July 2007

The weather has been appalling. I could've cried when i returned at the weekend. The grass was ankle high and the weeds were growing apace. It's a struggle to get outside with the weather and working away and to keep on top of things at the moment.

There are some highlights though. My first strawberry was picked and it is big and luscious. I haven't netted them yet but noticed that another red juicy one had been at the mercy of the birds. The frame is all ready to go on the strawberries and i just need to staple the netting to the frame which was built as a nice surprise for my return by OH.

The pots are starting to fill out now but they need some sun to bring them to their best. The rain is welcome but they are really looking a little rain bruised in parts but they are adding a lot of colour to the garden.

Another delight was that my nasturtiums which i planted from seed sent to me from a fellow gardener are doing great, they are in full bloom now. I also noticed that my nasturtiums from last year had self seeded around the apple trees but are a tad behind my tubs. Despite today being a cool and windy day there was one determined bee working the nasturtiums.

Those that know me well know i have a fascination for bees and wasps and often sit and watch them at work in the garden. I have taken the time to try and understand the role each visitor to my garden plays...by understanding what they do helps me to live in harmony with them. I have to say that wasps usually get a bad press being persecuted just because they can sting more than once. I can state in all honesty i have only been stung once by a wasp, other stings i have received have been by bees, and if i'm being honest it's been my own fault each time in all cases so I have the utmost respect for wasps and bees.

Blackie's bench is worked by wasps who use their strong jaws to take the wood, rolling it into a papier mache ball to take back and build a nest. This is a dead give away for a nest nearby. Wasps chew wood pulp from sheds, fences, eaves or barge boards or other wooden structures on or about the house. Try to watch their flight paths and where they disappear to and come from this will give you an indication of where the nests are. They are relatively docile unless attacked; a wasp will normally only use its sting to defend itself, the nest or to subdue prey.

Wasps build a new byke each year usually in the spring, they never use an old byke. Then come the autumn the wasps all die off and the queen will go into hibernation. When you see how much effort they put in and how much wood they collect to make a byke you wouldn't want to destroy one. I would encourage anyone to think twice before getting rid of a byke unnecessarily. What? I hear you cry - has she taken leave of her senses? Well, no, actually. Wasps are hard working gardener's assistants, eating insects, caterpillars and other nasties. They do have a useful role scavenging for the larvae of other insects, controlling garden pests and clearing carcasses early in the season. They even dispose of rotten timber. You may do well to actually encourage wasps in the garden as they do a good job of culling greenfly and other aphids.

Late summer is when the workers indulge in sweet substances - fruit, jams, syrups etc. and this is when they start being a nuisance as they search for sweet food, and whilst not particularly hostile, they will sting if aggravated.

As the cooler weather comes, the wasps become drowsy and more irritable, and this is not helped by them feeding on over-ripe fruit. They are better left alone when like this but then so would you if you had a hang over!

So perhaps we should give the wasp a break...afterall every being on earth has it's place in the ecosystem and work together......even wasps.

Happy gardening!

May 2007

I was so excited having received several grasses and bamboos from fellow gardeners which they were thinning out. They arrived in the post and with no idea what lay inside i opened to see wonderful plants. I think you have to be a gardener to understand the sense of excitement of receiving plants in the post. Before planting i watered them and let them rest for 24 hours after the journey before setting them in their new homes. That's the thing about gardeners they are very giving people and like to share. Unfortunately my plants are not mature enough for me to yet share parts of my garden but i look forward to the day that i do. That said i have managed to share some strawberry plants so i feel at least that's a start.

Very busy in the garden of late getting things planted. We had a whole 10 days or more without a drop of rain but finally the skies opened and watered the garden nicely this weekend. You can feel the difference after rainfall the garden ready to gallop away again. We've another week of rain and then it should brighten up again but it will certainly give the new plants a boost.

Walking around the garden there's lots happening already, the strawberries are in flower and with promise of more to come it looks like a bumper harvest again. The gooseberries had been attacked by the gooseberry sawfly so i sat and handpicked off all the caterpillers and the eggs i could find. Having made several checks since it would appear that for now anyway i've done enough. The gooseberries have flowered already and i have small goosegogs already forming. The currant bushes are still in flower and will be a little behind.

These Nasturtiums were planted at Easter and have made great strides in growing. I find they grow better if you don't disturb them, they will grow on if transplanted but it really does slow them down so these days i just sow what i need where i need them. These are in pots either side of the arbour seat in the veggie garden. More have been planted but not showing through yet under the apple trees. The seeds for these Nasturtiums were given to me by a fellow gardener, Bob. For the small cost of postage he sent me loads of different seeds and i must say the germination rate is equal if not better to those i have bought.

Having made a good start by planting up twenty largish pots for starters, I've still got plants in the cold frame hardening off for pots so still more to do along with my hanging baskets and more plants waiting to be hardened off. I usually do five 14" baskets for the front of the house and usually include surfinias, geraniums and petunias. I used to add trailing lobelia but it's not very good when the weather dries out the compost so i tend to use plants that will stand a bit of heat and not go to seed just cos i'm a bit late with the watering. I find the trick is to keep deadheading and make sure you don't overwater them which is easy to do with baskets as i water them insitu. I tend to line the baskets with black polythene cut to size from bin liners and puncture a third of the way up the sides so that it only retains a reservoir of water in the bottom. To hide the black polythene i also plant the sides so that they are covered much quicker. I only need to water these daily usually in the evening and feed them once a week. Two of my neighbours have already asked me if i'm doing baskets again this year and when are they going up, but this won't be until June and they will stay there until the first frosts. Pots are hard work in keeping up with the watering in the hot summer sun but they are worth it. This year i've included fuschias too in the pots so will see how they do.

When i think of my garden as finished, if a garden is indeed ever finished, i always imagine lush green grasses and bamboos, interspersed with beautiful flowering plants with bright flowers that look naturally placed and complimenting each other...of course that is by day. I also would like my garden to look it's best at night when it's dark and really hanker after some sophisticated lighting. The garden at the mo is not mature enough to realise this dream but there are things that i can do now for the future such as planting the right plants. By keeping the palette light - i've planted lots of white flowers and those in very pale tints of pink or yellow that will glow at dusk and into the darkness. Many white flowers pack a double wallop in the evening garden: they're often more fragrant than brightly coloured (or even pastel) blooms. Some, such as nicotiana (flowering tobacco), release their intoxicating aromas only at dusk. Variegated foliage - striped, spotted or mottled with white - stands out at night in much the same way white flowers do. Any white flower looks good at night and you have hundreds to choose from in annuals and perennials of all sizes and shapes.

Add water in some form - a small pool, a fountain, even a birdbath. It will provide a reflective surface for moonlight and starlight, its gentle sounds lend a sense of tranquility to the scene and the extra moisture in the air further intensifies the scent of flowers. I have a birdbath sited amongst plants and also a water feature on the patio which i surround with big lush plants so that only the sound can be heard, this is quite effective and rather soothing. My larger grasses are illuminated using discreet solar uplighters and the larger ones are already quite effective at night, i plan to increase this through time and as the plants mature with downlighters. Solar lights give a soft glow at night and are very pretty. I also have solar lanterns on the fences too.

Of course, with lighting you are in control. If you have an ugly part in your garden at night you can ignore it... and only highlight the best bits. I recall staying in Aberdeen a few years ago and the restaurant next door had this wonderful garden that diners looked out on. They had mature trees with uplighters and the effect was really stunning. That image has stayed with me and one day would like to recreate that effect, of course my tree is only small at the moment but i can dream can't I?