Each time I decided to go outside today it started spitting with dampness and then sleet or rain. However I had received some free daffodil bulbs yesterday so I have started trying to randomly add more into the Magic Garden
Thursday
Its been cold here again today & it was sleeting this afternoon. Ben thought about going out but pigeon watching from just outside the door was far enough.
Wednesday
Its still sitting around freezing here and mostly rather grey. Ben has been not surprisingly less than keen on being out but did investigated the Magic Garden at dusk while I refilled the feeders and checked the water. The solar lights are working well at the moment and I hope to get some more up soon.
Tuesday
It remains very cold and although the snow is only a sprinkling it nevertheless less is not going anywhere.
The scent from the Christmas Box by the backdoor is wonderful but Ben was determinedly staying indoors today
Monday
It decided abruptly to snow this morning at 8 am - it only left a light covering but was quite effective. Ben checked it out & made sure he could locate the catnip and that the vegetables troughs were ok. The effect was quite pretty and the wee snowdrop from yesterday was in a little bit of snow today.
Sunday
Its been very windy here this weekend and I had to do a bit of restorative maintenance including repotting the wee Christmas tree which had been blown out of its pot and across the garden. I was pleased to find some more snowdrops.
Friday
Its chilly and windy here today. I did a little bit of garden maintenance and tied back the climbing roses pulling the shoots horizontal - I’ve been doing this a couple of years now and it does seem to make for more flowering. Ben attacked the back catnip patch before deciding to watch me from indoors
Thursday
Bit of a non-gardening day today. I wasn’t home early enough to catch the light and taking pictures of Ben in the dark didn’t work either!
Wednesday
Today was a chilly mix of sunshine and showers. Ben spent a few minutes out in the Magic Garden with me and supervised the planting of a Mahonia ‘soft caress’ into his catnip border at the back of the garden. I decided to add this plant some time ago having seen it recommended by Monty Don & knowing it should be shade tolerant but its taken me a while to find one
Tuesday
Its been wet and windy here today so it was a surprise to find a dascia still in flower. Otherwise I’ve been enjoying the seedbeds around the Magic Garden and Ben has been fairly determinedly an indoor cat
Monday
I’m still suffering from the effects of doing too much in the Magic Garden yesterday but I am pleased with the results, being able to see the globe artichokes. Today I added to the two dogwoods already at the back with a third, a yellow one this time, Cornus ‘Flaviramea’. The idea is to make a little bit of colour at the back of the garden to look down through to in winter. Thinking in a similar way I also planted a small witch hazel, Hamamellis Intermedia ‘Jelena’, in the space where I moved the apple tree out of. It should have enough space to prosper.
Sunday
I went for a rather dramatic change to the Magic Garden today having thought about it for around a year. I have removed the hazel arch. I haven’t dug out the stumps as my back is extremely sore after just the sawing down of the arch. I shall save that for an unspecified future date!
Saturday
Saturday started wet but Ben still wanted his breakfast outdoors on the step. There are promising signs of spring with the daffodils breaking through.
The other plants that are going to need some help are the catnips as Ben has had so much interest in the remaining ones.
The heuchera are not all standing up as well as I had hoped to the winter - I’m hoping a little bit of tidying in spring will sort the problems out.
The Full Moon last night was a bit hazy as the clouds were passing back and forth in front of it
Friday
I am catching up on tasks that should have been done well before now. I planted out some allium bulbs in the Magic Garden and was going to plant out a second bulb’s worth of garlic, only to find that it had rotted.
Thursday
Ben for once has spent more minutes outside than me as I continue to fight off a chest infection. I’m enjoying a bit of retail therapy though in the meantime & have been ordering some seeds with a plan to get the windowsills busy.
The leeks!
Wednesday
Felt a little sad today as I brought the fairy lights in from the front garden. I do like the effect of them twisted along the front railings but Christmas is over and locally I seemed to be the last to pack away the decorations. I’ve left the ones in the Magic Garden though as although the neighbours can see them others can’t and I enjoy having the lights. I’m loving the colours in places around the Magic Garden. I hope the hips will redden up.
Tuesday
I love witch hazel - mine is Hamamelis Intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ and is just beginning to bloom. I have lost my sense of smell at the moment but I’m looking forward to being able to appreciate its scent again. Its in the back of the garden where I’m gradually creating winter interest with the two red dogwoods that have survived so far. I was bit disappointed to find out that the ‘witch’ is a derivation of ‘wiche’ which meant pliant or bendable. I had rather assumed that it was because of the numerous health uses!
Bank Holiday Monday
We had a little sunshine this morning so Ben decided he would like to have some food outside. I sat and enjoyed the birds who totally ignored both of us
My Christmas Box (Sarcococca confusa) is in bloom at the moment and sweet smelling by the backdoor in its pot. The black berries are there at the same time as the flowers but the blackbirds are harvesting them regularly.
New Year's Day 2023
Having seen in the New Year quietly, Ben spent moments in the Magic Garden today. It was chilly but mainly dry. The Magic Garden is looking a little bleak at the moment but I found my first snowdrop signalling signs of spring.
I planted a Christmas rose under the apple tree in the back to join the winter border. As I’d bought it at a supermarket its not a named variety.
Helleborus niger is named the Christmas rose because of a legend in which this flower sprouted from the snow where a young girl (who had no gift to give to the son of God) had been crying.
In the Middle Ages, the flowers of the Christmas rose were believed to drive out evil influences and people therefore scattered them throughout the household for protection. These white flowers were also used to bless livestock and ward off witches. I don’t plan to pick the flowers so they should protect the Magic Garden instead.
Hogmanay
The end of a year in the Magic Garden. Its looking rather untidy and dreick at the moment but also already full of promise for the coming year.
