New Season

And we are pretty much up and ready for the next Season which is upon us. Heale opened properly this week and we have had the odd visitor float past.

I am very happy with the way the veg garden looks right now. We have prepared all of the beds and are finishing some of the finer details now such as using cloches to pre warm the soil and cutting Willow supports for the wig wams so as to allow any new plants to cling onto something.

Tulips are popping up in the terracotta pots and bulbs are rearing their heads in the cutting rows such as Narcissus and Allium.

Varied work this week. My other garden is a smaller scale and so I managed to get ahead with planting our Broad Beans and Beets under cloches. I also pricked out quite a few flowers. I pruned and tied in a large Actinidia kolomikta, which has stunning variation on its leaves in white and pink blending with green. A beautiful foliage plant from the Kiwi family.

At Heale we started on a new project in an area of the garden under renovation. We marked up a design using canes and string. A learning curve for me as I have never formally studied Garden Design (as much as I enjoy designing for myself).

I really feel ready for growing now and am excited for all of the seeds we have sown which are waiting to come on.

Hurry up Spring!

Snow and the garden

Did I say in my last post about a brief dusting of snow? What snow we have had today!

Like everyone else, HG and I have had to decide what to do in this weather. Today we decided there was work to do and we battled on through until the snow became too much. Very cold conditions, but plenty to be done in the Greenhouses.

Once we thawed the compost (the outside temperature went to -4!), we sowed more Sweet Pea seeds and nurtured our seedlings and cuttings. Two Robins came to see us, starving and pecking at the bait on our mouse traps!

We checked on heaters, temperatures and the slipped glass in the windows of the Greenhouse which might let in the snow.

There is always something to do in the garden, even in the snow. Time to plan and reflect as the garden freezes, stood still, temporarily on hold before the season begins. We opened to the Public for the season today. The quietest opening day ever!