Creatures

Mainly quiet days at the garden this week, beautiful scenery, birds calling and hiding in the shrubs, colours aplenty in the leaves but yesterday was noisy with the wind rattling around.

A week for Moles, I learnt to set duffus traps and we caught one on the main lawn which has done tremendous damage in a huge sweep towards the river. I tried to catch another across the meadows down by the river but no luck yet. Good practice. Andrew showed me some huge rabbit warrens down by the trees near the river, never seen anything like it, hiding near the roots under the canopy of leaves. We also got to check out Badger damage and found the Chafer bugs they were

looking for. All that damage from a Badger and the grubs are tiny weeny.

I used a petrol mower to collect leaves and did some Rose pruning. We also tried to put our Peach tree to bed but the wind has probably pulled the fleece away by now.

I have been asked to design an area of garden in front of the house, hidden from the public (probably just as well!) and so I tried to measure the area, which is kind of overgrown in places and will have a think about what would look nice in a shady spot between two walls. I am going to draw my first ever plan and see how we go. So exciting thinking about choosing plants. I popped to Hillier's for some inspiration and boy was it beautiful there today, so much going on. I particularly liked the Gunnera which have been put to bed under their own leaves and look like alien life forms huddled together.

The grasses in the Centenary Border are stunning too rustling in the breeze, my faves are definatley the hairy ones, Miscanthus.

The apple trees at Houghton in the orchard are displaying apples like Christmas baubles, leafless stems with jewels hanging down. Gorgeous.

The Dragon got a new woodchip path and is looking really neat and happy.