After over a week of rather cold weather, with lots of frost and some ice (and the odd light snow shower), today saw the start of something a little milder; not exactly warm, although I opened up the greenhouse to air it while the sun was on it, but above zero and bright and sunny. The improvement in conditions seemed to please the birds, who were rather more sprightly today and more focused on their pairing up. There have been tentative signs of nesting-mindset; I first saw a sparrow about three weeks ago pick up some grass (only to drop it again, as if it realised that it was a bit early to think of nesting), but I've seen them with feathers and other material in the past few days. We have several sparrow nests behind the fascia boards in the roof and in other holes in the stonework, but today one sparrow obviously decided to look for new quarters. Having spotted a potential entrance under the fascia above the guest bedroom window, he squeezed his head in but clearly didn't manage to get any further; but neither could he get his head out again. Luckily D went outside and heard the fluttering as he tried to extricate himself; in the end it took D and a neighbour, with a long ladder and a chisel, to make enough of a hole to free him. He flew off immediately, so with any luck he may have escaped injury or shock; but presumably he'll be more careful where he tries to squeeze into in future!
The other bird highlight of the week was three red kites wheeling over the field behind the garden; apparently a pair seeing off an intruder. We've also had visits from a male bullfinch and a marsh tit, and the food put out on the patio attracted not only the male pied wagtail (a feisty little fellow who isn't averse to taking on the robin) but on one occasion also his mate.
The hellebores are starting to flower, and bulb leaves are coming up in all the right places. The ordinary snowdrops are starting to bloom (just waiting for the doubles now). The forecast is for above-zero temperatures for the next week or so; all it needs is a little more rain to get things going properly.
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Winterish
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| Plum tree in snow |
The Birdwatch count was quite respectable this year, and for once genuinely representative of what has been turning up here recently. The birds are definitely pairing up, and most species came in two-by-two: robins, dunnocks, blue tits, great tits, starlings and pigeons, with several sparrows and blackbirds and one each of wren, chaffinch, collared dove and greater spotted woodpecker. Other birds that have been around but didn't make the count were a pied wagtail which only comes in really cold weather, and a song thrush that seemed to have broken away from a flock of fieldfares and redwings down in the field beyond the bottom of the garden. We've also had a flock of partridges - up to 30 - coming in the late afternoons.
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| Galanthus atkinsii |
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
Waiting for snow
So 2014 was the warmest year on record - not because of any big heatwave, just that the temperatures remained a notch above the norm for most of the year, and there was no really cold weather. It still hasn't got particularly cold here; a big dump of snow just after Christmas hit the Midlands but didn't reach here, and although there were some low temperatures over the festive period they weren't severe. So far this year it has been wave after wave of wet and very windy weather, with occasional sunshine; today was typical, with a chilly wind but some traces of warmth in the sun when it came out between the heavy showers. Snow forecast for overnight, but rain to follow and wash it all away. The wind is unremitting.
The greenhouse bubblewrap went up on Boxing Day, the dahlias were finally lifted last week (and the tubers look pretty healthy) and the last of the tulips were planted the other day.
The first snowdrops this year were Galanthus elwesii, with G. atkinsii just opening now. I really must remember to lift the latter ones this year and plant them somewhere more suitable; under the Viburnum davidii would be a good place for some of them. The winter-flowering viburnums and the winter honeysuckle are doing well, there's a Cyclamen coum trying to flower and the pink comfrey is also coming into bloom. The first buds on the big hellebore are also starting to open. Down in the veg plot, the garlic and Aquadulce Claudia broad beans are showing signs of coming up (confounding my pessimism about the latter; I've never done well with autumn-sown broad beans in the past, but I wasn't using a variety designed for winter then).
Although the weather hasn't been particularly harsh so far, the birds continue to enjoy the food put out for them. The sparrows, dunnocks, robin and blackbird come regularly to the patio, and today we've had blue and great tits, a pair of chaffinches and a woodpecker on the seeds and nuts. A wren is occasionally about, as was a goldfinch today, and of course there are the pheasants and pigeons (Lefty the lame pigeon seems to be a regular again). The flock of small finches has been around, sunning themselves on the neighbours' roof on Christmas Day and in the big ash tree last weekend; I think they may be linnets, which would be nice. I hope some of them stay around for the Big Garden Birdwatch later in the month.
The greenhouse bubblewrap went up on Boxing Day, the dahlias were finally lifted last week (and the tubers look pretty healthy) and the last of the tulips were planted the other day.
The first snowdrops this year were Galanthus elwesii, with G. atkinsii just opening now. I really must remember to lift the latter ones this year and plant them somewhere more suitable; under the Viburnum davidii would be a good place for some of them. The winter-flowering viburnums and the winter honeysuckle are doing well, there's a Cyclamen coum trying to flower and the pink comfrey is also coming into bloom. The first buds on the big hellebore are also starting to open. Down in the veg plot, the garlic and Aquadulce Claudia broad beans are showing signs of coming up (confounding my pessimism about the latter; I've never done well with autumn-sown broad beans in the past, but I wasn't using a variety designed for winter then).
Although the weather hasn't been particularly harsh so far, the birds continue to enjoy the food put out for them. The sparrows, dunnocks, robin and blackbird come regularly to the patio, and today we've had blue and great tits, a pair of chaffinches and a woodpecker on the seeds and nuts. A wren is occasionally about, as was a goldfinch today, and of course there are the pheasants and pigeons (Lefty the lame pigeon seems to be a regular again). The flock of small finches has been around, sunning themselves on the neighbours' roof on Christmas Day and in the big ash tree last weekend; I think they may be linnets, which would be nice. I hope some of them stay around for the Big Garden Birdwatch later in the month.
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Pink Christmas
It may be Christmas Eve, but the pinks are still flowering. A nice little posy of them picked today for the Christmas table; the progeny of cuttings taken from a stem in a bunch of supermarket flowers some years ago. The buds are pink, but the flowers open white with a deep pink base. Unseasonal, but welcome.
The weather is still windy and mostly mild, although tomorrow is to be clear and colder. Still nothing really cold in the forecast - just as well, as I haven't got round to putting up the greenhouse bubblewrap yet. Most of the tulips are now planted. I'm taking comfort from the memory of the winter a few years ago when the ground (and bags of compost) were too frozen to plant anything until January; the tulips still came up all the same. Here's to a floriferous 2015!
The weather is still windy and mostly mild, although tomorrow is to be clear and colder. Still nothing really cold in the forecast - just as well, as I haven't got round to putting up the greenhouse bubblewrap yet. Most of the tulips are now planted. I'm taking comfort from the memory of the winter a few years ago when the ground (and bags of compost) were too frozen to plant anything until January; the tulips still came up all the same. Here's to a floriferous 2015!
Friday, 19 December 2014
Mild December
Despite a few frosty nights, with the frost hanging around in the shade all day on a couple of occasions, on the whole the weather has been relatively mild; particularly so this week. Plants are refusing to die back; I'm still waiting for the dahlia stems to blacken. There have been windy spells, and some rain, but sunshine too. a real rollercoaster of weather.
There hasn't been much work done in the garden, other things having intervened. The tulips went into the bottom border yesterday, with last year's leafmould as a mulch; the soil down there needs a lot of improvement. Most of the pots are still to be planted up.
The last apples have been pecked off the cooking apple tree by the blackbirds (up to a dozen of them at a time) and the fieldfare. There's a stash of apples stored in the garage, both for us and to keep the birds going through the winter; I'm putting one or two out at a time in various corners of the garden to keep the blackbirds spread out. There are still several robins about (one was very pleased with my leafmould moving yesterday), lots of sparrows, a few dunnocks and starlings, plenty of woodpigeons (including our lame friend, who hasn't been about much recently but has been seen a couple of times this week) and collared doves and the occasional jackdaw and magpie. A woodpecker (gt spot) comes to the peanut container from time to time, and blue tits and great tits have also been in the bushes and occasionally bathing. A female bullfinch has come to the patio for a bath a couple of times, a wren was checking out the vegetable garden wall yesterday and a nuthatch has been tapping away in the trees. There's usually a pheasant not too far away, and the other day two dozen partridges were wandering about the lawn. Out and about, there are still lots of berries in the hedgerows, attracting the fieldfares and redwings; with the mild weather, the wildlife shouldn't be doing too badly at the moment.
There hasn't been much work done in the garden, other things having intervened. The tulips went into the bottom border yesterday, with last year's leafmould as a mulch; the soil down there needs a lot of improvement. Most of the pots are still to be planted up.
The last apples have been pecked off the cooking apple tree by the blackbirds (up to a dozen of them at a time) and the fieldfare. There's a stash of apples stored in the garage, both for us and to keep the birds going through the winter; I'm putting one or two out at a time in various corners of the garden to keep the blackbirds spread out. There are still several robins about (one was very pleased with my leafmould moving yesterday), lots of sparrows, a few dunnocks and starlings, plenty of woodpigeons (including our lame friend, who hasn't been about much recently but has been seen a couple of times this week) and collared doves and the occasional jackdaw and magpie. A woodpecker (gt spot) comes to the peanut container from time to time, and blue tits and great tits have also been in the bushes and occasionally bathing. A female bullfinch has come to the patio for a bath a couple of times, a wren was checking out the vegetable garden wall yesterday and a nuthatch has been tapping away in the trees. There's usually a pheasant not too far away, and the other day two dozen partridges were wandering about the lawn. Out and about, there are still lots of berries in the hedgerows, attracting the fieldfares and redwings; with the mild weather, the wildlife shouldn't be doing too badly at the moment.
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Tidying up
I don't believe in too much tidying up for winter; the wildlife prefers things left as they are. Realistically, though, some work has to be done otherwise it all gets out of hand and there isn't time in spring to catch up. There are plenty of rough areas, both in the garden and in the fields beyond, to keep the wildlife happy.
The greenhouse has had a bit of a clean (it still smells of Jeyes Fluid, which probably isn't great for the plants inside but I'm hoping it might fumigate out any greenfly that survived my washing of all the cinerarias). I wasn't as thorough as recommended, because there's still a lot of stuff stashed in the greenhouse for want of anywhere better to put it, but all the working area had a scrub. The tomato and aubergine plants have been turfed out (the aubergines had succumbed to grey mould anyway); I was about to do the same with my three-year-old chilli plants, but they're looking a lot better after I cut off the brown bits, so they can stay. I'm now gradually clearing the summer pots, planting up the frost-tender plants (argyranthemums, phormiums - 'Tricolor' has bulked up well and I've divided it - and phygelius) for overwintering in the greenhouse. I'm also going to try to keep one of the Ricinus communis going, to see how big it will get next year. The bulbs (mostly tulips, but some belated crocus, daffs and alliums) are going in the pots with some winter/spring interest on top (mostly violas, forget-me-nots, wallflowers).
The remains of this year's veg plants (beans and courgettes) have gone to the compost heap, and garlic and 'Aquadulce Claudia' broad beans have gone in (better late than never). There are still some lettuces near the back door, despite some frosty nights. The dahlias are still outside; the frosts haven't blackened them yet, although 'Ambition', which failed to live up to its name, is looking particularly ropy. Next year's colour is already on the way, however; the 'Atkinsii' snowdrops are nosing up through the ground.
The damp weather is giving way to cold, windy days and slightly frosty nights, which is preferable on the whole. The blackbirds and redwings are working their way through the berries on the holly tree, so some branches have been cut for Christmas and are in a bucket in the greenhouse. Other birds continue to come looking for food; there are still plenty of windfall apples, and the digging in the vegetable plot has attracted the partridges (11 of them today). A greenfinch appeared one day, which is encouraging after all the disease locally; we've also had a tawny owl in the ash trees, calling after dark. The mild autumn has obviously benefited the wildlife; there was a butterfly (tortoiseshell or red admiral, I couldn't see the detail) in the village hall garden on Saturday.
The greenhouse has had a bit of a clean (it still smells of Jeyes Fluid, which probably isn't great for the plants inside but I'm hoping it might fumigate out any greenfly that survived my washing of all the cinerarias). I wasn't as thorough as recommended, because there's still a lot of stuff stashed in the greenhouse for want of anywhere better to put it, but all the working area had a scrub. The tomato and aubergine plants have been turfed out (the aubergines had succumbed to grey mould anyway); I was about to do the same with my three-year-old chilli plants, but they're looking a lot better after I cut off the brown bits, so they can stay. I'm now gradually clearing the summer pots, planting up the frost-tender plants (argyranthemums, phormiums - 'Tricolor' has bulked up well and I've divided it - and phygelius) for overwintering in the greenhouse. I'm also going to try to keep one of the Ricinus communis going, to see how big it will get next year. The bulbs (mostly tulips, but some belated crocus, daffs and alliums) are going in the pots with some winter/spring interest on top (mostly violas, forget-me-nots, wallflowers).
The remains of this year's veg plants (beans and courgettes) have gone to the compost heap, and garlic and 'Aquadulce Claudia' broad beans have gone in (better late than never). There are still some lettuces near the back door, despite some frosty nights. The dahlias are still outside; the frosts haven't blackened them yet, although 'Ambition', which failed to live up to its name, is looking particularly ropy. Next year's colour is already on the way, however; the 'Atkinsii' snowdrops are nosing up through the ground.
The damp weather is giving way to cold, windy days and slightly frosty nights, which is preferable on the whole. The blackbirds and redwings are working their way through the berries on the holly tree, so some branches have been cut for Christmas and are in a bucket in the greenhouse. Other birds continue to come looking for food; there are still plenty of windfall apples, and the digging in the vegetable plot has attracted the partridges (11 of them today). A greenfinch appeared one day, which is encouraging after all the disease locally; we've also had a tawny owl in the ash trees, calling after dark. The mild autumn has obviously benefited the wildlife; there was a butterfly (tortoiseshell or red admiral, I couldn't see the detail) in the village hall garden on Saturday.
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Hello November
October finished unseasonably warm, but we were abroad and unable to enjoy it. Back in early November to very November-ish weather; occasional sun but mostly damp and chilly. The last couple of nights have seen a frost, but it's supposed to turn mild again (with more of the damp).
November is supposed to be "no-flowers", and certainly most plants have finished for the year, but the chrysanthemums have flowered nicely, and there have been quite a few dianthus flowers for picking, and the Bidens aurea in one of the pots is still doing quite well. In the wild-ish patch by the drive entrance the primroses are in flower, paired with the winter jasmine. Otherwise it's now the winter-flowering shrubs that are providing the flower colour, with a few pansies planted in pots for winter colour. I'm gradually pulling up and composting the remains of the annuals, as well as clearing fallen leaves. Lots of tulip bulbs waiting to be planted, in the bottom bed and in pots.
The last of the tomatoes were still clinging on in the greenhouse when we got back from holiday; they've now been picked and brought indoors to ripen. The two larger aubergines never softened, but I cooked them anyway; the tiny one rotted off. The greenhouse needs a good clean out, especially as the cineraria have got greenfly and I really should do something about that before the winter.
Despite our absence of nearly three weeks, the bird population hadn't taken itself off elsewhere, probably because the fallen apples and other wildlife-friendly corners provided lots of food for them. Within a few days of returning I had clocked up 25 species in the garden: woodpigeons and collared doves; rooks, jackdaws and a magpie; pheasants and partridges; the fieldfares and redwings, already here from Scandinavia, and a mistle thrush; a green and a gt-spotted woodpecker, feeding on the fallen apples and peanut feeder respectively; blackbirds (quite a lot) and starlings; a chaffinch which obviously survived the trichomonosis outbreak, a male bullfinch and two females, and goldfinches feeding on the seeds of Big Yellow Thing; many sparrows, several robins and a couple of dunnocks; blue tits and a coal tit; a wren, a pied wagtail and a treecreeper. Possibly also a goldcrest - I couldn't get a close enough look. Not a bad list, really.
November is supposed to be "no-flowers", and certainly most plants have finished for the year, but the chrysanthemums have flowered nicely, and there have been quite a few dianthus flowers for picking, and the Bidens aurea in one of the pots is still doing quite well. In the wild-ish patch by the drive entrance the primroses are in flower, paired with the winter jasmine. Otherwise it's now the winter-flowering shrubs that are providing the flower colour, with a few pansies planted in pots for winter colour. I'm gradually pulling up and composting the remains of the annuals, as well as clearing fallen leaves. Lots of tulip bulbs waiting to be planted, in the bottom bed and in pots.
The last of the tomatoes were still clinging on in the greenhouse when we got back from holiday; they've now been picked and brought indoors to ripen. The two larger aubergines never softened, but I cooked them anyway; the tiny one rotted off. The greenhouse needs a good clean out, especially as the cineraria have got greenfly and I really should do something about that before the winter.
Despite our absence of nearly three weeks, the bird population hadn't taken itself off elsewhere, probably because the fallen apples and other wildlife-friendly corners provided lots of food for them. Within a few days of returning I had clocked up 25 species in the garden: woodpigeons and collared doves; rooks, jackdaws and a magpie; pheasants and partridges; the fieldfares and redwings, already here from Scandinavia, and a mistle thrush; a green and a gt-spotted woodpecker, feeding on the fallen apples and peanut feeder respectively; blackbirds (quite a lot) and starlings; a chaffinch which obviously survived the trichomonosis outbreak, a male bullfinch and two females, and goldfinches feeding on the seeds of Big Yellow Thing; many sparrows, several robins and a couple of dunnocks; blue tits and a coal tit; a wren, a pied wagtail and a treecreeper. Possibly also a goldcrest - I couldn't get a close enough look. Not a bad list, really.
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