GARDENER'S WORD - IDEAS AND TIPS

For the last two nights we have had snow here on the Pennines of West Yorkshire and during the day the snow has thawed and we have had sunshine. That works for me!  Apart from that, I'm so pleased to tell you that a lovely Great Spotted Woodpecker has visited my garden again. I first saw it on the first day of January 2020. It likes the homemade fat balls that I make. It's lovely to see it eating seeds from the feed, alongside the small birds. I wondered what sex the woodpecker is and it seems they are very easy to identify.  The male has a red patch on the back of its head, whereas the female does not. Young Great Spotted Woodpeckers are even more easy to identify, from any view, because they are sporting a cap of red until they mature.  It's most definitely a mature male that is visiting my garden. Whether or not it is always the same one is anybody's guess. Sorry the photos are not great. They are taken from a distance through the kitchen window. If I opened the do...

Approaching winter last year, there were a few buds on my Wildeve rose. I expected them to rot and come to nothing, so have not paid any attention to them. I'm afraid my garden is like a jungle over winter as I leave everything untidy for the insects and the birds (and it saves me doing any work). So imagine my surprise when I looked out of the window today and noticed one bud had actually bloomed.  Ok, it looks a bit chewed and ragged, but it's a welcome sight. Roll on spring. Wildeve rose blooming in January 2020 There are a couple of buds here and there which look promising. How lovely! This image below is Wildeve in summer. She's a beautiful David Austin rose. Wildeve rose

I've been gardening for decades and for the first time, this year, have bought a heated propagator. Each spring I take cuttings of my older red pelargoniums so that I can have a good display each year. Usually I will do this around late March but I wanted to get a jump on the weather this year because I want flowers earlier. Stewart Premium 52cm Thermostatic Electric Propagator I bought it via Amazon and you can see more details about it there. It comes with a base within which is the thermostat and probe, then there is a large tray and two smaller ones which fit into the base, and along with that came 10 small plastic pots.  I used those and another six besides, so I have fitted sixteen cuttings in individual pots into the base. It's quite room! It was easy to set up but I couldn't quite make out from the pamphlet whether or not I was supposed to put water in the base. Looking at several YouTube videos demonstrating this propagator, it seems not. Anyway, pelargonium...

Snow came down today in heavy clumps but, fortunately, it's too mild for it to hang around for long. The sun is trying to make an appearance too. While I love the sight of snow, it can be problematic where I live and can hang around for weeks if several inches of it come down and it's cold enough to prevent thaw. The garden birds seemed to be in a bit of a feeding frenzy today and so I ensured they had plenty of seed and fresh water. It was lovely to see a robin in the miniature James Grieve apple tree . Robin on James Grieve miniature apple tree on snowy day - January 2020 Robin on James Grieve miniature apple tree on snowy day - January 2020 Birds on bird feeding station on snowy day - January 2020

Sitting in a cafe today, an elderly lady began reciting a beautiful poem. The Months by Sara Coleridge. The lady had dementia and was delving into her long term memory.  Sara Coleridge died in 1852, and I had never heard her poem until today. I wanted to share it here because it reminds me of gardening and the weather. January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow. February brings the rain, Thaws the frozen lake again. March brings breezes loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil. April brings the primrose sweet, Scatters daisies at our feet. May brings flocks of pretty lambs, Skipping by their fleecy dams. June brings tulips, lilies, roses, Fills the children’s hand with posies. Hot July brings cooling showers, Apricots and gillyflowers. August brings the sheaves of corn, Then the Harvest home is borne. Warm September brings the fruit, Sportsmen ...

What a wonderful beginning to 2020. It is the first day of January, 2020, the sun is shining here in West Yorkshire, it's about 5C, scarcely a cloud in the sky, and not a drop of rain. To make things even better, after not seeing one for a very long time, I managed to catch on my Canon EOS camera a Great Spotted Woodpecker eating from one of my home-made fat balls . These birds are such beautiful creatures and this one was joined by goldfinches on the sunflower-seed feeder. Great Spotted Woodpecker eating homemade fat ball and Goldfinches eating sunflower seeds The photos could have been better but I was taking them from inside my kitchen, through the glass. If had opened the door to get better images, well the birds would have taken flight. Note that the below fat ball was made with lard and mixed wild-bird seed only. I used small plastic cups as moulds and they fit nicely within the feeder. Great Spotted Woodpecker eating homemade fat ball and Goldfinches eating sunflower...

It's the middle of December 2019 and although there was a light covering of snow on the garden this morning, so far we have been spared severe weather. Sure, it's chilly, but that's to be expected; it's winter. I'm going to make fat balls for the birds this week but noticed that the squirrels like them too. Birds have been visiting the feeding station very regularly, greedily, and I wonder if they know something that I don't. Apart from the bit of snow, which soon went, it doesn't look very wintery in my garden. The white bacopa plants in the hanging baskets are still flowering, the parsley is still looking healthy and green, and the hardier ferns are delightful. Ferns in mid December - Brauns Holly Fern Polystichum braunii, left Dryopteris atrata, centre and deciduous Dryopteris filix-mas Euxinensis, right Ferns in June 2019 - Brauns Holly Fern Polystichum braunii, left Dryopteris atrata, centre and Dryopteris filix-mas Euxinensis, right Ferns mak...

It seems to me There's Nothing So Lovely As a Tree VJ Tree over water, Temple Newsam, West Yorkshire Tree near bridge at Thorpe Perrow Arboretum Tree near bridge at Thorpe Perrow Arboretum Abies Koreana at RHS Gardens, Harlow Carr, West Yorkshire Trees by fountain at Cliffe Castle, West Yorkshire Trees by fountain at Cliffe Castle, West Yorkshire Meripilus giganteus also known as Giant Polypore at base of tree, East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire Duck pond at East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire Trees in autumn at RHS Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire Trees by water at Temple Newsam, West Yorkshire Silky mahogany-coloured bark of Prunus Serrula, at RHS Harlow Carr Trees by water at Thorpe Perrow Arboretum, North Yorkshire Tree at Harewood House, North Yorkshire Acer Griseum (Paperbark Maple) at Harewood House, North Yorkshire Tree covered with 'Witch's Broom' Ikley, North Yorkshire Tree at East Riddle...

There isn't much to tell you about my garden now that winter is approaching. We've had a tremendous amount of rain here, high on the Pennines of West Yorkshire, and a little ground frost, but no snow as yet. The garden is being left as it is, a jungle, and I'll leave nature to itself as I pretty much do all year round. As I have a balance disability, I do the least amount of gardening (I've had a no-dig policy for many years - no raking, no digging, no hoeing, etc) that I can get away with while having a fairly nice place to sit in warmer months. Today goldfinches arrived in great numbers and a solitary squirrel. Yesterday I saw a squirrel drinking out of the new bird bath  as well as a squirrel eating a homemade fat ball . They are such a joy to watch. Goldfinches having afternoon tea! You can see the garden looks a total mess, but it is a place for insects to hide, birds and squirrels to feed, and although I read that earthworms were on the decline, I have plenty...

It's not just the birds in my garden which like my homemade fat balls , the squirrels like them too.  As I couldn't find the fat ball holder (I only put them out in very cold weather) the other day, I placed three on top of a pot and noticed this morning that they had all gone. Shortly afterwards, I saw a small squirrel on top of the fence eating one. The squirrel was immediately joined by a magpie. Now, I expected the magpie to attack the fat ball and/or the squirrel but, no, the squirrel was having none of it. I think if there had been two magpies, it might have been a different story; they don't seem to voracious on their own. Squirrel eating fat ball put out for birds Squirrel eating fat ball for birds - Magpie thinks it's good to share Squirrel moving fat ball so it can eat in peace Squirrel - alone at last with fat ball I wish I could have got it all on video but you know how it is, they would have gone before I got the chance.