sparker

Has anyone got buds on there apple tree yet

I am in West Oxford and my apple tree buds are just opening this weekend. Don't panic, mother nature knows when it is ready.  Everything is going to be late. I just hope the wind and rain keep clear, as it had all my apple blossom off last year. Spring is most certainly here as I have dandelions in flower and the weeds are starting to grow!

We love Monty!

Hands off our Monty. Thanks Monty for giving out correct advise to hold back on sowing seeds outside till the weather warms up. Such good advise for us eager gardeners and especially the new recruits who might give up not having good results. Thanks for saving our hard earned money, that the garden centres want us to waste, and then go back and spend more money. Is it Montys fault they over ordered and are now having to dump plants cause they need the room? Why dump, why not get local communities or schools to come and take them away? I hate garden centres anyway, full of stuff and a few plants. Seek out your local nursery, they are full of good advise and good plants, no gluts at my fab one at Bunkers Hill in West Oxford, but plenty of bargain priced bare root shrubs last week. Keep on giving that good advise Monty. Does anyone know where I can get some Monty Don sweet peas? Grew Alan Titchmarsh last year, and like to share the love.

Keeping Cats and Wildlife apart?

Hello, fellow cat lovers! After such a one sided article with no 'evidence' to back up any of these claims in the August magazine, I am sick and tired of cats getting such a bad press! A magpie stripped my whole hedge of chicks this spring! So how many birds have we lost due to modern farming methods?  And how much of this farmed food do people throw out every week? How many badgers and hedgehogs do we all see dead on our roads? How much dog poo is all over our paths be they concrete or in the country? Eh? Eh? My garden is a haven for wildlife and is the main concern for everything I do in it. I only feed birds on feeders from high points in trees, and have lots of different birds all raising young. Don't get me wrong, my cat has caught 4 birds this year, but she does eat them! She is a wild animal herself after all. It is a fact that residential gardens do more for wildlife of all sorts then ever before. I have no qualms about neighbours shooing my cat away and advise a childrens water spray to discourage a return visit, they hate water. So, can we drop the subject........... please.

Fruit Cages

Being at work all day, I am in total dispair at the decimation pigeons are having on my garden. I am considering a fruit cage to enclose my vege plot. Can anyone recommend a brand, tips to look out for, ease of construction etc. My garden is a windy one.

Could be a good item for the magazine! Monty please help!

Any tips generally to deter pigeons?

 

We love Monty!

Telegraph article April 12 

Fruit Cages

Do's and Don'ts