View from the roof

Jackdaws started nesting in the main chimney filling it with sticks .The nets on the pots burn away after a few years with the fumes from the fire .While the new net was being fitted these photos were taken from the roof. It was just a shame it wasn't later in the summer when there would have been lots of colour.The first picture shows the 2 greenhouses in the front garden ,then beyond the wall the ornamental garden to the right and the fruit trees and potato patch on the left. the bottom area is the wild flower meadow .
second  picture shows the front garden originally this was as far as the garden extended. the third picture shows the raised Vegetable beds at the side of the house

Carnivorous Plants

 

These Sarracenias where grown from seed about 10 years ago. Sarracenias are insect eating plants that live on bog land and require no fertilizer at all, their nutriments are derived from the flies that they catch and digest. The flowers they produce are quite unique. They are very slow growing but well worth the wait . The amount of flies they catch in their funnel shaped leaves is amazing

Checking the hives

hive with inside cover on

inside the hive

A brood frame

 Today was was very warm and no wind.An Ideal chance to take the opportunity  to inspect my bee hives and analyse what will need doing to get them ready for honey production this summer. When I opened all three they were a bit like the three bears .One was too large one was too small and the 3rd one was just right. So some major work needed doing .I had to swap combs around between hives to make the strong and week hives equal.the small hive had 6 frames of brood from the strong hive . (A brood frame is a comb of young bees about to hatch).This brood frame shows clearly how a brood frame is laid out .The sealed chambers with the grubs that will turn into bees are in an

arc in the middle of the frame. This is surrounded by a store of pollen (Protein ) and surrounding this is an arc of honey (carbohydrate)the larger cells that look like small balls at the upper part of the  frame are Drone brood. these are male bees ,who do nothing  at all to contribute to work in the hive.there sole aim in life is to mate with a new queen. They cannot even feed themselves they have to be fed by the female bees

.After checking the bees now they will need feeding, Although the weather is warm and they are bringing in honey from a good supply of

dandelions the severe winter has taken its toll

and food stores are low. They will need a supply of sugar syrup to save them from starving if the weather changes.

I had an order from Vernons Nursery last week which was a disgrace, to say the least. the plants were half dead in fact 2 have died,                      I rang FIR TREES NURSERY to see if they had any larger plants that I could buy 

I had bought a few plants from them a few weeks earlier and they were excellent value . When I told the lady on the other end of the phone how disappointed I was. that my order from Vernons was so poor and bad quality ,she was so helpful. She promised to go through the plants they had overwintered and If I left the choice up to her she would select

 larger plants for me. Two days later 2 large boxes arrived with five plants between the 2 boxes .the plants were huge and amazing quality they only cast me four pounds fifty pence each.twice the price of the Vernons plants but 6 times bigger.I have repotted them into 12 inch terracotta pots. it goes without saying I will only buy From Fir Tree nurseries in the future for my geraniums and Pelagoniums

 This water tank started leaking rather than throw it away I have planted it up with 2 Goji berries the one on the left was bought as a small plant ,the one on the left I grew from seeds from a packet of dried Goji berries . they are so expensive to buy dried and I've never seen them on sale as fresh berries 






This Jasmine is in flower in the greenhouse the perfume is beautiful.

The tomatoes are in place in the big greenhouse ready for planting tomorrow. Dwarf French marigolds are planted at the edges to prevent white fly on the tomatoes.
I will be planting cucumbers at the top end of the bed

Marran eggs put in the incubator for hatching. with a bit of luck in three weeks we may have chicks.
I have found a really good site with assorted Marran  eggs for sale.So I might try it when  my own chicks are hatched.

 My early birthday present arrived 
on Saturday ,two tonnes of bark for the garden .
This coincided with the two warmest days so far this year. I managed to weed the long flower border and mulch it .Also the small flower bed at the side of the path leading to the front garden. 

This used one Tonne .The second tonne will be used on the strawberry bed and the flower beds in the front garden.
I was really pleased to note there are not too many losses in the garden after the hard winter we had.

 I have managed to raise some Giant Echiums  plants this year. Two are planted in this small bed I'm really hoping they will turn out to be something special.
The Sweet Peas are planted in the greenhouse just inside the door.I grew them here last year and the perfume filled the whole 
                                                        greenhouse,with the added bonus of having beautiful Sweet Peas for the house earlier than I would have had from the garden.
The powder in front of the Sweet Peas is fish meal which will water in and feed them throughout the summer.

 The potato plot is now finished and both early and late potatoes are already planted.there are two rows of earlies which are Rocket and the remainder of the bed is planted with blight resistant Sarpo Mira

Start of April

April has started with cold winds and rain but plenty of greenhouse work to do. The Tomatoes are growing away like mad and I have had to clear the large propagator so they have enough space so they won't go leggy. By the end of the week I will be taking them out of the propagator by day and if the weather is dull I will put them under the grow lights .its expensive but worth it , then they will be put back into the propagator again to keep them warm at night.
I have planted early Sweet Peas in the green house, so I will have plenty for the house nice and early. I love the perfume it fills the greenhouse .

The climbing French Beans and Runner Beans are ready to plant out in the greenhouse , I am trying something quite unusual I have planted them into 1 1/2 litre water bottles and some into empty milk cartons  with holes in the bottom, hopefully it will protect them from the dreaded VOLES .and give them a chance to grow.
 I have moved the electric rat trap to the greenhouse to see if it will catch Voles .Caught no rats with it they are too clever just one mouse was tempted  by  the lure of the peanut butter
The plants for the baskets and tubs are coming on great and have taken cuttings from them and increased my surfinias   to about 50.

I sowed cut and come again salad leaves and herbs about four weeks ago they will be ready to start cutting next week.I have also planted onion sets in pots to use as spring onions .works out cheaper than buying bunches in the super market and fresher and tastier too.
This lovely pot of Ox Slips was a present from my brother Fred I am growing it in the greenhouse so I can collect the seed and then sow it fresh and hopefully plant the seedlings in the Wild Flower  Meadow in the autumn.
The Plum tree must have heard me threatening to prune it severely in the summer 2 days later the buds were producing little white flowers yippee plums (If the wind doesn't blow them away)