www.alittlesliceofeden.blogspot.com

Talkback: Colourful winter stems

Whilst blueberries don't have quite such good stems as Cornus or Salix they are not a bad red, the autumn colour is good and you can eat blueberries!

Talkback: Growing veg in shade

This sounds like a great idea. If you don't like having broccoli in your border though why not try Brussel Sprouts: they are such beautiful plants and put up with some shade.

I have a lot of shade in my garden and find that Raspberries work well. I'm trying Loganberries too which are meant to cope.

A lot of my herbs seem to be reasonably tolerant: Sage, Rosemary, Marjoram and Mint are all easy going though I wouldn't try Thyme or Basil.

Talkback: Mice in the garden

It is so nice to read a blog by someone who doesnt panic at the sight of a mouse!

My garden is full of little holes which appear and then disappear at random. Many of them will be home to mice and possibly even their larger cousins but I've not been bothered by them, and the crocuses and snowdrops seem to manage just fine.

From time to time we get intimations that other little mammals are living alongside us too: a shrew on the doorstep; bats in the evening, a hedgehog scurrying away into the undergrowth and a pile of fresh earth diggings where a mole has been building. We even saw a lovely golden ferret that had escaped captivity and come to investigate our compost heap. Each of them needs to eat something, but each of them adds a layer of richness to our enjoyment of the garden too.

Talkback: Help wildlife survive winter

Last year I found newts and frogs hibernating under small bits of rocks - woefully inadequate, so I built a hibernaculum. I piled up all the rubble and bits of broken pot I could find, then covered it all with soil and planted easy going hardy geranniums in it. Of course one of the problems is that I can't just take it apart to see if anyone is using my new hotel but I do hope so.

Talkback: The benefit of freezing weather in the garden

I wish that our garden had been slippery before the big freeze. It is solid clay but even so it hasn't been water logged. We could have done with some more rain this winter - where has it all gone?

Still the freeze has been good for breaking down a new flower bed that I had dug over. I just wish that I had got all the work done before it came. Never mind, the land is thawing out fast now (cross fingers) so I can get on again.

Talkback: Turkscap lilies

Is there any sign that the Lily beetles are finding their way to the lillies by smell? I wondered if it might be worth-while crushing up som... 

Talkback: Ladybird pupae

The difficulty is that new insects may be better adapted to the current and developing climate. Perhaps we should be accepting the inevitabl... 

Talkback: Preparing for Chelsea

Just up the road from you in Hassocks I think we have pretty well perfect conditions - the thick wealden clay is relatively easy to improve ...