translucent green caterpillar tucked up close inside the bloom.

Ben was not very enthusiastic about being out but as usual came out to keep an eye on me before retreating for a long nap indoors.

Storm Moon

Tonight we have yet another storm hitting us - Storm Dudley is already causing more damage to the Magic Garden & there are lots of thumps & bangs from out there. It is the Full Moon tonight which in February is known as the Storm Moon. We were being hit by Storm Dennis 2 years ago so it doesn’t seem an inappropriate name. Its also known as the Snow Moon & indeed a year ago we had snow!

I sowed some rudbeckia & echinacea yesterday. I don’t really take that much note of ‘planting by the moon’ but by this it was the time to sow seeds for things that the important things are above ground - leaf & flowers. Tomorrow by the same token, I shall be putting my seed potatoes to chit.

Meantime Ben is enjoying my bad habit of buying plants - today’s arrivals were a potted hydrangea anomala subspecies petiolaris and a bare-root American Gum ‘tree’. Think he also will appreciate the garden label.

Mid-February

Its been a cold raw day but this morning we did have a bit of sunshine. I spent a wee bit of time clearing the back of the Magic Garden and creating a hole under the new fence for when the hedgehogs are up & around again. Ben was happy enough to be out with me & took up residence between a wee blackcurrant bush that has never got going and the ivy on the fence. I put some ferns between the bush and the arbour seat and these have grown scruffily to fill the space.

I am wondering now what the next bit of damage will be in the Magic Garden with another pair of storms due in the next few days. The yew tree was blown out of its pot with the last lot of wind & I discovered it was in fact 4 plants bound together. I have separated them out & having potted up 3 with the 4th into the north corner of the Magic Garden. Yew is of course an important symbolic plant for the Magic Garden, representing both death and resurrection, immortality and rebirth. It is poisonous although it used be used to treat worms and diphtheria.

The bird feeder are swinging around madly at the moment in the wind so I have been very impressed by the abilities of the birds to cling on to them. I love the long-tailed tits which are little bundles of noisy fun as they pelt through the garden

The Mourning Widow

The Mourning Widow is perhaps not the most cheerful plant name for St Valentine’s Day but it is a pretty dainty flower also known as dusky cranesbill - Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’, named for the place it comes from in Croatia. I can’t remember where I originally planted it in the Magic Garden but its well established now in the ‘wild patch’ behind the gooseberry bush and also on the other side of the garden where it is sprawling out of the side border. I pull it up by the armful each year and it is essentially a decorative weed. Its supposed to require lots of moisture but it doesn’t seem that fussy to me!

The geranium has a characteristic blotchy leaf with dark maroon patches on the deeply dissected leaves. These are just coming up now and I am already looking forward to the delicate deep burgundy flowers and the range of bumble bees that flood in to enjoy them

This geranium is very useful for areas of deep shade & was perfect for the wild corner when it was heavily shaded by the jasmine.

The Gairloch Weed

There is a plant that I have spent some effort to get established in the Magic Garden and have now persuaded it to grow all over the ‘alpine’ patch I established in the spoils from digging out the pond. It always makes me feel a little sad looking at it as it reminds me of my father who called it the Gairloch weed as it comes up all over the place in their garden in Badachro. He thought it a hoot that I could not get it to grow in the Magic Garden until eventually one of the plants he dug up for me did establish itself. I will probably eventually regard it as a weed too as I’m sure it will now spread like mad. It was introduced to the UK in the 1620s and spread so fast that it has been known as a pest plant ever since. I stilll like it though as a friend of the pollinators in the garden.

The wildflower Pilosella aurantiaca is known by most people as fox-and-cubs on account of its habit of having the open bright orange flowers on top of unopened buds. Its more prosaically known as orange hawkweed. It starts as a rosette & develops lance like leaves with the flowers on black hairy stems.

I look forward to spring and seeing the flowers arrive in time for my father’s birthday in June. Meantime I have to admit like Ben hibernation seems a good idea!

Cold & Windy

We seem to have had more gales and wind than normal this year - perhaps its the cumulative damage that is making me think that. Certainly the Magic Garden has sustained more damage than usual and the loss of my fences is still hurting. I miss the familiar scruffy fence with its coating of foliage. I have planted hedglings along the back and some of the side-fence but am impatient for them to grow. There are signs elsewhere that with the lengthening days we are heading towards spring as bulbs push up through. A year ago today I have to keep reminding myself we were under snow so wind chill is less surprising.

I have added a yellow-flowered winter flowering jasmine to hopefully go up the fence between the black elder and the magnolia. It should brighten up that corner at this time of year when the leaves are still off the trees. For all its name includes winter, I think it will be a harbinger of spring, a bit like the now numerous irises all over the Magic Garden.

There is a wee patch of wallflowers coming out at the front of the Magic patch with a mix of yellows, red and oranges. They don’t really fit colour-wise but then nor will the yellow daffodils when they start flowering! I always think wallflowers are less antisocial or shy than the name is used to imply.

The Ivy

I originally planted a common ivy in 2004 when the house and original fence was new. I have removed armfuls of it over the years as it has colonised a chunk of the fence between my neighbours and me & spreads over the arbour seat. The piece that remains is against a piece of the new fence. I think I will give it something to grow its way up.

Mine is a variegated form but large chunks have reverted to a bolder green.

I rather like the way it drapes itself over the arbour seat but I think the seat needs some repair work done before I let the ivy recolonise its sides

Ivy may not be the most exciting of plants but it has a firm place in the Magic Garden both for its symbolic worth & its role of encouraging wildlife. It is symbolic of fidelity presumably because it doesn’t let go easily!. In terms of wildlife ivy not only provides shelter for small birds mammals & invertebrates but also its flowers provide a source of nectar for bees & other insects at a time of year when there are less options available.

Long-tailed Tits

I only ventured very briefly into the Magic Garden this morning as it was very cold & windy. I did though top up the suet balls and then stood back and watched as the family of long-tailed tits arrived and started to work their way through them. Ben has more or less refused to spend more than a minute or two outdoors!

I love watching these wee birds with tails that are longer than their bodies & their undulating flight & noisy family squabbles as they bounce into the Garden.

Heuchera

When I planned the Magic Garden, I intended to have contrast of silver & white against near black. I already had used heuchera in the garden and they had, generally speaking, grown well. They are native to North America & are more or less evergreen although mine do die back in winter.

I have several Heuchera scattered through the Magic Garden but they are all looking a bit scruffy so I suspect some drastic ‘pruning’ will be required to get the clump forming effect back. I have one very large Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ which is much darker than my others. It is currently in one of the aluminium pots. I may try and split it although I’m wary of spoiling a good specimen. I will though split up the trio that I bought last week as a bargain pot & see what I end up with.

Missing the Greenery

Having very visible fences hadn’t been a feature of the Magic Garden for a long time so having new, bare fences seem even more stark than they might do. I am particularly conscious that the large amount of cover provided by the ancient jasmine is greatly missed by the birds.

I’m planning to plant a series of climbing plants to go up the north facing fence at the back and create a new area of foliage for the birds to hide in and to soften the fence. I will have to paint the fences soon before there is too much growth up in front of them, although what colour I’m not sure. The old fence was black.

Centaurea Montana

Centaurea montana is another ‘useful’ perennial plant that I end up dividing and removing chunks of each year. its common form. montane knapweed or perennial mountain cornflower, is a lovely shade of blue. The patch at the front of the Magic Garden os showing vigorous growth already so I may lift a bit soon so that I can establish some elsewhere in the garden. It is very attractive to the bees and is an easy bloomer that can be persuaded to repeat all summer.

Besides the common form I also have a much smaller patch of Centaurea montana ‘Purple Heart’