Friends

This is my review of the book The Jewel Garden by Monty and Sarah Don which I have read recently. This book is a mixture of autobiography, come history of how Monty and Sarah created their garden, that is now so famous as the home of gardeners world.

But that is not really the whole story, the main driving force of the book is how Monty and Sarah rebuilt their lives following on from financial disaster, when their Jewellery business went belly up. They lost everything and the book gives a very honest traumatic account of this period in their lives.

Though it was brought about by different circumstances I could relate to their account, having to rebuild my life from a very large negative. Similar I restored a derelict house, though it was considerably smaller than described in this book. It has then taken me a further 20 years before I got a garden of similar size, which we are now working on to restore back to it's original glory.

When feeling disheartened by the weeds, rabbits and deer all doing their best, this book is a great inspiration as to what can be achieved by hard work, good inspiration and a little bit of compost.

The after the first 60 or so pages, which recount how Monty and Sarah get to the point of having the garden the book then goes through the year covering all the major highlights of the Jewel Garden. It explains how they got to that point and how the garden has evolved over time.

Of course it details the finer plants, and the text is accompanied by some fantastic pictures. Which is very useful to someone dyslexic like me who cant remember a plants name.

This is a lovely book which highlights the humanity of a star and his family that I see regularly on the TV. Every time I watch Gardeners World now when Monty is presenting it I will have a much greater insight into what I am seeing

I will record this as book 45 week 37 fiction 40 (audio books 6) non fiction 5

Over the last few days we have had a break in the dampness, and the yellow glow of sunshine has peaked through onto the ground. Damp warm conditions mean that the fertile ground has caused the grass to seemingly sprint in growth.

Though there is the risk of frost damage, we thought that as it was so long it would be wise to give it a trim, before it gets too long and very difficult to cut.

Also it was good to be out in the garden and making stripes across the lawn..To make the stripe the mower has a large flap of plastic/rubber which runs over the cut grass. This is held in place by a metal rod. Sadly during the process of cutting one end of this metal rod broke and the flap started to come away from the mower. Fortunately this was just when I had nearly finished. Only one strip left to do, but I had to stop there as I could not mow anymore with the flap half hanging under the mower.

t will be realtively easy to fix, with a couple bolts, washers and nuts. I was wondering about experimenting with an old leather belt to act as a large washer across the whole of the flap, but we will have to see...As the sun became shy again and hid behind the cloud and the wet stuff reappeared. Not having a garage, it is a job that will be much easier to do outside in the dry..Just have to wait a little longer.

So it is time for that cup of green tea and to think about the next project

You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering pet friendly holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage http://www.trostriecottage.co.uk

Friends

This is the ongoing record of how we are trying to develope our garden at Trostrie Cottage. Back in May I recorded how we were trying to develope a wildflower garden, which you can read here 

Well 6 months on we have to admit that it has been a failure.

Sadly all that has grown is weeds and grass

Even where we transplanted actual plants from areas that did have wild flowers they subsequently died

All it did was look a mess, so the hard decision was made.

Admit failure and cut the grass. All that has grown besides the grass is nettles, vast amounts of them.

On doing research I think the problem is that the ground is too fertile and the existing grass is too well established. Oh well who knows maybe after a few years of cutting we will have another go and see what happens then.

Unless one is building a show garden then gardening is for the long term, and not just the next couple of weeks.

 

This is my ad hoc update and diary describing how I am developing our garden at Trostrie Cottage in Galloway. You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage http://www.trostriecottage.co.uk/ in the South West of Scotland.

Friends, this is my add hoc record of how we are developing the garden @ Trostrie Cottage. The observant will have notice that I have not provided an update for a few weeks due to time pressure. This lack of time has also contributed to the subject of this entry

We have around half a dozen blackcurrant bushes and a few weeks ago they were covered in slowly ripening currant. Every few days I would go out and look at them, tasting the odd one to see if they were ripe.

The last time I tasted one, I thought well it will be a couple more days and they will then be ready for eating as they were ripening nicely in the sun. But evidently the birds, mice and other small mammals think that they are ripe slight earlier than me.

When I next went out with a large bowl to pick them, early in the morning before breakfast. My mouth was watering as I thought about them crossing the lawn to get to the bushes. Imagine my horror to find that there was not a currant left on the bushes.

So the wildlife had got there first and stole all of the currants. I have learnt my lesson. Next time I will find the time to put up some netting to keep them away.




A few days later, still feeling a little sore that they had all been stolen. I was pleasantly surprised that our neighbour Janet rang to say that she had a glut of blackcurrants which she could not deal with before she went away on holiday, and would we like some. Yes I said...

So we did get some blackcurrants after all, but ours will have to wait till next year.


You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering dog friendly holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage http://www.trostriecottage.co.uk

Friends, this is my add hoc record of how we are developing the garden @ Trostrie Cottage. With the sunshine of the last few days the grass has just taken off, and needs cutting at regular intervals to keep it under control.

Those that know me know that I like to try and make straight lines in the lawn, though as can be seen here the camera has picked up a positive waggle. Of course my excuse is there are too many bumps, holes and stones that need to be avoided. I try and remove a few each time I cut the grass.

Whilst I was cutting I noticed that my neighbour was cutting his grass. Though in the case it is a slightly larger affair than mine

The tractors lined up in a row, and then whizzed across the field. Once full of grass the next one took over,

without stopping the process.

The whole field was cleared in less time than it took me to cut my lawn. A very impressive enterprise. Made me think about maybe I should get a slightly larger mower, but that will have to just be a dream for the time being.


You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering dog friendly holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage http://www.trostriecottage.co.uk

Friends, the recent snow we had in April  

seemed to get everywhere.  

And not just outside, anywhere it could! 

In places there was around 5 cm of snow inside, where it had blown in through cracks! (It did not melt because there was a long power cut and no heating) Once the snow had melted we assessed the worst of the problems and decided that we would need to put a complete new skin on the old stables, where quite a lot had got in.

We started at the most exposed end the west gable and gradually worked around

We have now nearly finished the job. One of the last things was the angle flashing, which came yesterday from TAS building supplies. http://www.tasbuildingsupplies.com/ (Fantastic service delivered when they said. ) They just need to be screwed in. These will stop the wind (and snow) getting in under the roof panels. Then finish off putting the wood preserver on the new weather boarding, and hopefully it will be good for another 20-30 years.

Once finished it blends in with the shrubs. This is my ad hoc update and diary describing how I am developing our garden at Trostrie Cottage in Galloway. You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering dog friendly holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage http://www.trostriecottage.co.uk/

Friends, all those of you who follow the RHS @ Chelsea Flower Show, like me, will know that wild flowers are all the rage. Last year we saw a fantastic wild flower meadow in the centre of Canterbury. We had visited it before and wanted to check it out again just to make sure it was as good as we had imagined it.  

Having done some research we were met with conflicting info. Do we try and clear everything and start from scratch.

Or keep what good wildflowers there are already and add to them with additional seed. We decided to do the latter and then try and remove some of the more persistent weeds.

We purchased some seed from pitchcare http://www.pitchcare.com/shop/wildflower-seeds/index.html 
and sowed the seeds at the end of April.

We have doused them with glyphosate weed killer, but as can be seen all it seems to do is slightly discolour the nettles on first application

Fortunately on second dousing a couple of weeks later the nettles have gone black and died off. It will be a long slow process as we only want to kill the nettles and not the new wildflowers around them.



We will have to wait and see how it all pans out as the season progresses, but hopefully with lots of wildflowers and few weeds.

Friends maybe you know the poem by William Wordsworth about Daffodils - "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud". It is claimed that it was inspired by an event on April 15, 1802, in which Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, came across a "long belt" of daffodils.  

Now that the sun has melted the snow, all the daffodils have come out together.

They are scattered all around the house, and remind us of this famous poem, which goes on to say -

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 

I think they look very impressive, and encourage us to plant some more, hopefully making them even more stunning next year. No doubt I will be writing about this come the autumn.

This is my ad hoc update and diary describing how I am developing our garden at Trostrie Cottage in Galloway. You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering friendly holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage 

For some time now we have been thinking about planting some form of wood plantation for heat, at our Trostrie garden. Our own biomass project. Having looked at several sites offering willows for fire wood, we hummed and hawed and were finally persuaded by some friends who have also started a willow plantation this spring.

We did think we had left it too late for this season, but as it has been so cold this was ok so we ordered a wood fuel kit from Water Willows

The kit came 100 willow plants, weed suppressing landscape fabric, pegs and an instruction guide.

We put the willows in a bucket to soak for 24 hours before planting

The area where we are putting them is in a scrubby part of the garden on a slight slope, with plenty of room to expand to the east next year. Eventually we will try and put in 6 x 12.5m double rows. I was putting in the first two now, the remaining four will go in next year.

I rolled out the weed suppressing fabric, and pegged it down, one peg per metre, each side of the material, together with one in the centre at one per metre, but offset by half a metre.

Then started to plant the willows. Each plant had to go into a hole 9 inches deep. I used an old large screwdriver to make the holes, having marked off 9 inches with some red tape. Hitting the screwdriver with the hammer to drive a hole through the fabric and into the ground. Fortunately I only hit stones on about 10% of the time.

Anyway eventually they were all planted. I then watered them in. Now I just have to wait for them to grow, and they will get their first pruning later on in the year.

This is my ad hoc update and diary describing how I am developing our garden at Trostrie Cottage in Galloway. You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering dog friendly holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage http://www.trostriecottage.co.uk/

Friends

Over the last couple of days we have noticed our latest new residents – the fox family wandering around the garden. Now I am not sure if they have moved in because of the snow, or just think they have found some easy food.

But we do seem to have a plague of rabbits at the present and anything that will help keep them down is a good thing.

Pauline says I should not show the images of the fox ripping the head off the rabbit and pulling on the gut so I have put this one in instead.

We were sitting having our tea when bold as brass Mr Fox walk passed the window with a wiggling rabbit in its mouth.  

Evidently he was worried that it may get away as he stops to kill it by removing the head, then has a look round to make sure everything is ok before carrying it off to his home (his earth)

Finally placing it down the burrow for the rest of the family to eat

This is my ad hoc update and diary describing how I am developing our garden at Trostrie Cottage in Galloway. You can see the garden for yourself if you book a self catering dog friendly holiday @The Shieling which is attached to Trostrie Cottage