Two days before Christmas and the Winter Solstice has passed. It may not feel it right now but the corner has been reached and the turn toward Spring has begun. No doubt there will be more bad weather to endure but at least the days will begin to slowly lengthen. The weather has been wet and windy but today was a respite in the foul conditions and I was able to get back out into the garden.
The allotted task was to continue to widen the long border that runs the length of our southern boundary in preparation for more planting. We already have an assortment of shrubs in this border and last year planted more plus a scattering of Foxgloves. A couple of days ago I had taken off the turf, which was heavy work, but the soil underneath was compacted and needed digging over. This was quite a workout as it needed a pickaxe to break up the surface, then forking over and finally digging and turning the soil. I finished off with a thick mulch of compost which not only looks good but will help to improve the soil structure. The planting will be easy and we already have many plants grown from seed and cuttings to help fill the space. But this can wait until after Christmas.
I will certainly not be planting Tulips. Some form of rodent has had a field day raiding our pots and digging up pretty well all the Tulips we have planted. The bulbs have been carted off to store somewhere or have been devoured, so we have decided to call it a day with Tulip planting. Daffodils seem pretty resistant to this kind of problem and so I will plant out Narcissus 'Bridal Crown' in drifts next year. We have it in pots already and the pesky rodents have left these well alone. I also love the bubble gum scent of these late flowering Narcissus and they were a favourite of ours in the old garden.
But for now we can take a break, enjoy the garden in its naked finery, sit back with a sloe gin in hand and immerse ourselves in Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment