Residents of the Fruit Cage

The soft fruit in the fruit cage is looking very lush. I'll have to think about getting some netting up over the next few weeks if the lushness is a harbinger of fruitfulness.

I think I should probably be thinning out the raspberry canes, though I'll have to refer to the reference books to confirm. The other soft fruits in the cage are currants - red, white and black - gooseberry, thornless blackberry and strawberries.

Also residing in the fruit cage at the moment are a number of specimens for the garden borders awaiting planting; amongst them three more roses, two climbers - Creme Anglaise and Evening Light - and a shrub rose - Smarty. They'll have to wait until the weekend as the weekday evenings after work are taken up with a watering, a bit of weeding and a wander round the garden to end the day.

Busy, Busy...

Spring is a fantastic and frantic time in the garden and particularly our kitchen garden and greenhouse. I haven't sown as many seeds this year as I usually do but the greenhouse still looks pretty full. The hanging baskets take up almost all the roof and floor space so it will be good when these can be put out in their summer positions, but we've had a few nights of very low temperatures here so they won't be going out overnight for a couple of weeks yet.



















The raised beds have a selection of vegetables planted in them including onions and garlic planted last October and they have started to really put on some growth as the weather warms.

Amongst the usual potatoes, broad beans, carrots and peas are a couple of new entrants to HG; kohl rabi and fennel (the bulb type). I'll be interested to see how easy these are to grow and whether we like to eat them. It won't be too long until we can start to pick baby salad leaves and the radish 'French Breakfast' look like they can be pulled any time now.



















I've had a few problems with getting my beans to germinate in the green house and I'm on my second attempt. I think the warm April and then cool and wet May, plus a bit of over watering from me, contributed to the lack of seedlings. So fingers crossed for better luck (and management) this time!

A Plethora of Plants

It occurred to me the other day that I have not kept up to date with all the identification of plants in the garden. I foray out to the local plant nurseries and garden centres and purchase plants sometimes planned but mostly on impulse. On returning to the garden I get so enthused by the prospect of planting them that I forget to record the purchase. I do conscientiously label the plants but despite trying various types of label and marker pen, after a season the label is washed clean and the plant nomencliture gone.

Above: Hosta Frances Williams

So to attempt to remedy this problem I have asked the multi-talented Handyman to create a small database onto which I can record the details of the plant purchased and the location in the garden. My intention is to update this as soon as I have planted the said purchase - wish me luck!

In the process of gathering information to log to the database I have gone round the garden with a notebook writing down the names etc of all the clematis and roses in the garden currently. It was a surprise to realise the number of each that we have planted over the past 3 years: 10 climbing roses, 3 ramblers, 11 shrub and 3 ground cover roses. On the clematis front we have 19 plants. Now I need to start on the herbascious geraniums and the hostas!

By the way, if anyone has a recommendation re plant labels and pens that work, please, please let me know.

All Change!

Having renewed my blogging career after a very slow start to 2010, I felt the time had come for a revamp to the appearance of the Holly Grove Garden blog. So I have changed the colours, some of the layout and the photo banner.

The new banner is a close-up of some beautiful and ethereal white foxgloves in bloom last year. These have seeded themselves freely around the woodland borders, so we should get another showing next year as they are biennials, one year to grow and next year to flower.

This cold and wet May has given me pause to think of the garden images from last year and some of the changes that were made to the structure of the garden...here's a selection from 2009...

Spring Flowering Climbers

The picket fence at the front of the house at this time of year is home to three spring flowering clematis: two from the Montana group and one Fosteri group member.

From the montana group are the popular clematis montana 'Elizabeth', bought in memory of my Mum, and the slightly later flowering clematis montana var. rubens 'Tetrarose'. Elizabeth is in full bloom as you can see from the photograph, whilst the Tetrarose buds are just beginning to open.

Further along the fence is a supermarket 'bargain buy' planted last summer and, I fear to say, neglected and forgotten, until a couple of weeks ago when the lovely blooms appeared as a delightful surprise.

This clematis 'Early Sensation' has its roots in the dry shade of a large conifer. It seems to have prospered despite, or perhaps because of, my lack of attention.

Don't you just love the way a garden can surprise you!

Blossom Time

I've been neglecting my blogs recently, life has been delivering some challenges over the past few weeks and months but now blossom time is here again at Holly Grove and, in its beauty, demanding some mention, so I'm back on line...

The two old apple trees are abundant with pink and white flower. Unfortunately the weather remains unseasonably chilly and the number of bees in the garden is severely limited, not sure what this may mean for crops of apples in September and October. The younger apple trees planted during our first winter at HG, 2007, are progressing well, especially Sunset which has a gorgeous dark pink blossom followed (hopefully) by deep red apples.

Also in blossom is a lovely little Morello Cherry bought and planted last spring. We had 6 cherries from it last year, or would have had if the birds hadn't beaten us to them. I'm looking forward to the year when we have enough cherries to warrant netting the tree until the fruit is ripe and then making some lovely Morello Cherry jam - might be quite a wait!
The damson and plum trees flowered earlier in the spring, around the middle of April, when the weather was exceptionally fine and warm, so we should get a decent crop of fruit again this year. Last year's bounty was huge and the weather pattern this year has been very similar to 2009: warm and fine April followed by chilly and wet May.

Whatever the weather, a garden in May is a beautiful and peaceful place to spend some time.

Gardening Season Begins

At last! Some spring-like weather and I emerged from my winter slumbers into the kitchen garden at the weekend to start some weeding and clearing of the remains of the over-wintered vegetables. I retrieved lots of swede, three leeks and enough cabbage leaves to accompany our Sunday roast chicken.

The onion sets and garlic that I planted in September are making progress and I've got some seed potatoes chitting, I'll be planting these over the Easter weekend. I spent some time going through my seed tin and broad beans and peas will be planted before the end of March - how exciting!

The fresh air and sunshine were invigorating, athough I'm now feeling the full effects of my first real exercise for a few months - still it's all worth it and good for me and the garden!

Red Fox

I was sitting at the computer checking my emails when through the study window I saw a red fox sauntering across the garden!

He came through the hedge from next door's field, walked across the garden, down the steps, along the drive and through the gate. He crossed the lane and went into the neighbouring field and at this point I managed to capture him on camera - albeit a couple of distant shots - click on the photos to enlarge them for a better view.

With the temperature reading -10C I pulled on several layers of clothing and ventured out to see if I could identify his paw prints in the snow - eureka!

We see lots of wildlife here at Holly Grove but this is the first time we've seen a fox visiting us - makes me glad we've got no chickens!

Winter Wonderland

I opened the curtains this morning to reveal a Winter wonderland. The view from our bedroom window across the fields reminds me of times as a child when I imagined living in the country and evokes thoughts of Narnia, the land through the wardrobe - very romantic!

The reality is romantic too, so long as I stay by the fire and restrict my gardening activities to planning for the Spring and the first signs of snowdrops. In the meantime...Holly Grove Winter images...


Brr! Time to light the fire and cosy down for the duration.

Root Vegetables - Familiar and New

It's been a while since I've posted any garden news, this is not my favourite time of the year for gardening and family-wise things are a bit all-consuming at the moment. However this morning I ventured out to the kitchen garden with a pail of vegetable peelings for the compost heap and had a quick look around at the vegetables still in the ground.

I selected a leek and some baby turnip and a large celeriac. The celeriac had the most wonderful celery scent when I pulled it from the ground. This is the first year I've grown it and despite it's long growing season - in the ground from June to December - I'll definately grow it again as it was so trouble free; other than keeping it watered and a bit of earthing up to keep it white there was nothing to growing it.

The turnip are somewhat disappointing at the moment and I don't expect them to grow much bigger through the Winter so I'll harvest them and use them as small, whole turnip. So now off to the kitchen to get warm and start using the vegetables...