Winter Turns into Spring

Winter turns into Spring. It is sometimes hard to believe how quickly things can change. The photographs, both taken this year, show the transformation between March and April. The wonder of the British climate is how variable and inevitable it will always be. There is a great joy in witnessing this timeless progression. The anticipation has turned to a reality. The garden is now alive with fresh colour and the grass needs to be cut.

There is a scientific reason we enjoy this anticipation. Most people tend to imagine positive events in their future. When an individual anticipates something good happening, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released, resulting in positive feelings and decreased painful ones, along with increased arousal and excitement that can also feel good. 

Perhaps this is why gardeners are generally a more happy bunch, we are always planning and anticipating the next round of the eternal climate roundabout?

But do cats feel the same? They certainly enjoy the extra outdoors time. Just ask Hecate and Mili.

Top tip: Always think ahead and be proactive not reactive. Enjoy the anticipation but tackle those weeds now because the soil is beginning to warm up. Weeding now will save so much effort later.

 

 

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day fell earlier this week, so I thought it would be interesting to see what is currently in flower in the Pennine garden. It was not hard to find quite an array of blooms in a multitude of colours. Quite a selection to lift anyone's 💖💕

J Parker's, the garden supplies specialist, reminds us that the occasion is synonymous with the start of Spring and the gardener's year. 

St. Valentine’s Day, popularly known as Valentine’s Day, is celebrated as the lovers day every year all over the world on February 14. The celebration of this day is thought to have originated from a Roman festival called ‘Lupercalia’, which celebrated the start of their springtime. Later on, the festival changed into a Christian celebration where they decided to use it to remember St Valentine too, and gradually, St Valentine’s name started to be used by people to express their feelings to those they loved.

Now its time to peruse that catalogue.......

Top tip : start your planning early, there is little that is more frustrating than having missed the boat to sow those early seeds or even to get your mail order garden essentials in good time

Time for Action

The blog has been dormant for a while but this has only been a reflection of a lack of opportunity to get outside into the garden. I would like to blame the BBC for setting the trend of hibernation, taking Gardener's World and Beechgrove off our screens for the duration of the dark months but the reality is a combination of bleak weather and being largely confined to the indoors has limited my activity.

This is not to say that I have been idle but rather taking it a little easier. Key jobs have of course been done. The shed has been tidied, tools sharpened, the conservatory deep cleaned and the first seeds have been sown. 

However, inspired by some beautiful late afternoons and seeing the buds beginning to emerge will undoubtedly re-energise the horticulturalist in me. It certainly seems that Hecate and Mili have missed the big outdoors. So roll on spring.

 

The Upper Bench

The bench covers have come out this week and the furniture on the patio now has its winter protection. However, the bench at the top of the garden will remain uncovered until the start of December. We will be very unlucky if there is any snow before winter proper, but who can really predict in these changing times. 

The upper bench is a favourite spot for everyone who visits the garden, the views and the proximity of the upper pond are major attractions. It also offers a tempting resting place when a break from forking, digging, weeding or trimming is needed. But it also seems to attract feline attentions and competition for a seat can be fierce. I have to remind Hecate and Mili that there are two seats on the bench and we can all share. But they like a rest too, patrolling, scent marking and chasing flying insects must take it out of them!

     

Mili has claimed her spot

 Hecate closes in, she seems intent on a seat....

......but we all share in the end

 

Last Hurrah

The garden is still looking surprisingly good, given that we are now deep into the autumn. The yellow, oranges and reds are still emerging and, at the same time, there are still some remnants of the summer. The patio tubs and wall baskets are still hanging on. I would certainly recommend cosmos and dahlias for extending the season. It is the traditional time for bringing in the tender plants, in particular I will have to find room for about a dozen agapanthus. The conservatory has been cleaned out to make space for the less hardy plants, but given the nice weather, I am reluctant to do anything prematurely, which might detract from the appearance of the beds.

 

Of course there are the autumnal gems emerging for their turn in the spotlight and the cyclamen hederifolium are looking particularly nice with the back drop of the heuchera, green spice.

Even the patio still has some interest and I was surprised to see how well it looks after dark. The light shade of render helps to bounce the light around and illuminate the tubs that still have quite a bit to offer.

Evening temperatures (and daytime) have been unusually mild, so my top tip is never be surprised and expect the unexpected, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde.

Wildlife Update

In the previous post I noted how both Hecate and Mili are using the garden noticeably less often. It is something I put down to age, rather than the weather, given how nice the summer and early autumn have been. The same cannot be said of the local deer population who are regular visitors both night and day. While they are obviously a little shy and, sensibly, somewhat wary of human contact I have been able to monitor their visits on the wildlife camera.

While the deer are visiting with increased frequency, I am sorry to say there has been no badger activity for some time. The lawn has benefitted from the lack of excavation but it is a pity that these large native mammals have abandoned the sett under the shed. I am quietly confident that it will be reoccupied again, hopefully in the non too distant future, but we will have to wait and see. It is not uncommon for smaller setts, with just one entrance, to be used on an irregular basis. The larger setts with multiple access points are more likely to be permanent homes often for many generations of badgers.

Am I just security for Hecate and Mili?

Hecate and Mili have not featured a great deal in recent posts. This might be partially because they visit the outdoors noticeably less, as they are becoming a bit more cautious with age. However, when it suits they still enjoy the garden. Hecate will always seek out a comfortable spot, while Mili prefers to be somewhat more vigilant. In fact, I am sure if Mili could help with the weeding then she surely would do, as she is a constant shadow when I am working at ground level.

Of course having the two cats around is a symbiotic relationship. They provide me with a valid excuse to sit down and take a break. In return my presence makes them feel more secure and able to enjoy the outdoors without anxiety.