So as we say goodbye to February, including the dark days of winter, and hello to spring we are trying to enjoy each day as it comes and I'm trying my best not to get too focused on wishing the days and weeks away towards summer. We have been enjoying some gorgeous early morning walks along the beach; no matter the weather this is the one place we can enjoy on sunny days and similarly in wet and windy conditions.
Apologies but I think I'm slightly obsessed with the weather and length of days but I guess that's partly due to my previous life as an air traffic controller and partly due to having a weather app which has hourly weather forecasts and sunrise and sunset times. The days are getting longer and we are being teased with the occasional sunny and warm(er) day and then bang, it snows. At least that was in February, now it is March the balance is shifting and the days are warming.
Still, despite the odd snow flurry and rainy days we have had some beautiful crocus displays, the first flourish of daffodils and even the winter pots aren't looking too bad in the sunshine.
At the end of February we were allowed to let the chickens out of the byre and back into their yard. They were pleased to be able to scratch in the grass and enjoy the sunshine but they didn't seem too keen on the restricted amount of space. The rules surrounding avian flu prevention permits them being out as long as we have strict biosecurity measures in place and keep their water and food away from wild birds. So M cut a little door in the end of the chicken wire to let them out and they are so happy having regained their freedom.
Last year we planted 2 areas of edible hedging and we were pleased that on the whole (excluding the 3 which suffered due to some over enthusiastic strimming!) they were all doing really well. Until that is a wild rabbit decided that the hedging was much tastier than the fruit and started to eat the branches. You may remember the video we managed to get of the rabbit last November.
The rabbits seem to have been busy with the hedging plants, almost all of them look like the pictures above.
I can barely look at them, it makes me so sad that they were getting taller, with lots of lower branches and buds appearing, and now they just look like sticks. I'm even struggling to identify some of them.
So we had a rummage around in the byre and managed to find some old tree guards for the worst affected ones. Here's hoping we can salvage something as the growing season begins.
The old bath next to the greenhouse was so useful last year for our willow cuttings that we decided we'd use the space again but for some red and yellow dogwood cuttings. I've also stuck in some of the branches from the hedging plants in case I need to fill some gaps, although I'm not sure that it's the best form of propagation.
Our garden and yard is full of lots and lots of pots, most of which contain bulbs and plants which I instantly forget about from year to year. It is always a pleasant surprise to see flowers appearing and brightening up the garden. We bought a little pot of winter aconites and found a corner for them in the woods; they are delightful, lovely bright yellow flowers amidst all the greenery. We also finally got around to planting the fritillaria and anemones which we got very cheap in the sales last year. Hopefully we'll have lots of flowers in the months ahead.
Once the heavy frosts have gone this is the perfect time of year for planting bulbs in the green and trees. We successfully planted our fruit trees around this time last year so we ordered some more apple trees, another damson, a cherry and some (100) more winter aconites. The people at Ashridge Trees have been wonderful and our delivery arrived this week. I also bought a (small) walnut tree, not sure why, but I fancied one, despite M's jokes about the fact that we will have to wait 10-15 years before we see any walnuts!!
M also wanted some Poplars, fast growing trees which love wet, windy exposed conditions and can be used as hedging or as a windbreak. Perfect. So, we had a few dryish days and decided to plant the poplars and the winter aconites. The poplars (a mixture of setts and bare-root) are all planted in a nice straight line and thankfully we also got some tree guards on to help protect them from the deer and rabbits until they are established.
We had another delivery last week, this is M's next project; it's a poly tunnel. Although we will still be growing a lot of veg outside we are aiming to extend our growing season a bit by also planting under cover. All we need now is a few days of dry and calm days so we can get it assembled.
Well, now that spring has sprung it's time to get on with planting our onion sets and planning the seed sowing; carrots, peas and broad beans to start with. I started sowing tomato seeds on 7 Mar last year which I think was too early so I'm going to hold off on those for a couple of weeks. More on that later, along with my first foray into planting a cut flower bed. Oh so much to do and I can't wait, must take a deep breath, breathe calmly and remember spring has only just started....
One last update on the hedgehogs; as predicted, after we opened the doors to let them out they disappeared and we haven't seen them since. Hopefully they are having a great time exploring the woods and all the woodpiles we've left for them. I think we'll probably be back to the rescue centre for some more in the next few weeks.
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