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Summer Colour
This pink Leptospermum scoparium ‘Martini’ was a new addition to the garden last year. It tends to be delicate and I had no hope that it would survive the cold winter. It is past its best in this photograph, but to my surprise it is thriving. If it is like its relatives in the garden…
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The End of a Long Hot Summer
7 September 2022 You can tell that autumn is here as my dogs have recovered from their summer lethargy and are frantically tying to destroy my garden in search of mice and voles. Dry stone walls like the one above, large trees and favourite shrubs are all fair game and the three dogs have the…
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Summer’s End
I have never really been able to replicate the pleasure that I got as a child from growing my own vegetables in my own plot in the garden. Years later, in the North East of Scotland, it seemed relatively easy to grow vegetables despite the long harsh winter and frozen ground. In the short window…
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For the Birds!
Prickly and Smooth Sowthistle both have lovely flowers, but look rather dishevelled as the seeds appear. I always have to resist the temptation to pull them out when they are in this state until I noticed that something has been eating the seeds on one plant in the rockery. My tolerance was rewarded the other…
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A LONG JOURNEY
I was very distressed recently to discover my collie cross Millie standing beside me with a dead goldfinch in her mouth. I would like to think that she was not responsible for its death, but fear that the evidence is against her. This was one of at least forty goldfinches that have spent the winter…
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Winter Tasks
The trees on my drive have been given a much-needed trimming to remove dead or dying wood and thin out the crowns so that they do not present a large top-heavy mass of branches at the top of the plant during storms. The branches are perfect for the birds when approaching the feeder and the…
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Stink Bugs and Other Delicacies
October 2021 Irish shield bugs are ‘potential’ stink bugs, as they secrete a horrible smell when handled. Apparently, they can also bite. In my experience the smell may be bad, but the taste is foul even when mixed with raspberries. I have been enjoying the latter on a daily visit to the fruit garden and…
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Garden Visitors
6 August 2021 Every year around this time I decide that the Inula hookeri has got to go. It spreads very quickly and when it matures it flops over and covers a multitude of other plants in the herbaceous border. Each year I try to contain it by reducing it to a quarter of its…
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Up the Walls
23 May 2021 I have finally weaned the birds off their daily ration of bird food. It was easier than I thought. All I had to do was substitute the sunflower hearts I was providing with the cheaper mixed food and they showed their disdain by ignoring all but the sunflower seeds. I miss the…