Jan 22 2012 Garden no1

Garden 2012 no 1

Only January 22 and I’ve just spend most of the day in the garden. I can’t think of another year when I started so early. My biggest fear is that we will have severe march weather and lose every thing that is budding so early.
There’s not that much I could do, even though it was dry sunny and not too cold, it’s too early in the year to do very much. I set up the 3 potato barrels and the strawberry planter in a new position where I hope they will get more sun.
I’m not replacing my strawberries this your so it was just a case of moving the tub and then next time I’m out there I can tidy them up and make sure they look OK for this year. The potato barrels are full of compost that is fed, watered and waiting to accept the seed potatoes. The seed potatoes themselves are chitting away on a shelf. I’ll get those planted as early as I can.
I've filled fed and watered two big green tubs and three grey tubs ready to plant more veg next month. I've not quite decided what i'll be growing in these tubs but when I do decide.......they are ready.
All the good allotment books seem to think you can start to force the rhubarb in January by covering the crowns with pots. I’m not sure this will work, some of the crowns barely show above the earth, and the stones on top of the pots are my idea, an attempt to keep them in my garden next time the high winds come. It will be nice if it does work, if not I’ll just lat nature do its own thing next year.
It’s a bit too early to do very much with the herbs. They should all come up again this year and they do need a little weeding, tidying and feeding, but for now I’ve just collected them all together and positioned them in the garden in the position I think is best for them.
I obviously did the right thing  in November last year when I planted my runner beans and garlic. They are both shooting now and if I get to harvest them early enough I may even get two crops this year.
I planted bulbs in between the lavender and heather late last year and they are all shooting as well, I should get a good show of colour later in the year.
And lastly, I salvaged three little decorative bird feeders that were being thrown away, they are looking good around my pond and last time I looked out of the window, there was a little robin sitting on one of them.

Tags: garden 2012, garden

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delete reply bernardv wrote on Jan 23 I'm an absolutely dreadful gardener, watching the ivy grow up my walls is about my limit I'm afraid. My bluebells are popping up remarkably early this year though I must admit.

delete reply catherinearmant wrote on Jan 23 Nice, dear Loretta, nice Gardening in the making, hmmm ... doesn't it feel so good that Spring is around the corner again ?

delete reply reneenay wrote on Jan 22 all looks wonderful-hope all continue to grow well for you

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Jan 22 looking good :)

delete reply aaranaardvark wrote on Jan 22 It appears you have got everything admirably under control loretta, I share your concerns about potential frost damage and hope that the remainder of the winter will be kind to us and send us some more rain.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jan 22 thanks again for the inspiration. ♥

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 22 greenwytch said just wanted to let you know, i just posted some garden pics. ; ) I knoooooow...........soooooooooooooo excited I rushed right over there, Thanks Deb

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jan 22 just wanted to let you know, i just posted some garden pics. ; )

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 22 I can't remember EVER being out in the garden at this time of year before, either in England or in Scotland.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 22 bennett1 said Just never ceases to amaze me how mild your winters are for how far north you are. The Gulf Stream is a true gift to you. I think the only thing that is green in my garden is the winter thyme. How wonderful for you to be able to garden this early. This is the mildest winter we have had in years..............last year was terrible if you remember, we had 6 or more weeks of snow, ice and minus 10 temperatures. The year before was quite bad but nothing like as bad as last year. The climate seems so mixed up now you never know what to expect. But yes..................so far this year it has been very mild. I was really dreading having to live through another winter like last year seems I had nothing to worry about for which I am very thankful.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Jan 22 Just never ceases to amaze me how mild your winters are for how far north you are. The Gulf Stream is a true gift to you. I think the only thing that is green in my garden is the winter thyme. How wonderful for you to be able to garden this early.

delete reply rabbitfriendhere wrote on Jan 22 I love the birdfeeders you rescued from the garden. How adorable that you've seen the first bird on one of them. We here in Canada look longingly at your garden preparation. :-)

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Jan 22 Those bird feeders are cute.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jan 22 ok, you've talked me into it. ; )

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 22 greenwytch said i get so much inspiration from your garden blogs, Loretta. i really should start posting some of these, too. thank you. ; ) oh I wish you would, I love seeing your garden.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jan 22 i get so much inspiration from your garden blogs, Loretta. i really should start posting some of these, too. thank you. ; )

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 22 artprevails said Such a happy place, your garden. Can I bring a chair, some tea and sit a spell? you can but I suggest you leave it a couple of months.............the pictures are deceiving, the temperature was only about 3 degrees.

delete reply artprevails wrote on Jan 22 Such a happy place, your garden. Can I bring a chair, some tea and sit a spell?

Sep 4, 2009, The last of the garden for this year

The last of my Garden 2009

It has rained and rained and rained…………….and then rained some more. It rained so much my pond overflowed and the grass around the pond turned into a boggy mess. There have been floods and people stranded all over the North East of Scotland,  thankfully it’s not been that bad here but it has been very, very wet.
When I came home from work today there was a temporary reprieve from the rain. I opened the gate and realised, my garden summer is over. I always get sad when it’s time to tidy up the garden ready for the winter, and today was the day.
For weeks now my garden table and chairs and the wonderful little wood burning stove have sat in my garden, it has been like an extra room to my house, a lovely place to sit with a glass of wine in the evening or to take the newspaper and coffee in the morning.
Before the evenings grew shorter I invested in some small solar lights that sit on the steps up to my door, now there is hardly enough sunlight to charge the batteries during the day.
There are a couple of small jobs left to do next year, I ran out of time before I had to go back to work. I didn’t manage to do the tiling around the little rockery; the odd looking frames at the back of the little rockery are the supports form underneath the bath.
I’ve planted honeysuckle and jasmine ready to grow around them next year. I didn’t manage to get the sink and pedestal bolted to the shed wall either, that will be one of the first jobs on the list next year.
As I pack away the summer things I make sure I clean out and fill up all the bird feeders, the garden looks sad in the winter but I do get a lot of bird visitors and now is the time of year I like to start feeding.
The leaves are already falling from the old apple tree and the nesting box and the feeders quite exposed.
The dog roses are long gone and now we have the rose hips. The white winter berries are also beginning to grow, they seem quite early this year.
I looked out of my back window and realised my neighbours Rowan tree has already lost all the berries. They don’t last long because the birds devour them almost as soon as they grow.
My garden looks so bare without the summer furniture. I do have something to look forward to, it's my birthday soon and I think my daughters are going to get together and buy me a camera...............oh how I have missed my camera this summer, so with luck these could be the last pictures posted here  taken with my phone

Tags: garden, plants, pond

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delete reply gapeach7355 wrote on Sep 16, '09 So the seasons come and go... we favor one or the other more or less...but all is in its own time. Glad you enjoyed your garden and are ready to work contentedly there come Spring again. Something to look forward to...that in itself is a good thing.

delete reply suggar202 wrote on Sep 6, '09 I love your garden Loretta and I am sure that as winter comes, a different kind of beauty will be seen as always (though I have not experience Winter at all)... I hope all is well with you. Hugs ~ Tania

delete reply agnes128 wrote on Sep 5, '09 Already? I'm sad for you, I always feel cheated when I have to put back the hammock into its box. I'm currently harvesting tomatoes and beans. I know the time will come for us around here to take back the Summer stuff into storage. But not yet, weather forecast some sun next week. Youpeeeeeee!

delete reply djdx wrote on Sep 5, '09 Phone or not, the photos give us a view of this lovely space. Do you get an "Indian summer"? I never get to a moment when all is done and stopped for the winter.

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on Sep 5, '09 You put so much work into your yard/garden and so little time to enjoy it before the end of the summer. I was just thinking as I was reading this, how the seasons have changed with the swift passing of time. I remember reading about people on the other side of the world so looking forward to the warmer months and now those warm days are waning for you. As for me in the 'down unders', spring is springing. I could say that it was my first (or maybe second) garden day so far. I planted a punnet of pansies called 'Jolly Jokers' along with some weeding.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Sep 4, '09 How sad, but you have future projects to look forward to. Yea. you're getting a camera for your birthday!

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Sep 4, '09 I think the rain you got was part of Hurricane Bill (?). I know there was a hurricane that brushed the east coast of the US and they said it was going to follow the Gulf Stream to the northern UK. So sad, but the days are still longer than the nights. And you have lovely blue birdhouses.

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Sep 4, '09 I understand the sadness of 'closing' the garden for the winter, we always call it 'winterizing'. The trees are just starting to turn color and the mornings are a bit chilly, so that time is close at hand. Fortunately we usually have a burst of summery weather in October, commonly called 'Indian Summer'.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Sep 4, '09 msowens1 said een a pleasure to be a part of your garden this year..... ;-) aww thank you Mo...............

delete reply msowens1 wrote on Sep 4, '09 may your wishes come true [in case I am away during your birthday].... yes it has been a strange weather pattern for the year and I was thinking it won't be long now before I have to put everything away too...... it's been a pleasure to be a part of your garden this year..... ;-)