Winter Fun

The snow has been falling over the Pennines yet again. Just as spring seems as it should be around the corner the Met Office tells us that we are likely to receive more snow showers for the week ahead. However, the urge to get outside into the garden is almost irrepressible. Having fun in the snow is not just confined to youngsters, just the young at heart.

In these conditions, ideally walking on the grass should be avoided where possible. The damage to the turf can lead to fungal infections. Sadly this is unavoidable in our modest plot. I can justify it to some extent by the need to knock the heaviest of the snow off the evergreens which can be damaged under a heavy weight of snow. This is particularly important for the skimmia which has only recently been relocated to this part of the garden.
TIP: to avoid the risk of disfigurement remove really heavy snow from plants such as conifers

The brightness of the light bouncing off the snow can really enhance the beauty of some plants, as the examples below illustrate. I am particularly fond of the delicate pony tail grasses highlighted in the snow.

The views from the top of the garden across the valley are also transformed by the white blanket and while air temperatures are not too cold, it is nice just to be able to tarry a while and appreciate the vistas.

While the cold wet white stuff is not the preferred outdoor conditions for our feline friends sometimes the  you just have to make the best of things. Mili and Hecate are not to sure about the garden in these conditions but their bravery might be called into question if they do not follow me outside side when they see me heading up with the camera.

Hecate at Play

Afternoon sun shines through the red hook sedge, Feb 18

We should all be able to enjoy our gardens. Clearly Hecate has got the message. While I was hoping for a nice shot of the ornamental grasses, which hold a nice point of attention even through the dreary months of winter, Hecate was thinking about play. Even though thy are both middle aged cats now (10 years old) they still have a delightful playfulness.

Hecate may not be as agile as she once was, (who is?) but she can still make it up to the top level of the gardens and delights in showing off. She is rolling around the frosted curls which have self seeded into the path. Followed of course by a little rest! All proper gardeners appreciate the value of a little rest to contemplate the next chore to be done.

Leitmotif

Although it was not originally really a conscious element of the  garden's design I have really embraced the idea of having a recurring theme that ties together the different rooms. The use of the black grasses as a leitmotif does give the whole garden some coherence. Their correct full name is ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'

The first of our black grasses where planted at the front of the grass border, they are intended to make a clear definition of where the lawn ends and the border begins. However, because they did so well and they help to set off other plants they have gradually been incorporated into other beds around the garden.

pot on steps leading to front door

It has now reached the point where all the parts of the garden must have (even if quite inconspicuously) some of these special little plants.The black grasses are small, easy to grow, clump-forming evergreen perennials. Although not truly black, they have very dark inky purple, grass-like leaves. In summer, small spikes of bell-shaped, pale mauve flowers appear, followed by spherical, dark blue fruit. This unusual plant looks fantastic with other grasses, especially if  planted into gravel, and it provides a brilliant contrast with so many other plants in the garden. I have used them to pleasing effect in numerous tubs and pots.

It is because it grows from short rhizomes from which the tufts of grass like leaves develop, that it is very easy to propagate. All our black grass has come from just a few specimens. It is native to Japan, where it grows on open and forested slopes so is plainly suited to our climate.

 

Plant of the Month

snowdrops at end of January 2018

The snowdrop is such an amazing little tough nut. Fortunately we have a mossy bank at the front in which a ""mish mash" of the little marvels have been naturalized. The species has long been associated with winter – the latin name, Galanthus nivalis, literally translates as ‘milk flower of the snow’. Although they thrive in lightly shaded woodland areas ours are pretty exposed at the front of the house.

The white flowers hang from a single stem with three inner petals (called tepals) curved into a tight pointed oval and three external petals loosely opening outwards. These flower heads can be ‘single’ – one layer of petals – or ‘double’ – multiple layers of petals – headed. The grassy foliage is a vibrant light green. Apparently,there are more than 2,500 varieties and, although not a native species, they are now well established in the wild in the UK. As you can see from the photograph we have a rather random selection

In British folklore; snowdrops have come to symbolize hope and purity. In modern medicine a naturally occurring substance within the plant, called galantamine, is used to help treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the bulbs themselves are poisonous, a fact which perhaps lead to the superstition that a single snowdrop bloom in a house represents death.

My top tip would be, if you are naturalizing some in your own garden, plant them out "in the green". That is plant in late spring, buying just after flowering when the leaves are still green. This is the simplest way of establishing snowdrops.

Mid Winter

 January is always a challenging month for gardeners, but this s
year it feels like the elements have continually conspired against us. Prolonged periods of snow and then rain have totally saturated the soil. Obviously this means we should stay off the borders and be careful to not tread too frequently on the lawn; easier said than done when you need to access the shed!

The occasional nice day is so welcome and gardeners and cats are desperate to make the most of them.

The sunny days might be infrequent but are appreciated all the more for their rarity. All the pictures were taken this month, most of them on Friday! It is difficult not to be impatient waiting for spring but there is still so much to be appreciated in the depths of winter. The grasses, for instance, provide year round interest.

However, today it is windy and rainy again, so it is back to indoor jobs, washing out and disinfecting the pots. 

Bringing the Garden Inside

The Christmas table decorations mentioned in an earlier post have prompted me to think about the occasions when flowers have been brought inside. While I am a firm believer that plants are meant to be kept outdoors, bringing the occasional arrangement inside can liven up the house.

 

 The sad thing about cut flowers is, of course, that they do not last long in our centrally heated homes. Consequently, I do not reserve any particular outdoor space for floral arrangements. To try to keep the flowers a few extra days we trim the stems at an angle (helps increase moisture up take), scald the flower stem before arranging and use some proprietary flower feed if you have any. I remain to be convinced by the other web solutions such as vinegar or soda or even aspirin
and vodka! Alternatively, some plants can be grown inside (in our case the conservatory) and never find their way into the garden. The iris in the Clarice Cliff mugs above are such a case in point.

Feline Sorority

 They might not be blood sisters but having grown up together since "kittenhood" Mili and Hecate are the next best thing. With very, very different personalities they might not be expected to get along, but as these recent photographs show they rub along quite nicely.  Felidae (the biological family of cats) are solitary predators that, with the exception of lions, do not live in socially structured groups. However, while the wildcat ancestors of domestic cats are solitary animals, the social behaviour of domestic cats is, apparently,  more variable depending primarily on the density of cats in the area and availability of food sources. Consequently, we try to ensure that Mili and Hecate have no competition for food or living space in the house. The old adage that you should never have more cats than there are knees to sit upon, holds more than a grain of truth.

Felis catus (the species that is the domestic cat) has proved to be a remarkably adaptable species, and while retaining its roots as a solitary hunter, will adapt to group living through the development of social structures. In our house this means equal standings with neither exhibiting dominant characteristics. Although for the first few years Mili did try to "mother" Hecate and will still occasionally groom her.

This time of the year going outside is not the priority for our two cats. However, when the weather is not too hostile they still like to keep an eye on my activities.