Working Wednesday

Back to work today and so very tired tonight. I did a quick look round the Magic Garden once I got home. At the back of the garden behind the apple tree and the black elder I have a magnolia that is in full bloom now. I think of family when I see it in bloom - my Dad loved these trees and I bought this one with a garden token from my aunt. At its foot I found a couple of late snake fritillary flowers, a bit battered but still beautiful.

In the front of the Magic square, the wee aquilegia is just coming out with its beautiful graceful blooms. Ben was somewhat miffed at me for having been our all day despite having been fed by his sitter earlier.

Tired Tuesday

It was raining this morning so I didn't expect to get much time in the garden so it was a complete bonus for it to be dry and for the odd spell of sunshine this afternoon. My supermarket treat this week was a rather pretty red argyrathemum, not bad for £3. I will try and taking cuttings to overwinter as its a fairly tender perennial. I’m hoping the bees will appreciate it too.

After I’d planted this out I also planted out the spare lupin and a stray thyme cutting. The perennial sweetpea is pushing through next to the rowan tree so I’ve put in the obelisk there & tried to persuade the shoots to climb up it.

Ben wisely kept out of my way initially watching from the hedgehog house & then he was back to occupying his trough. It must be fairly warm as it catches sun almost all day.

I then spent an hour cutting out the dead wood of the gooseberry, leaving about 1/5th of the original gooseberry left compared to a year ago. Worryingly on some of the pruning I found what looks like coral spot - a fungal disease that attacks dead wood primarily but can spread to ‘living wood’ too. I shall have another pruning session in a day or two to try and make sure I’ve taken out all the dead wood I can see and to clear all the dead wood from around its base. I hope the coral spot is secondary.

Monday 25th April

Today started off very unpromisingly with showery rain & felt quite chilly so there was something special about having the sun come out at lunchtime. Today’s main activities were around sowing cucumbers, courgettes & pumpkin seeds which are now safely on my bedroom windowsill. I put in a few more plant supports & did a bit of thinning of overenthusiastic growth. Ben had a happy roll about on the patio so is probably rather pleased I have created some space for him to do so.

A bit of sunshine goes a long way to make me happy! A few bees to photograph help too.

Bliss to just sit in the arbour seat in the sun!

Busy Sunday

I have had a busy day in & out the Magic Garden. First thing I took a picture from top of the house so I could see where the spaces are in the borders. I am amazed by how quickly everything is growing now & by the constant changing look of the garden as the perennials come back into life. I then spent several hours finishing off painting the fences, the back border edgings and the cold frame. I took the opportunity to rearrange the pots again and to move the raspberries as far away as possible from the potato sacks - raspberries & potatoes should not be grown near each other or so I was told when I had an allotment. It seemed to be true there!

I am very pleased with the grey of the fences - its a bit darker than I intended but I think will weather down quickly & I like the green against it.

The pulmonaria is looking lovely & I think is happier for getting more sunlight. Along with getting some more heuchera I plan to get some more pulmonaria for this back corner.

The goldfinches look lovely against the grey fence and its good to see them enjoying the nigella seeds that I had bought with them in mind. The pigeons seem to really like them too.

Sunny Saturday

Today has been another beautiful day. I have painted a large chunk of fence so that there is about a panel & a half left, plus all the edging & the arbour seat. I then spent a long time talking to my brother on the phone sitting enjoying the sun and then just sitting. Sitting on the garden rocking chair I really enjoyed the scent of the broom from beyond the pond. Looking across the garden its bright yellow is beautiful against the grey fence.

Broom is in the legume family and has the typical flower type. It has a strong vanilla scent & apparently the flowers are edible although as they are supposed to be flavourless I don’t think I will bother finding out!

Broom was used as a heraldic badge by Geoffrey of Anjou & thereafter by the House of Plantagenet, rulers of England. Their name supposedly is derived from its Latin name of plants genista.

The bees & other insects are busy around it too although I think there are fewer bees than in previous years.

Its magical use is in spells for purification and protection although in Italy it was burnt to stop witches. Stories of witches riding sticks made of broom may be related to compounds within it that are psychoactive. Otherwise its used as a diuretic & in the form of an ointment in treatment of gout.

Sunshine

Its been beautiful today so I have spent quite a bit of time sitting in the Magic Garden as I’m still not feeling 100%. I’ve painted another chunk of fence and watered the pots and potato sacks but otherwise just enjoyed a quiet spell with Ben watching the bees and the birds.

Lots of little snails around so I will soon have to start an eradication programme!

The dunnocks are very busy at the moment & demonstrating how clever they are by enjoying the feeders. I think my local birds are a bit unusual because the pigeons and the blackbirds also use the feeders.

Thursday 21st April

Another cool grey day with the occasional period of sunshine and another chunk of fence painted. I am pleased with the grey paint and think its going to be a perfect foil for the Magic Garden.

Ben unfortunately took a liking to the patch of earth in front of the broccoli patch. I have given up hope of the broad beans appearing and so today I planted out the cauliflowers that have been looking for a home here.

I have also planted out the last of the sweet peas - I have planted out so many that I hope some will do this year! I received in the post today a packet of seed for the perennial version so I hope this time next year to be looking forward to them flowering.

Rhubarb crumble might be on the menu this weekend. More apple blossom is out & the blueberries are coming into flower too.

Wednesday 20th April

The weather is again cool & grey but it is at least dry so as I’m off work, I got on, very slowly, with painting the fence. I have now got 2/3s of the way down the back fence and am pleased with the ‘city slate’ grey that I chose. I’ve been listening to an audiobook version “The Plant-hunter’s Atlas - A World tour of Botanical Adventures, Chance Discoveries & Strange Specimens” by Ambra Edwards from Kew Gardens while painting the fence and am amazed at the history of so many of the plants in my garden.

Tuesday 19th April

Today was gloriously sunny but still chilly. I spent a lot of it outside sitting in the Magic Garden but I did some practical things too .I rearranged the patio, moving the cold frame on to it and tidying up. I inspected the progress of my broccoli and with a few signs of slug damage I have added copper collars.

I spent quite a while just sitting & watching the birds on the feeders before planting out three more meconopsis poppies under the old star jasmine.

I’m rather proud of my photograph of a bee in a hellebore flower even if it doesn’t get the whole bee in focus.

Easter Monday

My painting continued today with the old rocking chair getting a makeover and a large part of the arbour seat. Unfortunately I have now run out of this darker grey paint too. I am really pleased though with the colours. I think I will probably paint the summerhouse once I’ve completed the fences and furniture.

Ben spent most of the afternoon loading around and watching me from a safe distance. I’ve left the blue plastic on the arbour seat as I know he won’t be able to stay off it for long.. He was a bit disapproving as I had the watering can out as I needed to water the potato bags that I belatedly started off yesterday. The seed potatoes have been on the kitchen window sill chatting for a long time & were probably ready to plant well before now.

The amount of blossom in the Magic Garden is rapidly increasing & most of the apples are coming into bloom now. I’m hoping there is more around to pollinate them than evidenced so far. The blueberries are also just coming into flower while the raspberries are sprouting beautiful fresh leaves.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday has been dry with sunny intervals but cool down here by the coast. I have painted one entire side of fence but have now run out of paint. Ben watched for a bit then snoozed under the little blackcurrant bush, fortunately avoiding the violets.

To my pleasure the wee Epimedium grandiflora ‘Bandit’ with its lovely heart shaped leaves has started to flower. The small white flowers are dainty and star-shaped. They remind me of aquilegia flowers.

I have been noticing the bees coming into the Magic Garden but my impression is that there are fewer than this time last year - perhaps just because its been cooler. Its a little worrying but another reason to grow a variety of flowers.

Saturday 16th April

I’m slightly disorientated in time by having the bank holiday yesterday and working today - if I work at weekends its usually a Sunday. When driving home from work this evening, I watched the temperature drop from 17 to 13C & it was not far off an east coast haar. I still went to sit in the Magic Garden with Ben in attendance. We are plagued from spring onwards by herring gulls and I was alerted to the presence of one by the cross warning noises Ben was making, sounding like one of the big cats rather than his domestic self. They are enormous birds and are proving difficult to deter..

Much more welcome were a pair of busy blue tits which are munching their way through the suet balls. They do go to the peanuts too but its definitely the suet which is the preferred meal. I could hear a wren most of the time I was outside. I couldn’t see it today but I am always amazed by how such a wee bird can broadcast so very loudly.

I did a bit of daffodil deadheading right round the Magic Garden, remembering they need to bulk up their bulbs rather than produce seeds. In contrast I have left the last of the overwintered kale to go to flower and seed as its providing a little fodder for some of the bees. I did a generalised check of the whole garden before coming to the conclusion it was teatime & time to go into the warm.

Good Friday

We have had a chilly day here - not quite making it to 13C where down south it was 23C. I made a slow start at painting the fence, managing just a couple of sections. I think the light grey is going to work well having now seen the spirea and broom against it . The broom is gradually coming into flower & smells amazing. The bumblebees have been a little slow to find it so far this year but then its not been very warm here as yet. I also did some path maintenance having got some ‘cotswold’ gravel for the main paths. I have put blue slate clippings around the central Thyme zone in pentagonal arrangement.

Ben was keeping an eye on my activities and being perhaps a little less than helpful. I might need to re-think the protection for my vegetables.

Maundy Thursday

Ben and I sat in the Magic Garden contemplating the lack of sunshine this morning. I retrieved some of the plant supports and did a little judicious tidying including de-heading of the daffodils. The centaurea montana is already taking over in the front quarter so I removed several pieces & then put in supports to allow the things round them to grow on up through. This version is the blue perennial cornflower and grows away freely spreading out. Under the rowan tree I have a posher version the ‘purple heart’. The blue ones aren’t far off blooming. The bees alone make it worth having them.

I went shopping & decided on a light grey paint for the fences and the smoke grey for the furniture. I also bought compost for the potato bags & some more ericaceous compost. I have 3 more meconopsis plants to put out this weekend. I was in town for a hospital appointment and walking round Leazes Park was impressed by the amount of flower around and especially the primroses. Seeing the moorhens (red beak) and coots is always a bonus.

Wednesday 13th April

I escaped work on time today allowing me to catch the last of the sun in the Magic Garden sitting in a surprisingly mild feeling wind. Ben-cat joined me while I had a cup of tea. The daffodils are going over now with the wind & yesterday’s rain hastening events. The Magic Garden is greening up rapidly though and bare earth is becoming more of a rarity.

I’m currently thinking about painting the fence and having bought a couple of tester pots tried them on spare bits of wood left over from the fence. The colours are smoke grey and arctic blue. I’ve painted the back piece of the rocking chair in the grey and think this will be the end choice.

The other maintenance task planned for sooner rather than later is to re-gravel the paths. I can hear my back complaining already! Hopefully the weather will play ball over the Easter weekend - its allowed to rain while I work but some sun on Easter Sunday would be a real treat.

Damp

Today was disappointingly wet given I was not at work but it was probably good for the garden. In amongst my food shopping I bought some osteospermums from the supermarket - they were lovely plants & should be white and blue when they flower. I decided to put them straight out in the Magic Garden during a dry period. I used the white ones underneath the rowan tree and the blue ones to fill in gaps along the sides of the south path.

Ben was surprisingly keen on being outside mainly to sit on the arbour seat & watch me as I filled up the cold frame with seedlings / young plants. I did a little weeding. I left the self seeded aquilegia in place.

Dandelions

Ben had the run of the Magic Garden today while I was at work. He wasn’t initially impressed with the idea but he had found the biscuits in the summerhouse so he must have had a happy snooze in there too. Beyond refreshing those biscuits and putting the hedgehogs’ food out, I spent only a few moments outside in the dark. I was pleased to note that the dandelion, that I probably should pull up, outside the patio doors is in full flower.

Dandelions are also known as piss-in-the-bed owing to its diuretic effects from dandelion tea. Its used for lots of other herbal medicine but with little evidence.

I tend to allow dandelions to grow, partly because it would be pointless to do otherwise but also because I know that both bees and butterflies appreciate their early blooming. There are lots blooming along the road verges at present which is always cheering to see. Ben was just glad to come in for a nap.

Palm Sunday

I had a satisfying afternoon in the Magic Garden clearing the border along the fence between my neighbours and me. It was mainly about clearing excess geraniums and weeding. I tied in the climbing rose a bit more and further along a honeysuckle and the ivy. .

I have tidied up the patio a little and am now thinking about what vegetables and salad to grow in the troughs.

I found a wee violet in the Magic patch next to the arch. It is so very delicate.

I enjoyed a few minutes just watching the dunnocks.

Saturday 9th April

My social life took priority today but I still took a bit of time to sit in the Magic Garden and watch the birds at the end of the day. The wood pigeons and collard doves are in amorous mode at present. I am always struck by how much bigger and greedier the wood pigeons are with their constant calling of ‘Eleri said’

I love all the daffodils but I think the yellow ones with orange centres are the most ‘daffodilly’ in the Magic Garden although the white ones are special too.

The hellebores are still lovely but are going over now & some are a bit scruffy. They will soon be swamped by other plants as the herbaceous perennials are getting going. Last year’s bedding is coming on well now too!

Friday evening

It was rather special to arrive home early enough to sit in the Magic Garden in the sun, admittedly with rather a lot of layers on as its still chilly. The sun was full onto my garden rocking chair and the summerhouse is my evening refuge as the season goes on for this reason.

Ben is re-discovering the various potted catnip plants around the garden as well as continuing to ‘cultivate’ the ones in the back corner.