Feed the birds

I'm sat in bed typing this (int tech brilliant). Out of the North window, I can see next door's pine tree. Up the top is a Great Spotted Woodpecker. This happens a lot. I love this house.

Back at the old house, we tended not to feed the birds. It sounds heartless or irresponsible, but I'd heard they can become dependant on food sources & starve if their main supply dries up. I couldn't cope with the pressure - the risk of birdie blood on my hands just cos we had the audacity to go on holiday.

That's not to say our old garden lacked birdlife. The blackbirds were more than happy to scrabble through the compost & puncture the lawn. & then there was that time I was serenaded by a robin. We once had a sparrowhawk swoop all the small birds that were hanging out on the red hot poker one morning. We were one of the few gardens on the street with mature trees & shrubs, so we offered plenty of accommodation.

But that was the old house. The new place overlooks a wood & is hopping with birds most of the time. There's no point trying to hold a conversation with me if we're overlooking the South Lawn cos I've developed a bad case of Twitcher's Tourette's:

Oh really, that's fascinat... NUTHATCH!!!

Table for 4?

To get a better look at all those feathery critters, Hubby bought a seats-4 seed feeder. I was surprised by this move - he'd hitherto been firmly from the 'If it's black & it's a bird, it's a blackbird' school of ornithology. But he says that the quantity & variety of birds at the new place has piqued his interest.


The new feeder was instantly mobbed - they emptied it in 2 days flat! What does that mean? Surely there's not a food lack situation on the fringe of the woods. Was it a bumper Spring for chicks?

Fortunately, I've been able to dismiss the starvation theory completely - the neighbours have 9(!) feeding stations, so no one's going hungry. This gives us the leaway to be a bit more sporadic in our provision without getting all fretful about it.

After the success of the seed feeder, I buckled & bought a peanut feeder too. Both hung in the Laburnum all Summer & Autumn & proved very popular. But last week we removed the tree, so the feeders needed a new home. Some friends made us a bird table as a house warming pressie - time to press it into serious action.

Bird table house-warming pressie

As well as the 2 shop-bought feeders, I've had a go at an old school, half coconut shell affair. I've been a bit wary about the whole feeding-cow-fat-to-birds thing, but the RSPB reckon it's ok (with caveats). Their recipe is 1 part fat to 2 parts seeds - looks alright, doesn't it? Like a health food bar. But with hidden lard... hmm... starting to feel bad again... This bird feeding thing is a minefield.

The old coconut shell came with the house...

The coconut shell appears to be a bit challenging for the small birds - some have worked it out but the shop-bought tube is still most popular.

A visiting Coal Tit, captured in incredible blur-o-vision.
The only little fella brave/hungry enough to hit the seed feeder while I was sat next it.

I'm going to stop agonising now, & just enjoy our visitors.

Appendix: Rollcall

Since moving in, we have seen in or from the garden - if they haven't landed in our garden, they are marked with a star (*):

• Blackbird
• Blue tit
• Bullfinch *
• Buzzard *
• Chaffinch
• Coal tit
• Dunnock
• Goldfinch
• Great spotted woodpecker
• Great tit
• Gulls (assorted)
• Heron *
• Jackdaw
• Jay
• Kestrel *
• Magpie
• Nuthatch
• Pied wagtail
• Robin
• Starling
• Woodpidgeon
• Thrush (can't remember which one)
• Tree sparrow
• Wren

Mouldy trees, part 2

In October, tree surgeons lowered our South Beech Hedge & gave us some advice on the ailing trees in the South Lawn. This month, they came back to trim back the North Leylandii hedge & to take the poorly trees down... :(

Rip it off like a plaster

As I posted last time, since the triage trim the trees had taken a turn for the worse. Every time I looked at them, it made me sad to know they were dying.

Whereas every time I looked at the Leylandii (every morning - they're part of my breakfast view), they seemed to be taller. I have literally been watching them grow, swamping the oak & the birches at either end of them.

In both cases, I thought it best not to prolong the agony:

1. The sooner the Leylandii are curtailed, the easier it will be to maintain them in the future.
2. The sooner the dying Cherry & Laburnum are out, the sooner we can get in something healthy. 

But it would appear that these thoughts were mostly in my own head... apart from contacting the tree surgeons for a quote, I definitely did that bit out loud. But crucially I hadn't really chatted to hubby about it... well, I might have, but he was probably jet lagged at the time so it doesn't count.

So it was a shock to him when I wanted to discuss the quote. Whilst he could see my logic was sound, it was all a bit, well, sudden. He's suspicious of pruning at the best of times, & we're still getting used to the open, bordering-on-exposed feeling from the lowered Beech Hedge. Removing the 2 ill trees will remove our last bit of cover to the South.

But fair play to him, in the spirit of "Do something rather than do nothing", he agreed, & so I mobilised the troops.

Nice day for it

I'm on my Xmas hols now (woop!) so I was home the day the tree surgeons came. We confirmed we were dropping the Leylandii by a third & the 2 sick trees were coming out completely. Unfortunately, these guys don't offer stump removal so we've decided to save that cash for now - we might have them ground out later, when we're feeling more flush.

I left them to it, heading out walking with a mate - after, that is, she'd asked them to quote for her too ;) We weren't out for long though. The plan was to take her dogs to the top of Simonside crag, but it was soooooo windy we stuck to the shorter route along the forest paths.

When we got back, most of the chainsaw action was done. The guy up the top was swaying all over, & loving it. He still had all his limbs by the end of the day too, which was nice.

The Laburnum is certainly pretty on the inside...
Does that make me sound like a homicidal maniac?



Revamped log pile topped up with all the new off-cuts

Too much?

Neither of us go to the hairdressers very often, mostly cos of that feeling when you leave & you realise they've been a little enthusiastic...

As a species, we like to kid ourselves we're logically beings. But really, we're a seething vat of emotional soup with a gift for plausible post-rationalisation.

Now you see 'em...

As sad as it was looking at dying trees, it's really bare out there on the South Lawn now... :/
Hubby summed it up: The heart's gone from the garden.

Fuck.

The Laburnum is the biggest miss - hardly surprising as it was slap bang in the middle.

What to do, what to do? Have I already done too much...?

Moving forward

Playing with trees is always a long long game, & I need to keep this in mind. 

The logic is still sound: they were dying; sooner out, sooner replaced, sooner something beautiful & healthy. So rather than dally with the ultimately useless regret that's creeping around in the shadows of my mind, it's time to get busy deciding what trees we're going to plant next year, whilst gazing at the extra splash of deep blue Northern sky afforded by the shorter Leylandii.

Crap photo alert. The sky was blue, honest.

Anyone got any suggestions for medium sized feature trees for a South facing lawn on clay soil with intermittent drainage issues? Am I sounding panicked? :/

Mouldy trees

Sad times - the trees in the South Lawn are not well.

Both the Laburnum & the Cherry have struggled this year. 

We conjectured the cause:

• Not enough light?
  The cherry in particular is hard up against the tall South Hedge. Maybe that's why all the leaves are up the top?
  
  
• Water logged?
  We're sat on a hill of clay & the garden was sopping over Winter. But then again it's been a long, dry Summer & there's no sign of a late recovery.
  
  
• Insect attack?
  We have a lot of red spider mites kicking around. I've heard gardeners whinge about them, although I've no idea exactly why.
  
  
• Age?
  Are they just old? The photo of the house we have from 1974 shows a blurry yellow smudge which implies the Laburnum in & established. If it was planted when the house was built, it'll be about 65-70 years old now. Not ancient then, heading into its twilight years.

I need a Doctor...

We've got more questions than answers. We need a pro.
So when Richard the tree surgeon came to quote for lowering the Big Beech Hedge (another story, another day), we asked his advice.
On the Cherry, he spotted some extensive bark damage on a low branch. Could it be birds...?

But then he spotted this:



Bracket fungus, right at the base of the trunk

Pants. It's right at the base of the trunk. He says it's pretty terminal. Sad times :(

As for the Laburnum, he wasn't sure.

He said he'd trim back the dead, dying & diseased, then we could see how they got on.

1 month later...

Oh dear. Both trees are sporting new & 'interesting' mould:



Ewww! Do you need ice cream with that?
Something gelatinous at the base of the Cherry.

A different mould, covering the end of a cut,
but also bursting out all the way up the Laburnum...

Looks like both will be hitting the log pile soon :(

Anyone got any tree replacement advice?

Is it a bad idea to plant healthy new sapplings in mouldy locations?

Who are you? July flowers

I'm glad to say it's been too hot to do anything serious in the garden. The only activity has been a mow of the lawns & deadheading the roses. The rest of the time has been spent gazing at the view going "Is all this really ours now...?"

Here's who we've been admiring this month.
If you know who they are, please shout up:

These guys started growing vigorously in the Spring, alongside the comfrey,
but they are only just coming into flower now & the comfrey is long gone.

This Buddleia is just by the back door.
It's put on a couple of foot in the last month alone -
the pic bottom right is from the bedroom window,
it coming to say hello, peeking over the edge of the flat roof...

This was also very vigorous in Spring,
the purple on the stems & leaves is very striking.
It flopped a bit since it flowered.

A lovely tall nectarine-coloured rose,
very much like the one at the old house,
but this doesn't seem to be as healthy.

This big purple bottle brush bush is adored by the bees.
A lovely sight to come home to, on the edge of the drive.
Update from Ruth: "I think the purple bottle brush is a hebe."
Indeed... but which one? Could it be Midsummer Beauty?

This little pea-type thing is everywhere,
leaning up against anything nearby...
a bit like the too-drunk woman in the moshpit.

It's very busy down in Compost Corner, so it was a lovely
surprise to find these huge purple blooms lurking in the shade

Not sure if this deliberate planting or an interloper -
 seen some down the woods when out running this week..
Looks like an ornamental nettle.

Huge white poppy. 4 flowers off 1 stem.
Struggled a bit under its own weight.
Now showing 4 huge seed pods.

This large rose is underneath the Laburnum.
The flowers have a lovely scent.

Sorry for fuzzy pics - this rose is really tall
& on the edge of Compost Corner, so I couldn't get close.
Starts as in this crisp shape & then gets blousier as the bloom matures.

The shadiest corner of the North Lawn is showing some life:
A Buddleia & a rather nice conifer.

In amongst the mayhem, some fruit - hooray.
The rasps are hanging on in there Fence Bed,
& the blackcurrant was a complete surprise find amongst
the anarchy that is the West Boundary Bed

This shrub is at the top of the Drive Bed & has exploded in flower.
That bee shortage? They're all here...

We had Crocosmia at the old house, but nothing like this.
It's spectacular. So red that my camera just can't cope.
It's totally gorgeous, standing sentinel at the top of the North Lawn.
Update from Lulu: "That really red crocosmia looks like the variety
called Lucifer,  we have seen it growing wild today in hedgerows
all around the gower peninsula"
Mwhahahahaha!!!

This heather is right next to my parking spot.
Is it me or do the flower bells look like
bright pink pantaloons with black lace trim...?
Yeah, it's just me ;p

Life is sweet :)

Over the hedge

Giz a job

Last Sunday. The whole day in. Yay! But which job to tackle? I could stay indoors & sugar soap the walls of the hall loo... Nah, let's get outside!

But which outdoor job? Both lawns were buzzed during the week so I get to pick something else - double yay!

Weeding one of the beds would be good, but I still don't know what half the stuff is. Plus the thought makes my heart sink as there's soooo much to do.

The previous owner, Mrs |H, clearly had maintenance fatigue too...

 

How do I re-home saplings?

I could do a round of sapling eviction. Living on the edge of a wood it's no great surprise that it wants to claim our garden for itself. We have lots of vigorous youngsters that will totally dominate if they stay. I'd really like to donate them cos it seems a shame to trash them, but I've not found anyone willing to take them. Any ideas?

Go with your gut

Finally I use the decision-making technique we've adopted since moving - fix whatever's pissing you off the most. & casting an eye over the South Lawn, it's the overgrown hedge from next door. Don't get me wrong - the neighbours have done a fab job of keeping the level to about half a meter above the fence, but the hedge now overhangs on our side, & this house had been empty for a while before we moved in, so it's got a bit big...

The South East corner needs a haircut

 

It's so dark in that corner, Hubby thinks it's hampering the health of the Cherry tree that's down there. This member of the jury remains unconvinced about that theory but it'd be cool to neaten up that bit of the hedge. So let's have at it & test the Cherry theory - we can do science, us!

Getting cracking

First cut, along the fence line.

 

I kept a close line along the top of the fence.

 

Some of the panels have fallen in a bit, another sign of how unruly the hedge is getting, so we didn't think the folks next door would have any problem with this wrangling plan, but just to keep things friendly, we felt we needed a chat before tackling the biggest bit. However, the neighbours were out so I kept going with non-contentious bits.

As I pruned back, I discovered 2 shrubs. Unlike the lovely soft beech hedging, both of these were spiky spiny buggers. One was a large hawthorn, & its thorns were absolutely viscous. Time to get the welding gloves out.

Ouch! These guys take no prisoners.

 

Opps... we've found more garden...

Cutting it all back reveals a whole new corner of garden... I'm now wondering how wise this pruning plan was, cos the garden is already big enough!

I could hear Hubby talking, & twigged he had caught the returning neighbours. They gave the big trim their approval, so we started on the last bit.


The off-cut mountain grows...

 

Biggest last

The best point to cut the last big stem was over their side of the fence. With the neighbours' blessing in place, Hubby tied a rope above the cut, then I got busy with the saw.

I'm feeling the urge to stick googly eyes onto this pic...

 

As the branch started to fall, Hubby gave me the heads up. I ducked out of the way & he pulled it to safety. Like a well-oiled machine... ;)

Now we've just got the clear up to do...

Clear up operation

I hate the word 'just'. It's rarely true, & in my gardening experience, the clearing up always takes much longer than the job itself. I often try to clear up as I go, but those good intentions often evaporate once I'm stuck into the job.

There's a wheelbarrow under there somewhere...

 

We needed a strategy to process the huge pile of trimmings, so we set up a 4 pile system:

1. Composting leaves & twigs into the dumpy bag.
2. Firewood twigs into the round black bin.
3. Chunkier firewood into a pile.
4. Aggressive stuff (brambles, thorny things) into the garden waste wheelie bin.

Off-cut processing production line

 

Take a break

Half way through the heap & we're getting tired. The sun's come out, my head is starting to bake, & Hubby's getting blisters from all the snip snip snipping. The compost bin is full, the garden waste wheelie bin is almost full. We have a break while we reconsider our options.

Snax!

 

"How about we fill the dumpy bag and take it to the tip?"
Genius! Half & half seems fair to me. The rest of the trimmings can go onto the municipal compost heap.

Put a bit in, take a bit out

Talking of which, I totally failed to find any peat-free compost this week, but a friend reminded me about council compost. £3 a bag from the tip - bonzer :D We'll see how it is.

Why is it labelled "Soil conditioner", not "Compost"?
Should I be worried?

 

Job done

Stepping back, we start to realise what a big difference today's trim has made.

Before & after

 

1. We can now see the woods to the East, extending our views out.
2. This corner is in the South East, so when you stand here & look West across the garden, you'll get the last the evening sun before it snicks behind the house. Prime seating location I reckon, cos I love a garden seat, me.
3. It gives us a clue what sort of changes we'll get in this garden when we lower the Big Beech Hedge that is our Southern boundary.

That day gets ever closer, but we'll need help with that job...

 

What's flowering this week?

You blink round here, & something else flowers. Here's who's flouncing about right now.

Can anyone fill any of the blank name tags?

Smoke bush - identified by Kay when I spotted one at her house

Dunno what this is, but there's lots of it.
Love how the rain beads on the leaves.
Update from Roger: "Alchemilla mollis. Beautiful if a bit of a brute!"
Also known as Lady's Mantle.



We've several similar geraniums.
This lovely clump is at the foot of the South Lawn Cherry Tree.

Not a clue about this one but I see it about a lot.
A municipal planting favourite in our Drive Bed.

Another flowering shrub in the Drive Bed.
They're cheek-by-jowl in there.
Update from Bryony: "escallonia I think"
Certainly looking likely from interweb photos & descriptions.

There's 2 big clumps of this in the West Boundary Bed.
TBH it's probs a single plant attempting to swallow a third.

We currently have the most glamorous, most fragrant compost corner.
The rambling/climbing rose went boom!
Update from Kate: "Rambling rector?"
Looking very likely, & how fitting given that Hubby is a Reverend...
I may start referring to him as such here...

We brought these guys with us.
Still no idea what they are.
Update from Roger: "Some kind of veronica"
But searching Google pics I'm not so sure
(even after eliminating all the pics of ladies in their pants.)

Not flowering, but looking wonderfully fluffy in its new growth.
One of several conifers at the top of the North Lawn. 

A flush of buttercups, before I chopped their heads off yesterday.

No idea which leaves go with these flowers.
It's all a bit hectic behind the bench down at the Circle.

Our lovely friends gave us loads of plants as housewarming gifts.
Sarge's cactus bloomed!
Update from me (cos I read the label): Opuntia indica - prickly pear!

Tackling the Lawns

Small, or far away...?

This time of year, you really can watch the grass grow... You can almost see it heave itself upwards before your very eyes.

Hubby's done all the mowing since the move - a Herculean effort of one man & a flymo against the marching sward. Mind, this early Summer cycle of sun & showers means that keeping on top of it has more than a whiff of Sisyphus about it.

It's time I went to mow.

The South Lawn

Done & dusted on Wednesday evening. Yay!

It's about the size of the old lawn but the terrain is a tad more challenging. New house is on top of a small hill, & the land falls away quite rapidly on most sides. We're not talking cliff-side gardening here, but it's no snooker table either.

The South Lawn has 2 key obstacles: The sharp drop to the Big Beech Hedge; & the loop around the Laburnum.

On a slope & heavily shaded, neither spot is ever going to be lush & verdant lawn, but at the mo we're happy with bramble-&-nettle-free.

Even with these tricky bits, I guess it took less than an hour. Most doable on a sunny weekday evening. Marvellous.

The North Lawn

I didn't bother timing this task, largely cos I didn't want to rush myself. Getting it done Saturday morning before the rain arrived was going to be a close call, but let's not go mental & be exhausted by Noon, eh?

The North Lawn is an isosceles triangle to the West of the drive. A 20m run up by the side of the gravel, then 15m in front of the house, then back along the boundary hedge. It slopes mostly North West, is pretty damp, & is balding in many places due to mature trees past & present.

Not as flat as it looks...

Hubby gave it a weed n feed a few weeks ago & that's done wonders, but in some areas the measures may need to be more drastic - there's a row of Leylandii by the road & they are big. The heavy shade from them stops anything growing underneath - not even brambles or ivy dare to tread.

We already know our Westerly neighbours are not fans of the Leylandii, but they're also not 100% sure who they belong to. We'll need to have a sleuth around before getting the chainsaw out...

The North Lawn is also home to a smattering of daffs. They made us feel very welcome as we moved in during April. Their dying back leaves make mowing a bit of a slalom though, so I used Mum's old technique of tidying them up. The theory says the longer the leaves are photosynthesising, the stronger the bulb next year.

Use an old flower stem as the tie - they're stronger than the leaves

Not that Mum uses this technique anymore. I'm not surprised - it's a bit of a chew on! But to me they look like little haystacks & I'm enjoying that :)

With a little help from Hubby, who mowed while I tied, we were done just as the first spots started to hit. Timing!