spring English violets One of my favourite sites in the spring English countryside is wild violets (aka English or sweet violets, viola odorata). For a few short weeks the whites, purples and pinks
spring Garden Walk - Spring Morning Just past the spring equinox, we walk around the garden in the morning and see lots of daffodils and hear lots of bird song. Hellebores and cyclamen coum are highlights
chickens Chickens Despite being vegan, chickens have always been part of my ideal garden dream. When the pandemic hit and we went into lockdown in March 2020, we found ourselves more eager
spring Highlights of the spring equinox Here's a photo display of everything that was looking delightful at the spring equinox this year. These early blooms are a vital early source of food for bees as the
vegetables July: it's not too late to sow in the veg beds It's mid-July and our renovation, that was supposed to finish at the start of May, is still ongoing. Although we are now in the house, the delays meant that we've
vegetables Salsify In my excitement to try new varieties, I often over order on potatoes and onions. 'Never mind', I think, 'I'll just give them away to friends who also grow their
spring Warm soils I know I had my direct sowing schedule right this year because as soon as I planted my seeds, the dog started thinking that the vegetables beds were the perfect
Seedlings in the propagator emerge I wonder if there'll be a spring in some distant future where I have sown and potted on so many seedlings that their emergence starts to dwindle in its potency
bulbs Later winter jewels of the shade garden The shade garden is the one bed in our garden that I built from scratch (ignoring the cotoneaster and shrubs that were already on the boundary). This meant that I
winter Winter reflections We've been in a caravan in our garden all winter due to house renovations but, despite the few mornings of frozen pipes and no water, it hasn't been all that
monthly jobs Tasks for Feburary Despite the cold weather, February is the month I get the most excited about. Admittedly, I am still not spending that much time out in the garden and the weather looks like it is going to drop below zero quite a few more times
winter First sowing of 2019 Despite the snow and frozen ground and -5C nights, the growing has begun. These first seeds are always special, holding all the promise of the growing year to come. They
winter Winter windfall treats for wildlife I'm always happy to leave some fruit on the ground for wildlife to gorge on over winter, particularly if that fruit is quinces (which I still have no idea what
shade Shady mid-spring highlights I absolutely love this garden that we've inherited but there are only a few areas of the garden that I've designed (or my loose interpretation of it anyway). The prairie
Bullfinches Until today I had never seen a bullfinch and was previously a little bit frightened of them. 'Bull' is normally attached to things that are a little scary (bullsnakes, bulltoads,
wildlife Fox hunts The fox has emerged from its winter den and is hunting in the field behind us. It waits patiently above the rabbit burrows and then snatches any unsuspecting bunny head
flowers Know your plants and you'll be rewarded I've mentioned before that when we moved into this house in November 2016 I panicked. We bought the house for the garden but once we moved in the responsibility of
birds Nests in awkward places My parents were visiting in April for my PhD graduation from Cambridge. As I always do before my dad visits, I made a very long list of all those slightly-beyond-my-DIY-skills
spring Delightful daffodils When we moved into our new garden, it was the end of autumn. We had seen it a couple of times in high summer but we were otherwise oblivious to
wildlife Birds in spring One of the joys of our garden is the variety of birds that it attracts. Sure, I may curse the pigeons as they strip my brassicas to tiny green skeletons
spring Spring joy in the alpine garden This garden has really awakened my appreciation of ornamental plants and just how useful they are for wildlife, especially in the early parts of the year when food is scarce.
Another mystery: weed or not? Along the back of our house is a strip of stones and pebbles. The strip gets the morning sun so we've placed a table and chairs there for warmer mornings
wildlife More birds, less bugs, healthier fruit trees? Two of the best features of our little terrace house in Cambridge were an ornamental cherry and a red crabapple. We planted both in the few years that we were
spring Snowdrops in March The snowdrops have been early for the last few years but the terrible weather this year meant that quite a few varieties are only just coming out now. Last year
bees Spring feasts Spring is here! I know because the bees are out and about. The favourite appears to be the crocuses but these have been unrealiable in the frosts, snow, rain and
