GARDENER'S WORD

We've had some quite harsh weather here on the Pennines of West Yorkshire these last few days.  Snow comes and never quite goes, and it has been perishingly cold with subzero temperatures for days.  Hopefully that will help kill off, or suppress, some garden pests and diseases.  Whatever flowers were remaining - the penstemons, roses, clematis, and some flowers still in the hanging baskets - have been frozen to death and my garden is looking somewhat pathetic this morning under the light covering of snow and ice which is as hard and clear as glass.  I've removed all plants from the garden room which, despite insulation, is dipping below freezing inside.  But outside, this morning, wow!  Sunrise has painted the sky the most fabulous rainbow colours and a 'murder of' crows has decided to gather in the neighbour's ash trees at the bottom of my back garden and make the most alarming racket.  In all my years I have never ever seen that before....

It's so cold out there today on the Pennine Mountains of West Yorkshire that the snow, which fell during the early hours of yesterday morning, has turned to ice with roads like skating rinks, not to mention my garden paths.  As always, all year round, I am feeding the birds but I think some people focus on the little birds because they look so vulnerable and sweet, but big birds need food too.  I've filled up the seed feeders with nutritious sunflower seeds and I've made some fat balls from lard, sultanas, sunflower seeds, and chunky oats.  The fat balls have only been outside for minutes and already about a dozen medium size birds are having a go at them.  And they are dropping bits on the ground.  Good.  Squirrels have been coming around recently and I've been throwing down sunflower seeds on the ground for them and the big birds. Making fat balls costs money, of course, and I am very much aware that some people will not be able to afford to feed th...

It's been perishingly cold these last couple of days on the Pennine Mountains of West Yorkshire.  However, we keep getting lots and lots of glorious sunshine which heats up my unheated garden room .  Today, while it was freezing in the garden, the sun raised the temperature inside the room to an almost tropical 15 degrees celsius.  Ok, that's a bit of a hyperbole saying 'tropical', but in comparison with outdoors...   There is a promise of even more sunshine tomorrow as the sky this evening was ablaze with hot colours.  Red sky at night, shepherds' delight.  I truly believe that.  The sky looked ablaze.  Sunset in West Yorkshire, 1 December 2017 Meanwhile, the cold weather has turned the soil in the garden rock hard, and the plants in the hanging baskets have been nipped by the frost and are finally on their way out after giving me a wonderful display for months on end.  When the plants are dead, I will clear them out...