May 9, 2012

Euonymus europaeus

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While I was looking at the planting at work, I suddenly recognised Euonymus europaeus (aka the Winged Spindle).  I had this shrub in my garden, but hadn’t seen it for quite a while.  Last weekend, I was pruning my shrubs and decided to clear the area between the shrubs and the fence of dead branches as I have a fence post that needs to be replaced.  Suddenly, I found my Euonymus.  It has been shaded out by the other, faster growing shrubs, but it was still alive!

This is a very distinctive shrub as the stems have wings sticking out at right angles to them which are a real feature in the winter.  It is supposed to have pink to red flowers in May, but I can’t ever recall seeing them, maybe because they are described as “inconspicuous”.  As I read up on the shrub though, I realised that there are some down sides to it.  It is much liked by aphids and more to the point poisonous – so not a good plants where there are dogs around, especially a young puppy.

It is a good job therefore that I had the perfect position in mind to move it to.  The Phormium in the front garden that only just made it through the winter before last has finally given up the ghost.  It was planted beside a conifer and so the part of the conifer that was shaded by it is brown and will not recover.  I therefore need a tallish plant to fill the whole – the perfect place for the Euonymus :).

Despite the fact that much of the Phormium is rotten and so the leaf spikes just pull away from the plant, the roots are very firmly still hanging on to the soil.  I will have to borrow a pick axe to get it out of the ground – good job I have a friend who owns one.

It was so nice to not only find a “lost” plant, but also to have the perfect spot for it just waiting to be filled.

 

April 29, 2012

Puppy Pub Crawl

Posted by Barhi under Puppies | Tags: , , |
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April 2012 hasn’t been great for gardening.  As soon as hose pipe bans were introduced, the heavens opened.  We are used to having April showers, but this was more of a deluge.

This gave us time to concentrate on Anya’s socialisation.  We have been visiting a number of dog friendly pubs, both in our neighbourhood and further afield.  It can sometimes be hard to know which pubs are happy to accept dogs, but now there is a very useful website that tells you – Doggie Pubs.  Just enter a location or drag the map to your area and choose somewhere you want to visit.

Jolly Sailor

The pubs we have visited have been all been welcoming to the dogs – some more than others though it has to be said.  In many of the pubs there have been loads of other dogs for Anya to meet in controlled circumstances and obviously plenty of people to greet.   We have been to pubs that are a trip back in time and others that are much more modern.  One has even decided to focus on the “dog” market, holding puppy training classes at the pub and organised dog walks which start with a coffee and bacon sandwich at the pub and end with a pub lunch – a very good move imo and one that other pubs really should consider in these days of declining pub attendances.  We like to find pubs with tables that are heavy enough to bench the dogs to while we eat.  It’s hard to eat whilst holding onto a lead :).

Hopefully the weather will improve in May and more time can be spent in the garden.  We only have four weeks before the first of our garden openings – time is going to fly by!

 

April 8, 2012

Water Restrictions

Posted by Barhi under Gardeners Diary | Tags: , , , |
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Like us, plants need water to live so when water restrictions are imposed, then all gardeners are worried for their plants.  This situation is made even worse when you know that you are going to open your garden to the public.  Whilst people will understand that the restrictions have been imposed, they will still want to see a pristine garden with beautiful plants when they have handed over their hard cash – be it for charity or not.

Luckily Hampshire escaped the ban on hosepipes introduced on 1 April 2012 in much of Southern England.  But, given the lack of rain this winter alone, it cannot be long before one is imposed here too.

Many of us find it hard to remember what exactly the weather was like last week, but I have two ways of gauging how much rain there has been this year.  Firstly, the stats  for my new solar panels show how sunny it has been and secondly I am very aware that we have rarely had to put our new puppy, Anya, outside in the rain.

It is at times like these that I feel eternally grateful that

  1. I have no grass – It is hard to justify watering established grass.  It will bounce back when we eventually get some rain.  Still, yellowing grass does not set a garden off well.  With a bit of luck, my shrubs with their deep roots will survive the lack of rain and continue to provide a green backdrop to my garden.
  2. I garden on a clay soil –  Over the years, a great deal of compost and grit has been added  to improve the soil structure.  Clay tends to hold onto water and the improvements mean that it is still workable even in periods of less rain.
  3. My garden is (relatively) small – Whilst my garden is very well stocked, I have less plants that someone with sprawling acres and I also have shorter distances to carry my watering can.

Just because you cannot use a hose in the garden, it does not mean that you cannot use water.  Watering cans are perfectly acceptable for keeping plants watered.  The key thing is to concentrate on young plants and those that are showing obvious signs of distress.  Please remember, full watering cans are very heavy, so look after your back and don’t fill it to the top.  A few more journeys around the garden are worth it to avoid back pain.

Whilst the hosepipe ban is very restrictive, there are a few legitimate reasons for using a hosepipe.  One of these is that you can (and in fact the Southern Water website says “should”) keep your pond topped up to a minimum level to safeguard the fish.  Believe it or not, I have already heard of people acquiring fish just so that they can keep their pond filled up.

Another allowable usage of a hosepipe is that cleaning of paths and patios for health or safety reasons, so I will be able to pressure wash my paths so that my NGS visitors will be able to wander around the garden with confidence.

Wouldn’t it be ideal if we could have rain regularly at night and then nice sunny days, that way every one would be happy.  We will just have to see what the vaguries of the British weather has to throw at us – what ever it is, we will have to work with it!

 

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