It seems too long since I last added anything here. After a summer that was used just keeping weeds down I would like to have spent more of the winter pruning, and planting trees. A combination of poor health, work issues and unsuitable weather conditions have meant that I am not as far on with the plot as intended.
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| 4th February 2012 |
The pictures are from time spent during the last month - when possible catching up to where I would like to be.
The overgrown hedge – now forest sized trees have been pruned back. Some of them have at least. I will let them re-grow into more manageable sized trees, which can be coppiced to produce sticks when necessary.
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| 4th February 2012 |
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| 5th February 2012 |
A neighbour is not very happy with the new look though, apparently she liked the trees as they were. It seems a strange thing to be said by someone whose own garden is a sterile monoculture, and who doesn’t like the leaves when they fall into her garden. The neighbour has concrete paths around square lawns! They also had a fence built along their side of the line of trees so that they didn’t have to spend money clearing around them. I listened to what they had to say and cut back anyway. More may have been cut back, but in the interests of world peace starting in my own plot, I compromised and left the two biggest trees standing; and, only half of the hazel was removed. The neighbour thought we were killing the trees by pruning but I like trees and would never have got rid of them completely. In fact I have always intended to plant more once the site is ready.
I now have a supply of logs for the fire in a couple of year’s time and a big pile of twigs to deal with.
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| 4th February 2012 |
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| 5th March 2012 |
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| 5th March 2012 |
Planting has begun. There is now a Bramley apple tree and a couple more shrubs donated by a friend. The compost started last year from weeds is now in good condition and spread around the base of the apple tree. Between the shrubs, and beneath the apple, I sprinkled the seed of calendula, annual cornflowers, corn poppies and some poached egg plants; all annuals that I hope will self seed around the garden and attract and feed bees.
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| 5th March 2012 |
Since all the strimming last summer forget-me-nots have begun to appear and the nettles, bramble and ground elder are much weaker. Though perennial buttercups and docks seem to be doing fine!
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