Monday, April 25, 2011

This glorious Spring





The apple trees are settling in well and are in blossom. Well, all except one - the Egremont Russet - which has plenty of leaves but no blossom. I have read that young trees sometimes take a while to produce blossom. I also was told that you must knock off the blossom , or at least knock off the apples on young trees to allow them to put their energy into growth rather than production at this early stage.

I think I might take a visit to West Dean Gardens and see what they do there. www.westdean.org.uk

In the meantime they are growing well and seem very happy - and the deer have left them alone. I did, however, spot a deer trying to nibble on the lovely new rose shoots. I knocked on the window and it scampered off. There is plenty to feast on elsewhere in the garden so I hope it won't try again. ..... there isn't an emoticon for 'fingers crossed' is there?

PS Those tall trees seen behind the apple trees are in the site where the pond is to be created and as they are in poor health are going to be coming down in a week's time.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Baden Powell Restoration




This is a bell tent, made by a young chap called Roland from www.custom-canvas-structures.co.uk based near Huddersfield. We are hoping to see him next week and check out the tent as we think it will look perfect in the Glade.

We are busy putting wood chipping down, I've bought an old oil drum barbecue that we are going to dig into the ground which will act as our fire pit. There have been a few moans about the amount of preparation going into this project, but I am keeping focussed on the vision. This will be a beautiful campsite, welcoming, fun and magical. Have ordered some rustic tealight holders too. It's going to be gorgeous! The boys are just worried about how we keep the beers cold.




Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Glade




Okay, for some reason the photos loaded in the wrong order and re-working that is proving too taxing, so the progress can be read from bottom photo to top!

Our ideas for the Glade are beginning to develop. We have ordered a Bell Tent, which sadly will not be here for Easter, but hopefully will arrive before the next family gathering and certainly will be here for the summer.

Our vision is for the tent to sit in a leafy glade, there will be a fireplace with a wood store (we have plenty of wood!). This is an area of gathering of an evening for stories under the stars. For the yoof to sleep out in - although I may even be tempted myself if it is comfy enough!

Can't wait to show you pictures of the finished thing, but in the meantime here are photos of the hard work we put in last weekend.

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Lovely Ash




As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the Glade has an old Ash tree on its boundary. She is about 200 years old and is in decline.

This April it was decided that she needed to be treated to allow her to decline with grace and dignity - rather than come tumbling down the hill bringing damage and destruction with her!

Mike Savage, an 'Ancient Forrester' as he describes himself (a tree surgeon), has been taking care of this tree for nearly twenty years and after careful consideration began major work on her.

Sorry my photos are not great - I think you need to read them from bottom to top to get the timeframe, but I hope you can see how the process went. The brave soul who climbed the tree swung around the branches with amazing speed and agility and the process took very little time. She looks amazing still and offers great resources to birds and insects. There are plenty of holes for the woodpeckers and I am hoping the owl will return for some night hunts as things settle down over the summer.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Who can resist the loveliness of a primrose?


On this April Morning:

Upon this Primrose hill,
Where, if Heav'n would distil
A shower of rain, each several drop might go
To his own primrose, and grow manna so;
And where their form and their infinity
Make a terrestrial Galaxy
John Donne

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Is this the start of the heartbreak?



This used to be an old orchard, but hasn't been so for a long time. There are many self-seeded Ash trees, some of which are not in good shape. We took down 14 before Christmas and now about 8 more are about to be taken down because they are either dead, diseased or dangerous. We have made a promise to ourselves to replace each tree with two more, eventually creating not only an enchanted woodland but also restoring fruit trees to the area.

Just days before the end of bare root planting - March 31st according to my gardening friends - we (well, husband and son) dug four holes in the ground and our first fruit trees were planted.
We chose four (one for each child): Bramley, Red Windsor, Discovery and Egremont Russet. They have settled in well and already leaves are starting to sprout.

Ofcourse, the biggest problem will be the deer - I have been to see the local blacksmith and he tells me he can make me four deerguards by next week.

Our friend is involved with a project that develops microbial technology www.reaplenish.co.uk and I added their microbe blend into the soil as we planted, plus have been adding some every few days to encourage their settling in. I was delighted to see on the BBC's Gardeners' World that the RHS are using similar stuff, calling it compost tea, at Wisley! I am certainly hoping that our trees feel the benefits. I have also added some to the compost - and on the roses and cyclamen I planted. Basically, if I have looked at it, its been sprayed with microbes. (Except for the wild flowers, they seem to be doing well without our help for now.)


Childhood Delights


When I was a little girl there was a meadow behind the woods across the road from our house. It was full of cowslips and I remember spending what seemed like endless sunny days there with a friend when we would pluck the flowers and suck out a delicate honey flavour from them. I am probably personally responsible for the decline in the numbers of cowslips in the Bedfordshire area!

Those delicate little yellow bells always held a gentle magic for me and now, here in sunny Hampshire, I have my own little oasis and I have discovered that there are cowslips are emerging. No-one is allowed to touch them. It feels like seeing old friends after a long absence. I look forward to seeing how many of them will surface from the mossy bank.

As a child I was convinced I saw the flower fairies dance beneath the gentle ringing bells of the flowers - perhaps if I am very quiet ....