Shifting Soil and Souls

Back Rose Clone is suddenly coming to life in a big way.

Why I never did it this way, less stretching, is a mystery. Maybe I tried it when it was only one block high. Not one unbroken block in this.

WAs going to say look at the Bluebell Ring, but you can’t see the ring now…it’s all junk soil, invasive bluebells and a barrel top. Wasn’t so pretty before.

Curry plant snuck into the barrel and is now lodged in firmly.

Some of the rose cuttings were lost, but others are fine. It’s all a gamble after all.

Irises popping up en masse.

Little spots of colour are appearing all over.

Yo, Dear Reader, things are slowly moving forward, there are nearly invisible milestones to the garden, every year when the Wormery comes back out that means serious seed planting will soon commence. I have taken to treating all the various composters as just variations on each other and that has been vastly more successful than going by the sales pitch that each manual contains, usually that you need “Bulking Agent” but not just any “Bulking Agent”, no, their specific one. I share this, Dear Reader, because capitalism sells you old ways repackaged in new shiny packaging that works less efficiently, and people like the lie, I do not. The wormery doesn’t need “nests”, worms don’t need beds or any separate areas, nor do I need all that much garden lime when I have eggshells, I don’t need coir or bark because I have shredded brown paper, the hot bin needs turning, but not weird accelerants, that are mostly manures, that will create heat and the temperature will rise…at the top of the bin which is where the built in thermometer is.

Wish it were brighter for them to open fully.

Green and purple.

Bottomless bucket, I hammer a pole over it with a mallet so I could drive it down without breaking it, then I remove soil and plant a tomato, then hill up to get more roots and in time remove the bucket.

Bleeding Heart.

ZZ Plant less of a baby now.

Tile samples found a new use.

This is the furthest I’ve gotten with purple sprouting broccoli.

I dislike all this waffle, piffle, bu…family friendly blog, right, Dear Reader, because it stops people from doing good for the Earth, it scares them into thinking it’s a complex process, it is, but it’s a very forgiving one that can be learned by anyone. I have steamy bins and lots of worms because I stopped second guessing what was working. I have learned to respect the life in the bins too, every worm is gathered when they fall, a small life but each a valuable one. I used gloved hands to take out all the compost, that the manual seems to think magically separates, the worm’s home and food supply, but yes they’d just abandon it as suits the gardener, sure, so I couldn’t hurt one, that I mixed with shredded paper and kitchen waste and refilled the trays. I’ve made compost tea and this year put the compost in a mesh that sat in another bin overnight so the worms could escape and not be drown when I added the tea to a bag and submerged it. I even washed the mesh I added to the wormery in the tea to get all the good from it. It’s sad that there is often a right and straightforward way to do good for the Earth, Dear Reader, but so many dislike the invisible aspect of it. You can tell I’m grouchy, Dear Reader, but I know you’ll forgive or at least forget. Things are coming back to life in a big way and I’ll be busier soon. It’s been eight years blogging already and I’m glad at least somewhere the work is seen and every soul involved is credited. I’ll be back again later, Dear Reader, until then stay safe and take care.

When the stick is there, things are stinky.

Those grape hyacinth have been here a while.

New stones are cleaner, this is the way the cold-frame window was. Maybe I had pots in front once, I forget.

Worms get a warmer spot and a tight cover because all these “inventions” aren’t waterproof in the slightest and should be.

I was confused until I realised this is a yellow strawberry plant and a crocus.

No idea what that is.

For an ex-firepit it’s looking pretty now.

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Cut Corners and Bottoms Too

First daffodil to bloom.

Every year I worry about my Neighbour’s Wife’s Rose and every year it’s fine.

Oh, good the marbles matches now otherwise it’d look strange.

Bits popping up everywhere.

Taken in chunks and just shoved in there the bulbs are doing well.

Should bloom soon or it’ll hit the ceiling.

Yo, Dear Reader, things have been slow these last few days due to the weather, also that I ended up slipping on discarded plastic with a heavy backpack and hurting my back, I’m now an expert on backs and after two days am mostly back to normal, people just don’t seem to care these days and will litter anywhere, I just chucked it aside so no one else would be at risk, clear plastic on a wet path near the road is deadly. I did the smart thing of doing very little and that helped, I do want to get out into the garden to get more done, but I am being smarter these days, Dear Reader, a rush to get everything ready just leads to lulls where there’s nothing to do. I’ve gotten my peas in and my eight feet bamboo canes…yes, I know, but the sevens are out of stock, I have some but my canes are getting old, some are toothpicks.

Rhubarb is starting to sprout.

I don’t think they meant vertical growing like this, but the height gets the depth I needed with the bottom on the top planter.

We had cold, sun, rain and more sun today alone.

Lots of old growth that needs to die back more, but plenty of new growth too.

Found a twin to the front piece. Will put a pot or two there later.

A friend was kind enough to go salvaging with me again, bless to have a friend like this, Dear Reader, and after finding some small daffodils that were sprouting in discarded soil, which I also took, soil is getting costly, we went for more random cuts of marble. I say with no irony, Dear Reader, that the best parts of designing, as grand as that makes it sound, is just working with the most random pieces of “junk” because it really forces you to look at every available spot or failing that to create one. The signs of Spring are everywhere, there is supposed to be bad weather coming, seems to be the general idea these days that it’s either going to be hot or cold and that’s novel apparently. Next up I finish amending trugs and get planting onion sets. A lot of colour to come yet, Dear Reader, aside from green that is. I’ll be back again soon, until then stay safe and take care.

Lots of greenery where the bluebells are, which is everywhere.

Took these on a whim and I wish there were more, they make the perfect edging for the vegetable bed.

Spring is here.

Lamb’s Ear is coming back nicely.

Grasses have taken a hit due to frost, but I’ll see if they return, for now the bulbs take front and centre stage.

Very old rhubarb.

Don’t Do A Barrel Roll!

Looked like parsley, but nope, delphinium. Could be parsley, I wouldn’t put it past me managing that.

Anemone I’d forgotten I put there.

Irises out before daffodils.

First orchid bloom of the year.

Could be an interesting year for that bed.

My oldest amaryllis is nearly blooming again.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli.

Yo, Dear Reader, the weather remains that seemingly impossible warm, wet and overcast, but since the soil is warm that plants are popping up all over, even plants that I haven’t seen grow before, I planted a lot of anemone that came as a bulk buy and they never appeared until now, just over two years late. I also realised the elephant garlic has just started, it’s sharing a pot with asparagus that has yet to show, but I did remember that related to leeks so the late start makes sense as it matches the Winter Planted Onions. There’s a lot of variety here, Dear Reader, some plants are very strange, I have a lilac that hasn’t ever bushed out, but is now four times the height it was, I only realised that when I saw how far the ground has sunk beneath the pot. I say ground, but I mean the trash, wood, and who knows what, that comprises the Secret Gardens “floor”.

Tulips with the barest of soil come back every year and every second bloom wonderfully.

It was a mismarked plant and only a fiver. Maybe this year it’ll bloom.

ZZ plant cutting has sprouted so much.

Baby amaryllises are still growing.

That really shouldn’t been in bloom right now. A freebie from last year because it was almost dead.

Wild blackberries are still tidier than the cultivated ones.

That section was the lumpiest, not too tidy, but when it blooms it is pretty.

Small olive tree is budding.

I had to grab a strawberry barrel half that decided a rakish tilt would be fashionable, not the easiest to grab and raise and worse when I realised I’d need to move the concrete block beneath and that’d require a third hand. I managed to right it and get another block beneath, interesting, to me at least, Dear Reader, half that pot is turf mold, both it and the barrel half were salvaged from a shed, the strawberries within might produce fruit this year so it’ll be interesting to see if the roots have reached the bottom yet and if it’ll affect the growth in a positive way. It’s supposed to be a good medium to grow in and the bed beneath The Rambler is also layered with it. I’m almost finished amending pots, I bought a few bits from a half price sale and it included a long coal shovel that works perfectly for the tall compost bin, I have another shorter one for the others, anything can find a perfect purpose beyond what it was supposed to do, Dear Reader, you just have to rattle those grey cells. Things are starting up again, slowly but steady and I’ll be able to get back out more and more until I’m more out than in. I’ll be back again soon, Dear Reader, until then stay safe and take care.

Now it’s stopped being cut it’s so healthy. Way too big for there, but I couldn’t move it and it’s older than a lot of the garden.

The rockery may see a rock or two yet, I have an eye on some.

Daffodils are getting ready and some Autumn plants are too apparently.

The Curry Plant has grown into the barrel from the pot, sneaky. Stinky too.

One of my oldest indoor plants, Gasteria, getting tall with age.

Ever shoot is potentially another huge branch off.

Rambling Robin

Seed potatoes are chitting, much less this year after last year’s excess.

Buddleia in full swing.

Red Ruby Giant, least accurate name for these, but they’re stunning.

I’ll need a dedicated pesticide for aphids and blackspot, but I have blended a more natural one for everywhere else.

Used to be a stick, now a very tall bush.

Crane’s bill geranium, forms rounded masses every time.

Yo, Dear Reader, today was one of those blue skies out of gray days so I couldn’t waste it and got out to finally tackle the final set of the forty five litre trugs, the seventy fives a distant goal in my mind, only to realise I had them amended and ready to plant already bar three, when I say I need to slow down a bit, Dear Reader, I mean it. I’m taking it easier and things still get done, haste rarely makes a difference, all I end up with is beautiful days with nothing that needs doing. I’m currently trying to empty the tall, narrow, despised composter, so after the tree pots were emptied, refilled with added compost, I started on the seventy fives, my Winter working out has paid dividends, Dear Reader, for the first time in nearly two years my left arm feels like an arm again, weak yet, but so much better. Makes lifting things much easier, not that easy mind, they’re huge after all.

The snowdrops are beautiful this year.

Spring garlic in neat rows.

Bluebells beside the troublesome bin.

Angel Wings are tough.

It’s way too early for daylilies.

Turns out that’s a flower talk not a split bulb. Neat.

Calla Lily I think.

I’m slowly getting an idea of where I want to grow, or grow, with this year, Dear Reader. I’ve been looking at the large trugs and slowly they have gone up and up in price, the eight euro I managed to find them at after selling off some collectables a distant dream. They’re now nearly four times that price. Yikes. Even the few fifteen I bought years ago don’t seem so bad. It’s all about accumulating things slowly, but that are worthwhile for years to come, that and scrounging everything I can find and finding uses for everything I scrounge. It’s mostly just me taking note of things these days, Dear Reader, just how life goes I suppose, though my robin friend decided to sing to me as I filled pots, just staring at me from The Rambler, I don’t know what it means, but it seems content in the garden and I’m glad to see it.

String for amended and ready for planting, easy to cut away, but stays on to mark.

Lump of a grass I found.

A yellow flower I found in a lump of grass last year.

I have a lot of hedges and trees I found.

JP’s garden is starting and the self-seeded foxgloves are looking good.

They are such lovely spots of colour.

Right now I want to get the last of the pots emptied and refilled and start thinking about how I’ll plant the Spring onion sets, I see the Winter ones just popping up, they’re not the best, but nice to have something to plant in the Winter months bar garlic. Which is now a large proportion of the green in the garden, such an easy crop and such a rewarding one. I have a vague idea of what’s popping up from the soil, but I’ll marvel at each and every plant regardless. It feels as if this been my entire life, Dear Reader, must be over a decade of it now though, it has seen me through he hardest times and keep me going when things get tough. I hope that sharing a little of it here and there, at times maybe too much, heh, might be of interest to someone out there who needs a break too. It’s just a back and front garden, not a grand sweeping estate, so maybe that’ll give someone the push to try too. Right now I’m just waiting for the bees to appear. Won’t feel it, Dear Reader, the garden will be buzzing with life again. I’ll be back again later, until then stay safe and take care.

Erantus. I do know some names!

Store bought snowdrops, I’ll leave them in this year and see how they fare. I never knew they had a scent.

Alpine strawberries survived the frost.

You can see the green coming in like the tide.

A clone of the former.

Never Gets Old

Guess it’s Christmas again.

I may split them this year again.

Lots of greens abound.

Singing while I watched it.

Honeysuckle is winding through the laurel hedging.

Back rose is budding all over.

I have a few that seem to have planted themselves. Arum Italcium.

The last of the dinos needed to be moved.

Store bought garlic that had sprouted.

Saw a tit enter the house then noticed all the buds.

The two side bulbs are back too.

Yo, Dear Reader, things are still slow to start, but Spring is making itself know throughout the garden, there hasn’t been great weather, but it’s still early so I’m not too antsy yet. I’ll get things going more, not that it ever really stops, Dear Reader, soon and I hope by March I’ll be able to start making more ornaments, where they’ll go is a mystery, but I have a lot of preparation in mind to make the making go smoother. Thinking of using the large green trays and a bag of sand for setting them steady to set. I have two large masks, one might be larger than any yet, so my brain is working on that for now.

It came back! I’m glad, it was so pretty. Ajuga, I think.

I was asked if I was okay lifting it and hah, I’d have carried it home if I had to.

The prettiest purple rose is so, so strong and sturdy.

Sword ferns are tough, the frost did nothing to it.

Teasel seeds didn’t fall out, but did sprout.

My grandmother’s Rose should flower again now it hasn’t been cut.

Only recently salvaged and they’re blooming again.

Oldest amaryllis is growing again.

Baby’s Breath.

This is the base of The Rambler, people want it cut, but this is the start and the rest is a labyrinthine mass.

The Rambler can grow as it pleases, it’s the last piece of the original around.

So many odds and ends and I know most.

I’ve been lucky that the local supermarket had the cheap seed mixes in, that’ll sort the plantable edges and the hanging baskets all going well. I’ve been checking around here and there, but don’t have any grand plans as of yet, I just want to get an idea of what needs to be done and actually get it done, but cold, wet weather and bad joint don’t mix, Dear Reader. I hope the indoor exercise pays off and I can hit the ground running. I joke about it, but my body has been through a lot and I’m not getting younger, I’ve been the workhorse for my entire life so I don’t get much sympathy if I’m struggling, I’m also the last of a generation that lent a hand at everything, a sad reminder when I had to haul a shed’s worth of wood and stack it, already strained my back so it was a nightmare, I had no choice as it was a favour for an elderly neighbour. I was gifted a paving slab that now helps with the drop from the raised part of the garden, saves my knees and anyone getting up there. I’m taking my time these days, Dear Reader, and not taking on too much for others. For now I plant and hope for warmer, bright days, early yet, but I’m still ready to go when the season turns. I’ll be back again later, Dear Reader, until then stay safe and take care.

Stuck under a hedge, but growing fine.

My little pal.

New strawberries are starting to grow fast.

Tulip season is nearly here.

Bits popping up all over.

Hard to find a gap for the new strawberries in among the older.

Back rose is rambling and ivy grew into that old bird house.

Wallflowers somehow survived the frost too.

Won bulbs included hyacinth.

When I say back rose I mean this. All of that is the top of the rose, there’s more hidden beneath.

Reuse, Repurpose and Repeat

Mystery bramble is now very long, might just be blackberry, but might be worth winding through the honeysuckle and laurel hedging, it’s growing in a bad planting spot so I’ll wait until I can ID to decide.

Currant bushes have been covered for a few years so I hope the aphids don’t get a hold.

There’s an odd mixture everywhere and it’s so fun to see it all appearing.

A lilac that has grown super slowly over the years.

Heartening to see green popping up.

Set up the marble edges and tossed these in en masse from trays and they’re coming around again.

Yo, Dear Reader, today was the first really nice day of the year, the greenhouse was actually warmer than outside, which tells how awful the weather has been. I’m currently taking stock and trying to see where the year will take me, things are getting more expensive and of worse quality, the climbing frames I bought after having the same type for years, snapped after a few months, so repurposing and repairs were needed, next time I just make them myself, as I have numerous time since buying these. Even the potting compost, ever confused with the compost from the bins because we just didn’t want to waste time with names that actually differentiate them I guess, Dear Reader, has gone down drastically because of a ban on peat, long story short we’re import it so we can do even more damage to the environment transporting it and ruin another county’s ecosystem. So Jack is gathering everything that can be tossed into a bag and let rot, avoiding anything that’ll spread weeds…more weeds.

Flowering currant, no fruit, but it is pretty. Grown from a cutting years ago.

Bottom pot was to narrow, now bottomless and wider, top was found now bottomless and waiting for sweetpeas. Mesh was the end piece and broom handles have been used a few times.

I have no idea what’s what these days.

Teasel heads were sprouting so I tossed them further back.

Heavenly Bamboo survived the frost!

Garlic and Winter onions are coming along nicely.

I’m seeing a lot of green popping up, buds are budding in profusion and I am once again wrestling with the narrow tall compost bin, an awful design that I keep for two reasons, one it was free, two it’s buried in so deep nothing bothers digging into it, it’s been two years without anything tapering with them despite me living next to absolute tips of gardens. It’s scooping and then emptying and filling large trugs for onions and if I can stretch it the squash pots, at least in part, then resting another bin in time for squash transplanting in April or May. I’m also eyeballing my various pots and odds and ends to see how they can be repurposed, gathering whatever I can from the skips too, including soil because I’m no fool, Dear Reader, even if others are. I won’t have much to do yet, but things are getting cleaned up, the planters that edge the border of the front garden, you may remember there are sunken planters with stones and a second planter that lifts out, have been emptied, stirred up, the soil was amended and is so rich, and are ready to be seeded again, a mix of wild and Summer seeds because they were cheap in the supermarket again. I’m just making do with what I have, Dear Reader, I wish I had the means to harvest seaweed, but I’ll use nettles and weeds and the hotbin’s output alongside the wormery’s to keep everything growing. I’ll be glad to see the bees again, Dear Reader, won’t be long now. Until later, stay safe and take care.

Something came in the sack, now it’s a composting sack, everything gets reused where it can be.

Chinese Magnolia buds are popping out all over.

Tree Baby staying strong in these trying times. Was a toilet brush holder once.

Wasps kept the laurel safe from aphids and nothing messes with honeysuckle. Gotta keep the Secret Garden secret after all.

Wild Blackberries have more contained growth than the cultivated ones right now.

Just noticed it had fallen over a bit, base had rusted through.

Marble Madness

The snowdrops are out, might split off some again this year.

The near dead hydrangea is budding.

Logan Berry or Boysenberry, weird either way.

Both sprouting broccoli survived frosts and rain. Might see a harvest yet.

Yo, Dear Reader, I’m off doing whatever new thing pops into my head again, I’m getting a little forgetful, the days blurring into one another tend to do that, so if I start repeating myself I hope I’ll be forgiven and if not it’s not like I’ll remember anyway. I had an idea regarding the seventy litre buckets, I’ve been looking at planters and various plant holders and the general consensus is that quality has dipped and prices have risen, the buckets are now the cheapest large container at just over a tenner. I thought about a stacked set, a thirty in a seventy filled with strawberries, you can tell the berries came first, they too are in short supply, just one seller had roots available. Strawberries aren’t great yielders, Dear Reader, but I enjoy them fresh from the garden and will make the space I have work. So the question was how to situate the top bucket, I could remove the base, but that is it’s own kind of awkward and potentially wasteful, not like there’s a set way to do this, Dear Reader, and as I was kicking away the old compost bin with no bottom I had an epiphany, yeah, it was just right and it was knocking around the garden, last year it was raised planter for potatoes, not a bad idea really, but you need a set really. That came together and when I was cutting up pots, using them to mark the new strawberries in the old bed, I realised the pots could be cut to cover he handle hole and raise the soil level. Now all these pots are done and things are taking shape yet again.

I think it’s a carex, but does look like a random lump of grass. I got soil, a pot and it for free so why not try?

Bottomless combines with vertical planting.

Last year’s or the year before that, red hydrangea from a cutting.

I waited a long time. I don’t ever forget things like this.

The old holly I yanked a piece of is filling out nicely.

I was then lucky enough to get a lift up to the graveyard to go scrounging, everyone is now at it, some less scrupulous than I, I just take what’s not wanted, Dear Reader, and would you believe there were the fine stones I wanted to make the garden more easily traversable, the heavy stones there were free and plentiful, but not so pleasant on the feet as the wallet, but I had forgotten my scoop and only had a single bag. Things are working for me, Dear Reader, there in the heap was a pan left over and a burlap bag beside that. Off I went scooping and took what I could for now, I’ll be back if I can be. Then a trip to the marble dump to get what I thought was a curved cut off of brown marble that didn’t actually exist, I could’ve sworn, Dear Reader, and instead I yank up a triangle of marble that fit exactly into the edge of the front. Next up is raising a bed with marble. The stones were ideal and made it feel like solid ground walking up and down. Odd how things just go right, Dear Reader, and not like I won’t put in the effort to save something from being wasted. Things keep changing, Dear Reader, and I have no idea where they’ll end up, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. Until later, Dear Reader, stay safe and take care.

Since planted with bareroot strawberries.

Just slotted in, I added the stones just for a little more flair.

Wild rose, should flower this year and I’ll finally see it in bloom.

Loosing My Marble

A fine assortment of castaways.

Not a painted ceramic pot for a change, the heuchera was just let there, perfectly fine.

My Christmas gift card purchases fell into two categories: Too Big Plants and Heavy Things.

A huge haul and I usually win for others so I was pleased.

He was an art piece at one point, a marble base seems fitting.

Lugs is now sitting up a little.

I have new rose moulds and more masks so this is preemptive, LeChuck and Largo look better raised up too. Halfmare is now here too, he’s not great, but I made him so he stays.

Yo, Dear Reader, I have been MIA due to the fact I have had nothing worth sharing whatsoever, really, the weather is warming, but still wet. So damp that when I went outside in a hoodie I came back in damp despite there being no rain. Still I have some fun things to share. I was lucky enough to win a contest and received a prize of 100 Euros worth of bulbs, thankfully despite me planting in defrosting soil the weather has warmed since, Dear Reader, someone is looking out for Jack. Right now I’m just gathering up seeds and trying to see what needs to be done next, I’m in no rush, I would like to empty the hated narrow composter, so long buried in the soil now I wouldn’t change it. It was free, Dear Reader, I can’ say no to free. Next up is onions, well more onions, I don’t know which are onion or garlic at distance, I know it’s mostly garlic at least, so I’ll see how any pots I’ll need for the Spring planted onions and go from there.

The little gap at the end is gone, just swapped out one for a new piece.

The Pirate Skull and Three Wise Idiots get a better base than just a broken block.

Those little cut off are nice lined up as topping for granite for a bit of colour.

I was going to toss them, but instead just let my brain idle and screwed this little junk tower together.

A slightly strange measure of the pandemic has been how much plants were thrown away, when there was little to do there was a bounty of plants and kerbing, Dear Reader, nowadays it’s plastic waste, but I have a friend who helps me and seems to bring the luck with her so I always find something. We went marble hunting, another casualty of the loss of interest in renewing old graves, but you give me random pieces and I’ll make it work, Dear Reader. I had to take a photo of what I brought home versus how they were used because sometimes I forget only I know the layers of the garden so to speak. I’ll have more ornaments this year naturally, might be the strangest batch yet, and these need a clean, it’s muggy right now and nothing is getting rinsed off by the rain. Still progress is progress, Dear Reader, and the less in a landfill the better. Am I making scrounging a noble thing? Yes. I’ll be back later, Dear Reader, until then stay safe and take care.

Pink Catkins looking like little claws.

A piece under and a bigger square over and Murray gets a little raised platform. The whole back is slanted so this is always tricky.

JP, yes they all have silly names, gets a little display, he fell over but the yes held somehow, they’re just sitting in the sockets.

Turns out you can propagate a ZZ plant via cuttings.

Icy Artist

Everything is crusted with frost.

Some of my ornaments were used in a local exhibit.

Freezing fog.

Cold is normal and dry cold is less harmful.

I found these two again.

Really attractive, but not great for doing anything in.

Keeps refreezing at night.

Everything looks new.

Yo, Dear Reader, we’re in our first real Winter cold spell in a few years and you can well imagine I haven’t much to do in the garden, well I did go planting, half price bulbs and tubers, before it got too bad and stuffed the pots into the greenhouse, which is frozen shut right now. We’re lucky that it was dry before the cold hit, a few years ago it froze so hard while it was wet the roads were like glass and the footpaths were unusable, I bought heavy duty snow grips for my boots because you only catch me out once. It’s as dull as you can imagine, Dear Reader, I’m just prepping what I can for next year, everything is going to be going up, compost has skyrocketed thanks to new legislation that’ll do nothing for the planet the way they claim, but will hurt small growers. I did gather a few new masks, going to be months yet, Dear Reader, before I can make them, but one arrived damaged and by some chance I was given as refund and can keep the mask. Next year’s garden will be like every years a mystery to even me. For now I wait around and try not to fall anywhere, my poor bones don’t need any more done to them. I’ll see you again later, Dear Reader, until then stay safe and take care.

Probably the last rose of the year.

It is pretty.

Lots of layers needed whenever I’m out.

Neighbour’s Kalanchoe from cutting is starting to flower.

Butterflies somehow got in and flew around it. I didn’t arrange anything, just donated them for a spell.

Will be hard to imagine this when the heat returns.

We have it until Friday at least.

Naru ended up as part of the display too.

Breaking News: Winter Is Cold

This is the biggest of the 60+ roses and it just keeps trying to flower.

Lavender in flower in December feels off.

Apple trees are budding.

Azalea, a rescue.

As were these.

Honeysuckle I was worried would die way back when.

Nice and neat for now.

Yo, Dear Reader, it’s December already and we’re back to threats of cold weather as if we haven’t experienced it every single Winter ever, I’m a lot more concerned about the warm weather that is so totally out of sync with the year, but that doesn’t make catchy headlines. I’m not my best at this time of year, but this has been the least worst time in a while, I’m just not into the season, it has never been a great time as it wasn’t something wanted here in our house and overtime losing more and more connection with it, when you can’t eat anything and all food is work anyway it takes most of it away which says a lot about what the season has devolved into, but I am using the garden to get through it and though cold weather plays hell with my joints I’ll take being out in the garden over all else. I do want to say that I really wish there was a way to op out of the season, this time of year is stressful enough for people and there is no getting away from it which is sad really. All I’m doing is what I did last year and sending a couple of care packages to a nursing home. Just a simple little thing set up here, but something I’ll keep doing year to year.

Magnolia has a lot of buds, many should be the flower like ones.

This turned a darker green, more of a bluish hue normally. Whatever it is.

When the birds appear Winter is truly here.

The Holly I yanked from a mass of soil and roots.

It hid the gap at the base of the hedge and is all rescued plants.

A teeny hedge I got years ago that has changed colour suddenly.

Was more yellow before.

We had two, yes two, dry days so I decided to take down the pea frame, maybe next year will be better for peas, and then wanted to get the bed dug. Which is a little less work every year as the soil keeps improving, less rocks and much softer, almost too soft, Dear reader, as when I dug the compacted soil and stepped onto it I sunk. First is a rake and clearing, then comes the digging, then the forking, another raking to even it out and finally the hoeing. It always does me good to get it cleaned up and ready for next year, I will empty a good bit of the compost bin into the bed again even though it’s plenty rich already. I’m also thinking of leaving it uncovered for the birds to forage on throughout the Winter, especially if the weather does get suddenly colder. There’s a lot of weeding and cleaning to do yet, Dear Reader, but there’s also a lot of life to admire. For me this is what the season is all about. I’ll be back again soon, Dear Reader, until then stay safe and take care.

Don’t worry, I have roses.

The roses don’t want to stop yet. Or ever.

RTC is budding again, it must do double what the rest do.

Canna lily that shouldn’t be up.

Cherry blossom buds.

I know I saved them, I just have no idea what’s what.