GARDENER'S WORD

I love to see snow.  I don't particularly want to be outside in it.  This morning there was an almighty avalanche of snow from my roof which landed heavily right where the dustbin stands; right where I stand when putting out the rubbish!   But the snow is undeniably pretty.  Winter has arrived in the West Pennines of Yorkshire.  I don't care what it says on the calendar about when spring, summer, autumn, and winter start and end.  Nature is the key to the seasons, wherever you live.  This is a photograph I took two days ago from my home.  Pretty, isn't it? Snowy West Yorkshire, November 18, 2016 Snowy West Yorkshire, November 18, 2016 Snowy West Yorkshire, November 18, 2016

Since last Thursday, 17 November 2016, we have had snow here on the Pennines of West Yorkshire.  Although the temperature is not bitterly cold, and there are signs of thawing, further lots of wintery showers keep coming along and some of the snow flakes are massive.  On Friday, I took some photographs of birds feeding.  It always gives me such pleasure watching them feeding and filling their little bellies with seed.  The small birds (goldfinches, greenfinches, robins, sparrows etc) drop quite a lot of seed from the seeders and so, at ground level, the pigeons, collared doves, and birds too large for the feeder, get their chance of a meal.  Shortly, I am going to make the fatty seed and fruit balls that I make each year.  Robin in the snow, 18 November 2016 Robin and Goldfinch on the feeder in the snow - 18/11/2016 Goldfinches on feeder in the snow - 18/11/2016

Although it wasn't a complete surprise as, yesterday, I had read the weather forecast for today, I didn't seriously expect to see the area where I live, West Yorkshire, covered in snow when I got up this morning.  Only yesterday I was saying to a friend when we visited a park in Huddersfield, where the golden leaves were falling off the trees, that winter is coming fast.  I just didn't expect it to be that fast .  I'm so pleased that yesterday, late afternoon, after reading the weather forecast, I bubble-wrapped the containers of my most valuable and less hardy container-grown plants. I'm not sure just how much good bubble-wrap will do, but it won't do any harm.  Snow - January 2015 Do you live in a place where the temperate drops below freezing?  If so, have you turned off the water to your outside taps?  Maybe you should. I am so very very glad now, that I cut back the flowering fuchsias and protected them in the mini-g...

Every year I tell myself I will give myself less work to do in the garden, and every spring I get the fever and start propagating and potting things up, like hanging baskets, troughs, etc.  It's like a disease.  And every autumn I pay for it.  It's the beginning of November now and the temperature is decreasing , the breeze is getting stronger and icier, and the leaves are falling fast.  The leaves on my trailing fuchsias, Swingtime and Southgate , were turning yellow and that was the warning sign for me to get the more tender plants protected before frost gets to them first.  Just as I did last November, I cut back the fuchsias and put them into a mini-greenhouse .  I tell you, it's really hard cutting back plants which are covered with beautiful flowers, but it has to be done if I want them to survive to flower for months next year.  Mini-greenhouses packed with tender plants - Nov 2015 I bought a load of plant trolleys earlier in the year ...