Early signs of life....

There are signs that spring is not far away despite the stormy beginning to 2008 - so I thought I'd share these with you... I love the continued little surprises each day you wander round the garden noticing new things appearing in the ground, in spaces you'd forgotton about - it's very exciting! It's signs like these that remind me of the nights starting to draw out more and the thought of warm sunny days.... and at the same time the sense that none of us ever knows what lies around the next corner!
A garden is a place of constant change - a bit like life - every day you get flowers dying and in their place new flowers appearing. Each year it takes on a slightly different shape, certain plants do better than others, some plants get moved and others get added - just all part of life's rich tapestry!

The waters continue to rise!

The rain has been amazing here - I think this is the highest we've seen our little "stream"... luckily I can say that since this was taken the water has started to go down and we've not had anymore substantial rain here so since, so watch this space!

The plants are definitely benefiting from a good soaking now. It's reminded me of the benefits of keeping your areas of planting well mulched - this can help prevent unnecessary evaporation of water from the soil during warmer weather, helps keep weeds at bay and helps the soil to retain many of it's natural minerals which would otherwise be washed away in this kind of weather. This way plants really experience the longer term benefits of heavy rains at this time of the year, thus helping them to survive any warm dry summers too.

Adding extra compost as well as mulching the can be particularly beneficial to soils with a high clay content - this really helps with overall drainage and also means that the soil becomes more workable earlier in the season too.

Just so you can see how much the stream has risen - this is a photo of it last summer!

What... no butts?!

After a phenomenal amount of rain fell last night accompanied by strong winds - I woke up to discover that the stream which runs through our woodland had become a torrent... causing flooding to the surrounding fields and with more rain forecast... I was very lucky to see a young pair of water rats this morning enjoying themselves in all the extra water but they didn't hang around long enough for a photo - so you'll just have to take my word for it!

Unfortunately it's making the job of doing a great deal in the garden right now quite difficult - so have decided to spend my weekend planning our vegetables for 2008 and working out what to buy and when to plant - all good stuff!

Despite these pictures - it's good not to get complacent with the quantity of water right now - a good time to ensure you have some water butts in place to store water for when we really need it - with the way the weather has been going, your guess is as good as mine as to what weather we have in store this summer. So now is the time to start getting prepared!

The Lunatic Gardener!

Having just completed my latest article for Brit'mag on lunar planting (gardening according to the phases of the moon) which for anyone interested is in their January/February '08 magazine. To discover more on this subject why not order a copy!

It's a highly interesting and extremely involved subject but one that makes total sense and a method that clearly works - the moon goes through two principal monthly cycles one in relation to the sun and the other to the stars. The moon's gravitational pull controls many things on earth including the tides, rainfall and even the movement of liquids in plants.Lunar planting is timing your garden tasks according to where the moon is in relation to the sun and stars at particular times during the montly cycle - for instance, around the time of the full moon in particular, the moisture content in the soil is at its highest - so the best time to sow seeds for better germination, this is also when we see the highest tides. Another suggestion is to prune your plants as the moon moves through its waning phase (from full moon to new moon) as this is when there is least sap rising. The list is endless - do add any comments or tips you may have on this if you read this article...

An additional good source of reference is Nick Kollerstrom's book "Gardening and Planting by the Moon 2008 - this also includes a lunar calender for 2008 which gives all sorts of helpful hints and tips of what to do on each day of the year!

Planning Ahead for 2008!

As we head towards the new year - a belated Happy Christmas and Happy New Year when it arrives, to anyone reading this!

As one year ends and another one begins I always feel a sense of excitement and anticipation of what lies ahead and start thinking of all the things I'd like to do in the garden in the year ahead.... even if you don't acheive all your goals, it's good to have a plan to work to!

I must admit I feel quite behind with jobs in the garden but all is not lost.... there is still plenty of time to cut back all the dead plant material from perennials, time to prune back shrubs and clear the veggie patch in readiness for another season's growing too - one way of working off the extra calories eaten over the festive period too!

If you visit the site - do leave your comments as it's always nice to see who's visiting and hear about your experiences too... Bonne Annee and watch this space for ideas for your garden during 2008!Gardening

The freezing weather continues....

I can't remember the last time we had continued frosty weather like this - the chance to get out with the camera has been a lot of fun...

Despite it being icy cold, it really is beautiful and even the cows came to take a look!

Every tiny detail is covered with fine particles of ice - even the catkins weren't exempt- nor each blade of grass.

I just wanted to make the most of the opportunity as you don't see this everyday!

Then to finish off with... frosted oak leaves and cobwebs.

Cold & Frosty Morning...

Frost arrives in Brittany again - and thought I'd share some of the pictures I took whilst out for my morning walk with Lucy (our black Lab) ....