I went out into the garden this morning for a pre-Christmas tidy up. Unfortunately all the plants are looking a bit sad and forlorn at this time of year but I was delighted to see a few Winter visitors hopping around - cheerful robin, a sweet little wren, and even a blue tit on the seed dispenser which was fantastic to see! 
We had our first snow over the weekend and it reminded me that birds may need all the help they can get over the coming weeks, so I hope they make good use of the berries that are on the bushes as well as the seeds. I also noticed that some of my daffodil and bluebell bulbs have already started to push through the soil and hope that they will survive until Springtime. Even though it seems like a quiet month in terms of gardening, there’s plenty to do – take a look at the BBC’s Gardening Calendar to keep check of the Essential Gardening tasks for December. And there’s plenty to look forward to in the New Year – now’s a good time to start ordering specialist seed catalogues from suppliers such as Marshalls, Suttons and the Organic Gardening Catalog.
December in the Garden December 9, 2007
A Walk In The Woods – Garden Ideas October 29, 2007
Today started out rainy and dull, but by mid-morning it cleared up and turned into a beautiful, crisp Autumn day. We haven’t been out walking for a while, but seeing as the sun had come out, my husband and I decided to take a trip to Hardcastle Crags near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. Hardcastle Crags is a wonderful wooded valley and is also famous for being the home of the Northern hairy wood ant. Well, apart from the £3 parking charge levied by the National Trust, the walk did not disappoint. Shafts of bright golden sunshine shone through the trees, and the vivid colours of the changing Autumn leaves were just breathtaking! (As you can tell, I came over all poetic!) As well as the hairy ants – which we did not see – the valley is home to a host of other wildlife, including woodpeckers, kingfishers, herons, squirrels, owls, bats and buzzards. One of the loveliest things about British woodland is its bluebells, and I will be heading back to Hardcastle Crags in the Springtime to see them. They were everywhere! Seeing the wild plants in the woods inspired me to think about buying bluebells of my own, and I am delighted to find that Crocus has a special offer on at the moment (30 English Bluebell bulbs for just £10). The Crocus website also suggests other woodland-inspired plants such as anemones, ferns and foxgloves which would delight any gardener. The best thing is, these plants are meant to look wild, so they’re easy care for any easy life!
Getting Twitchy: Feeding the Birds October 27, 2007
Not many people might know this, but today (Saturday 27th October) is the RSPB’s National Feed the Birds Day. We’ve all noticed that the weather is turning cold, and so we should start doing our bit to make sure the birds don’t go hungry in the months ahead. And looking after the birds in your garden is an easy thing to do – providing food, water and shelter costs nothing but is essential to help our wildlife through the cold Winter. You can buy inexpensive seeds, fat balls, and feeders on the high street (try Wilkinsons) or out-of-town stores such as Pets at Home, B&Q and Homebase. better still, go online to the RSPB Online Shop where 100% of all profits go to helping birds and wildlife. So please fill your feeders, clean your bird tables, put out some water and give a helping hand to the feathered friends in your back garden.
The Importance of Green Space October 17, 2007
I saw a story on the BBC which reports on ‘garden-grabbing’, whereby housing developers are increasingly buying up houses with large gardens and then applying for planning permission to demolish the existing house and build blocks of flats in its place. Current law dictates that gardens are classed as brownfield sites (e.g. in the same category as former industrial and commercial property) and local councils are under pressure to meet targets for new housing. Therefore these developments are increasingly being given the go-ahead. Understandably, house-hunters would rather live in leafy suburbia than on the site of a former chemical factory! The story also points out that many mature trees are being cut down to make way for these developments. All of this worries me. Despite its modest proportions, I love my garden and do my best to encourage wildlife (birds, insects, even large scary spiders!). There’s a simple joy in seeing the first Spring blooms, and even something cathartic about pulling up weeds. I know that having a garden is a luxury but I would hate to lose it. My own garden backs onto fields which, despite their Greenbelt status, are also ripe for development. I’m giving my support to the UK charity Garden Organic and their Save Our Gardens campaign. Garden Organic believe that gardens fulfil a range of very important functions for the community as a whole, and the environment. Please give them your support!
Autumn Tasks for the Garden October 16, 2007
The BBC Gardening site has an excellent year-round feature which tells you what essential gardening tasks you should be doing, and when. The month of October is a busy one within the calendar: there’s Spring bulbs to plant out (cheerful daffodils, crocuses, irises and hyacinths) and it’s also time to put in shrubs and perennials. The BBC also recommends October as an ideal time to harvest seed heads, which can be enjoyed in dried flower arrangements. Given as gifts, these make an excellent and thoughtful alternative to traditional flower bouquets and can be enjoyed for a lot longer. This year, I had an fabulous display of globe thistles (echinops ritro) which I will dry out and display indoors.
Another site, The Gardeners Calendar, provides valuable information on gardening tasks for the fruit orchard and the vegetable patch. 2007 has been a bumper year for apples in some parts of the UK – if you have extras, why not do some juicing or baking? Delia Smith has a delicious recipe for apple and pecan crumble on her website, Delia Online!
