Last Day of Winter

Spring arrives tomorrow, but this past week has been a foretaste of the season ahead. This year winter has been as temperamental as any gardener could wish for, the seasons being an integral element of all the life cycles which give the gardens their interest. The photographs below summarize the glorious meteorological fluctuations we have had in just 3 months of winter. The pristine white of the snow clad hills give way to fantastical rainbows, cold dazzling bright days, interspersed with heavy skies and glorious winter sunsets that close down the shortened daylight hours. Thank goodness for winter but time to welcome the thaw and spring ahead!

Deer: to deter or not to deter?

Three views from the window caught my attention and reminded me of the extra challenges facing the Pennine gardener and, for that matter, the wildlife. 

The snow has blanketed the hills for days. If you do not need to go out, then it can be a seasonal treat. But it has its difficulties, not least for the wildlife, and the local population of roe deer who venture down the hillside in search of something to nibble. Indeed, it is not only during the hostile weather that the deer come down into our garden but they have become a positive nuisance when they take a liking for some of my newly planted specimens. 

I have decided that this year I will research which plants seem less prone to be munched by the deer and I will share the results in future blog entries. However, from my experience last year the grasses seemed to survive surprisingly well as did the laurentia but the blackberries were all munched! 

I would always want to think that the wildlife would be welcome in the garden but at the same time I have no wish to put a lot of deterrent wire mesh guards around all my plants. A compromise will be actively sought for 2019. To deer-ter or not to deer-ter?

Roe deer tend to be solitary creatures during the summer months but often congregate in small groups during the winter, which explains why there were a group of three the other day. The following two web sites are well worth a visit for more detailed information:

~ The British Deer Society

~ The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside

More Snow

Although these pictures were taken after the previous lot of snowfall, today has been a repeat performance but with heavy laden skies (less photogenic for the cats) and even greater amounts of snow.

Hecate by the steps

Mili stalking another snowflake

View across the valley

Making any progress in the garden has therefore been frustrated. Cleaning and disinfecting used plant pots and last years plastic trays has been the order of the day. The cheap price of the plastic modules barely makes it worthwhile spending the time to clean them out and reuse them but if we are all endeavouring to use a lot less plastic then gardeners really must do their part. It also means that I stay warm in the conservatory while doing the cleaning rather than getting cold and damp outside.

The Magic of Snowdrops

The mid winter months are undeniably a little less exciting for the gardener and resident felines than the warmer months of the year. However, there is always an excuse to get outside, even if like Mili it is simply a case of hiding in the grasses and avoiding the indoor chores. It might be chilly but wrap up warm and embrace the season.

Even when much of the soil is bare and the majority of the trees without leaf there are still some sunny spots of colour to be found. So I decided it would be nice to nominate a plant of the month.

My first thought would be to nominate a new Jasmine we have by the upper seating area, only planted last summer it already has produced some vibrant delicate little blooms. I was also tempted to choose an indoor plant, the daffodil "Erlicheer" on the windowsill does look rather stately, with its modest size flower heads atop of the upright stems. But I have just had to go back to an old favourite the snowdrops we have on the mossy bank at the front of the house.

 The snowdrops are unmissable every time somebody should use the front door. As surprising as it may seem I am particularly fond of them when it has passed sunset. They have an iridescent, glow in the dark quality, which means they stand out even under the gentle light of the stars and moon

 
The fallen snow or solid frozen ground seems no obstacle to this remarkable little plant, so tough yet so seemingly fragile. Close inspection gives a different perspective to the mass swathes (or modest mottled carpet in our case) and the brilliance of the white is just pure joy.

Lone flower, hemmed in with snows and white as they

But hardier far, once more I see thee bend

Thy forehead, as if fearful to offend,

Like an unbidden guest. Though day by day,

Storms, sallying from the mountain-tops, waylay

The rising sun, and on the plains descend;

Yet art thou welcome, welcome as a friend

Whose zeal outruns his promise! Blue-eyed May

Shall soon behold this border thickly set

With bright jonquils, their odours lavishing

On the soft west-wind and his frolic peers;

Nor will I then thy modest grace forget,

Chaste Snowdrop, venturous harbinger of Spring,

And pensive monitor of fleeting years!

To a Snowdrop, William Wordsworth

My Gardening Philosophy (reasons I enjoy gardening part 6)

Even in the depths of winter there is a lot to be said for getting outside and pottering in the garden. This week I have been able to swap over the contents of the different compost bays, tidied up a few of the dead material from some of the beds and done some work rearranging and repotting of the tubs on the patio. The garden still needs attention even if it just making a temporary repairs to the excavations made by the resident badgers.

It does us all good to get some fresh air and the mental well being you get from being outside is a really good reason to enjoy gardening especially at this time of the year. Even Hecate and Mili can be prompted to shrug  off their winter lethargy when they both come out into the garden to supervise the jobs.

The atmosphere may seem thick with the pervading mizzle that damps the fur but both cats get an obvious boost of vitality and energy from being outside, even if their appetite for the cold means they retreat indoors some time before their human! However, they have had their dose of the outside and I am certain have a renewed universal sense of well being.

"Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure happiness is no longer a possibility, yet when I talk with my gardener I am convinced of the opposite" Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

A Backbone of Evergreens

At this time of the year it can seem bare, damp and somewhat lifeless in the garden. Of course we all know this is part of the natural cycle, as many perennials are deep into their dormancy and the annuals have finally given up the ghost. The skeletal appearance of most of the hardwoods is stark and bleak, particularly when viewed against the grey winter sky. But paradoxically the same bare trees are undeniably beautiful in silhouette with their fragile looking veins and occasional watery sunshine bleeding through the branches.

However, it is the evergreens which are the backbone of the winter garden. On the Pennines we are fortunate in that a wide variety of evergreens will do well. Holly, laurel, yew, ivy, heathers not to mention a host of domestic and non native tree species, mostly the conifers, will all flourish.

The bare stems of the cherry tree would be a quite uncompromising backdrop to the top of the garden were it not for the evergreen shrubs below. Even the rhododendron is still providing some relief of green, albeit not my favourite garden plant. 

The ornamental grasses (and sedges in our case) remain good value, no matter what the season and can distract the eye from a lawn that is again looking moth eaten as the badgers have started grubbing up selected spots.

 

All areas of the garden need an evergreen framework, as the pictures show, that both the patio and the terrace each retain some greenery and a little interest deep into winter. The wildlife also appreciate the cover as do the two cats cats in our Pennine garden.

Top tip: When planning your garden think of the evergreens as the backbone of your design. Even though we might not spend as much time outside in the middle of January as we will in the height of summer all outdoor spaces will be the better for a splash of a little greenery.

Christmas on the Hills

If you have noticed a lack of recent posts it is partly down to the seasonal weather but also personal reasons. Hopefully, matters will take a turn for the better, for both family and friends into the New Year. So whilst the human elements of the household may not have been able to enjoy the winter garden quite as much as usual, the wildlife and to a lesser extent the two cats have been outside.

Yesterday was Christmas Eve, so I took the opportunity to venture outside and forage some materials for the modest festive table decorations. There is a tradition dating back thousands of years for bringing inside some greenery to cheer up the darkest days of winter. Holly, ivy, mistletoe originally have all been used in pre-Christian times to help celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival and ward off evil spirits and to celebrate new growth.

I hope you all have a lovely and peaceful Christmas, and as the incomparable Dave Allen would always say "and may your God go with you." Scroll down to see the garden on Christmas Eve including some Brother Cadfael roses in bloom on the patio.