obelixx

favorite clematis of the spring.

It's lovely.  Unfortunately all my alpinas, montanas and macropetalas have been frozen to death over the last few winters so my first flowerer is a group 1 called Red Robin.   This pictures shows it just opening - http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/bb262/Obelixx_be/0905%20Garden/?action=view&current=0905golf258.jpg#!oZZ38QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs211.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb262%2FObelixx_be%2F0905%2520Garden%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3D0905golf259.jpg It starts of with rich burgundy buds then opens to flowers which are cream on the inside and it flowers for a good 2 or 3 months before making fabulous fluffy seed heads..  Luscious.

Digital subscription to GW magazine

GW will have done deals with those distributors that give a reasonable percentage to each party and it'll be cheaper for GW to send stuff electronically via these media than to print, bind, package and post a magazine so chances are they'll get better revenues per copy.

Of course, that will translate to more jobs lost in paper production, printing and postal companies.   Win some, lose some.

Thinking of installing a pond

The deeper you can make it the cooler it will stay in the depths and the fewer problems you will have so if the deg is to be at seating height, dig the centre down at least to the same depth below ground level.  I wouldn't add fish as their excretions raise pond fertility and that encourages algae and blanket weed and fish also eat any frogs eggs and tadpoles they can find.  You should plan to have at least 30% of the surface covered so look into small water lillies. 

Make sure your pond liner is invisible and protected at the edges by overhanging slabs or timbers as being exposed to sunlight will speed its deterioration.  Make sure there's a stone near the edge which allows creatures like frogs and toads to make the leap from pond to edge so they can go and do their thing in the garden once laying is over.  They are amphibious so spend quite a lot of time out of teh water and can drown if they can't get out.

Cat allergies

Go to the vet.  It's far more likely your cat has something treatable than an allergy to plants.    And make sure you use a regular flea and tick treatment and also worming every 2 or 3 months.

Gardeners World program

I recorded GW for years and would watch them again in winter but when MD took over at Berryfields I found the content insufficiently informative or interestuing to bother watching a second time.   It's the same now.  Nice way to pass a half hour but nothing new or exciting and often stuff which is not applicable to me or my garden.   It's too specific to monty's garden which is fine in its way but not for a glagship gardening programme aimed at the whole country with its variety of garden sizes, local climates, soil conditions and so on.

I suspect the i-player facility has been pulled for one of two reasons -1.  the powers that Beeb think on-one is watching or interested ingardening over winter.  2.  They've sold it to a satellite channel for re-broadcast and need the exclusivity for advertiser revenue.

Garden aspects. N,S,E,W? Which is best?

I have garden on all 4 sides but the main area ia to the north which means the sun gets round to the main terrace at about 3pm.   Too cool for sitting out except on warm days but usually a breeze of some sort when it's really hot and we get to enjoy the sun till it sets at 10:30 in midsummer as we have no shade from neighbours.

When we've finished sorting the house out we'll ahve a sitting area to the east and to the south can have all year sun for sitting out at veraious times of day.

Each aspect has its virtues - hot sun lovers to the south, soft fruits to theh west for warm, ripening sun, shade lovers up next to the house to teh north and pretty well anything I fancy further away from the house as long as it's bone hardy..  Veggies are currently on the north side in raised beds but have short sun hours in spring and autumn and none in winter so may migrate to the east where they'll get more sun as it's open to the south too..

When to transplant clemetis

I would mobe them now so they can get their roots established over winter ready fo rthe growth spurt in spring.  

Make sure you have their new holes well prepared and that you watre the roots of each plant generously and leave to soak away for at least an hour before digging them up.    Dig them out as deeply as you can with as much rrot ball as possible and then plant them at least 4 to 6 inches deeper than they were.  This will encourage the formation of new shoots for extra flowering stems next summer.

Adding some well rotted manure and/or garden compost to the new planting hole will help too.  Water in well.   Next spring, protect the new shoots from slugs and snails by scattering wildlife friendly pellets from Valentine's Day onwards.

sparrows

Rural, central Belgium surrounded by pasture and arable crops with woodland nearby.  We've planted up former cow pasture to include trees, shrubs, hedges and plenty of bulbs, perennials and grasses plus soft fruit and vegetables.  Plenty of shelter and planty of ssed heads, berries and insects for food.

sparrows

When we moved to this ex farmhouse there was no garden and about 3 sparrows.   We have turned the surrounding cow pasture into a garden, erected a feeding station out of reach of our cats and a ground feeding site away from pouncing cover, feed the birds all year round, sectioned off the ends of our attics so the birds can nest safely in the eaves and bingo, we now have about 30 or so nesting pairs who live in the eaves and produce 2 or 3 clutches each summer as well as others who nest elsewhere but feed and play in our garden.

We also have assorted tits and finches as well as seasonal dunnocks, wrens, and woodpeckers plus pheasants, jays, corws, magpies and so on.

I never spray against pests and diseases and find the birds hoover up caterpilars and aphids to feed their young.   A case of give and take that works for us.   

The cats have never caught one and the sparrowhawk has only caught one pigeon and one sparrow that I've ever seen. 

Ride on mower / mini tractor - help!

Simple sit on mowers are generally best for smooth, flat lawns.  The one's that look like  a mini tractor are more rugged and can cope with bumpier terrain but won't be good on real slopes as they can topple.

You can buy them with grass collectors, without grass collectors or with a mulching action which chops the cuttings up really fine and leaves them to feed the lawn.   We have one without grass collection as they always seem to get clogged and I spent more time unblocking the tubes on the old one than actually mowing.   Friends have the self mulching model and it is excellent but their grass is less lush than ours.

Our new one is a Lazer.  It cost about €1000 3 years ago and should last 10 or 15 years.   I could have got a robot for the same price but OK was agin it.  I'll get one next time though as our grass area will be reduced in the next year or so.  

Encouraging bats in our gardens

Beechgrove this weekend

Weekend 22 March

Good Morning - 21 March

Choosing chillies

Hanging baskets and window boxes

New shed - any tips?