Saturday, 27 March 2010

Clematis Armandii

Today I spent my birthday gift vouchers on this wonderful plant. It is an evergreen Clematis and flowers in March. I have planted it against the gazebo and it will intertwine with a lovely yellow rose. A big thank you to those who bought my birthday vouchers, as you can see, I have a wonderful present.

Thursday, 25 March 2010

Spring Buds

The Flowering Currant is always one of the first to flower

Buds developing

The Clematis is now in leaf an the flower buds are appearing

Perhaps the Daffodils will open today !

Forcythia beggining to open.
Goldfinches were seen in the garden this morning!





Sunday, 21 March 2010

Equinox and Hanging Baskets

The sun rose directly over the Creamery on the day of the Equinox. Such a beautiful sunny day, I hope that this is a precedent of things to come.

I planted up the hanging baskets in readiness for Summer. I have tried a new system this year for four of the baskets. I have bought circular sheets which have seeds impregnated in them and these are just placed on top of a nearly full basket of soil and then covered over with a thin layer of soil. The other three hanging baskets I have done in the usual way with plugs of plants. I have planted them in mono colours of red, yellow and purple consisting of trailing Petunias, Begonias and Verbena with Geraniams at the centre of each. I look forward to seeing the results. I have also planted Livingston Daisies and Allysym for the rockery.

Saturday, 20 March 2010

More Crocuses

Bright yellow splash in the orchard

Crocuses under an Apple tree in the orchard

Crocuses, Daffodils and Bluebells

A lovely shade of mauve

The Lupins are starting to grow





Friday, 19 March 2010

Toadspawn and Partridges

Great excitement as Toadspawn was found in the "turtle pond"











Waiting to be fed




Thursday, 18 March 2010

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Purple is the Colour


Wow! A new colour mix. The bees must have pollinated a white Crocus with Purple pollen


Self seeded

Crocuses in the Belfast Sink near the garage

Yesterday 3 Ladybirds were found in the bathroom. How they got there I do not know. One was black with red spots and the other two were red with the usual black spots.
Phil the pheasant has been paying us at least 3 visits a day. I hear him first thing in the morning crowing on the hill. He reappears after the seed has been put out for the birds at about 8.45am and then at about 4.30pm he returns for a last scratch under the bird table
outside the kitchen window. He is so magnificent and it is such a privileged to see him so close. His colours are so beautiful in the evening sunshine and he appears to glow.

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Ladybird






Today was a lovely sunny day, although there was a cold wind blowing. I weeded the bed near the gazebo and part of the big bed near the deck. My back is crying and I am shattered! I planted the Agapanthus into pots and put them into the mini greenhouse. I also planted 6 pink Begonias and a climbing rose in pots and they too are in the mini greenhouse. Great excitement! I saw the first Ladybird of the year!

Tuesday, 9 March 2010

Phil on the Hill


The Hill is now coming into full bloom with the purple and mauve flowers just popping out



Phil payed us a visit again






Monday, 8 March 2010

Buds Appearing


The Rosemary bushes have grown well during the Winter, considering that they were bought from the vegetable department of the local supermarket as a herb for the window cill in the kitchen. The deck still needs to be pressure washed and treated with teak oil. That is next weekend's task as long as the weather stays sunny.



The Daffodils are up and out of the soil. On some the yellow flower head can be seen busy developing, ready for a sunny display


A frog was seen in this pond at the weekend but was too quick for the camera. Now that I have cleared the weeds and cut last years Iris stalks the duckweed has started to multiply.

The fat buds on the climbing Hydrangea have started appearing in anticipation of a wonderful display against the piggery wall


The purple and mauve Crocuses are now out. They are always the last ones to flower. The yellow and white crocuses will now fade until next years display!




Friday, 5 March 2010

The Death of Roly

I found Roly on the lawn this morning! There had been a hard frost last night and the frost sparkled on his coat. Nose to tail he measured about 40cm, quite big! Glad that he no longer exists, sad as a I will miss seeing his antics. Well the poison worked!

Thursday, 4 March 2010








I have cleared the weeds from around the 2nd pond and cut the old stalks of the yellow Iris in the pond. I have also cleared out and dug the border underneath the hedge. Today I did one half of the rockery and need to buy some Aubretia and other bright spring flowers for the rockery. The temperature will be below freezing again to night. It was -18 in Scotland last night! I have taken the 2 green houses out of the piggery and washed them, ready to start the bedding plants.


Wednesday, 3 March 2010


The Flowering Currant getting ready to flower




Spring flowers
Fat buds are appearing, ready for an early summer display. Note Simba managed to get in the photo.
The catkins on the Hazelnut are coming out. We had the most tremendous crop of nuts in the Autumn. Even sharing with the raiding grey squirrel we had more than enough to see us through the winter and were able to give some away as surplus.



Tuesday, 2 March 2010

Crocuses on the hill.













Spring is here! the crocuses on the hill are rushing into bloom.