tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-228613792009-02-21T08:19:45.201-08:00Gardening at the sharp end. An account of the agony and the ecstasy of a keen gardener as she gets to grips with a much larger plot than the one she was used to. Hopefully others can learn a lot from her discoveries and mistakes.The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1165775052976719882006-12-10T10:16:00.000-08:002006-12-10T10:24:12.990-08:00

Early Winter GardenWell, it hasn't really been very wintry so far, it's more like a late autumn. And here we are it's almost Christmas. Even here in dry North Norfolk we have quite wet weather, and windy too. This morning there was a crisp white frost which came as a bit of a shock. We haven't put the heater in the greenhouse yet so I hope all the stuff in there is OK. I didn't get the

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1161943243801374022006-10-27T02:53:00.000-07:002006-10-27T03:00:43.820-07:00

The Joys of AutumnI often think that those who wax lyrical about the joys of kicking through pretty crispy red leaves in autumn are never the people who have to clean them up! It is such a pain, although we have a rather brilliant sort of massive hoover for getting leaves up from the lawn.Considering we live in one of the country's driest counties it's amazing how much rain we have had lately.

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1160519531330790102006-10-10T15:26:00.000-07:002006-10-10T15:32:11.353-07:00

Grass and Mole Rampant!Well, there's a mole, well I presume it is just the one, rampaging all over the back (and the front) lawns at the moment. It is really annoying as you get hills that look so big you'd think a labrador had dug them.He/she has been getting away with it as we have been tired out by a serious crisis with our old dog, who has been in and out of vets like crazy for a fortnight.

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1158790184418761812006-09-20T15:04:00.000-07:002006-09-20T15:09:44.433-07:00

Fence PaintingWe've had a chappie round the last couple of days painting some of our fences at the entrance to the property. He takes his time but he's done a lovely job. It's done in Red Cedar which I always think looks a bit darn red, but we had it at our old place and now this one, so I think we must like it. It is a bit scary at first, but it will look lovely and warm and welcoming as we

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1158601088520670632006-09-18T10:33:00.000-07:002006-09-18T10:38:08.533-07:00

Bulbs, Bulbs, Bulbs!I've just had hundreds of bulbs delivered which I should be merrily putting in the ground over the next few weeks. The bad news is that I am so busy at work at the moment that I'm not sure how on earth I can find the time, and I have spent quite a bit of money on them.What's more I'm not even sure we will be here on this plot next spring. Mind you if we end up selling up

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1156345371793277292006-08-23T07:55:00.000-07:002006-08-23T08:02:51.810-07:00

Hedge TrimmingWow, I think the whole world is hedge trimming at the moment. Now (late summer, early autumn) is the time to cut back your conifers and beech hedges and all that, which in my garden is most of the hedging. I cut the privet last week, it should have had more cuts over the summer, but it has had to get away with just the one. I didn't want to disturb it in early summer because of

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1155940754038423652006-08-18T15:25:00.000-07:002006-08-18T15:39:14.086-07:00

Power DeadheadingI've been very busy at work lately hence my gardening blog has been somewhat neglected, for which I am sorry. For the same reason my actual garden is a little neglected too, and so is my physical fitness now I am doing much computer and sedentary work and not getting out there as I was, digging and doing hard work.Today I decided to spend about twenty minutes marching round the

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1154940556674538252006-08-07T01:38:00.000-07:002006-08-07T01:49:34.133-07:00

A Visit from the GardenerYesterday we had a surprise visit from the gardener who helped us to dig out the new beds in early spring. He was amazed at how well they are looking now, especially my exotic, hot border, with all the dahlias, cannas, ginger, banana etc. He said he hoped that it wouldn't all go over too early, and of course there are plants which probably will, especially the bedding

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1154770413128442802006-08-05T02:11:00.000-07:002006-08-05T02:33:33.146-07:00

Outdoor Tomatoes and Blossom End RotIt is so hard, especially with the heatwave we were having until last week, to cope with watering the tomatoes properly. We have quite a number of containerized plants which also need watering, Brugmansias, which seem to wilt at every opportunity, and bananas. But the tomatoes, both inside and out, are very demanding indeed. We have been dismayed to find

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1153728365533577272006-07-24T00:51:00.000-07:002006-07-24T01:08:21.846-07:00

Priory Maze, Beeston Regis, NorfolkYesterday we decided on a nice afternoon out to cheer ourselves up, and we ended up at Priory Maze gardens at Beeston Regis. It was a lovely sunny day and we had a gorgeous lunch in the Foxglove Tearooms there - lobster salad no less. I adore the food there and the service is friendly, we will try to support them throughout the winter too. The gardens are

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1153479494603124742006-07-21T03:47:00.000-07:002006-07-21T03:58:14.616-07:00

Killing MolesWe have a quite serious mole problem here. We have tried the sonic solar molers, and I am no longer convinced that they are doing anything. Mind you, you never know if they would have been an awful lot worse if we had not put them in! We snapped yesterday and went and bought four mole traps. We have temporarily put them in the leafmould pile to make them smell more earthy. Today

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1153044604119898352006-07-16T03:04:00.000-07:002006-07-16T03:10:04.133-07:00

Saving HedgehogsYesterday we went to the hedgehog rescue open day, where they were selling lots of things to raise money for the hedgehogs.We were thrilled to see our little rescued babies, Melissa and Monty, doing well. I am amazed that little Monty is OK, he was so unbelievably tiny when we took him in. He just presented himself to us as if to say "please save me, I can't do it on my own".

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1152870476815050282006-07-14T02:38:00.000-07:002006-07-14T02:47:56.843-07:00

Baby Hedgehogs in the GardenWe have been on a mercy mission in the last couple of days, rescuing baby hedgehogs from our garden. Did you know that if you see a hedgehog out in the daytime then something is wrong with it? Fortunately we did, and swept the two little ones we found off to the local hedgehog rescue centre pronto.The first one, who was a little girl that we named "Melissa" must have

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1152743572021910302006-07-12T15:29:00.000-07:002006-07-13T02:26:31.656-07:00

Pruning my WeigelaWell, I had a go at it, but it is so difficult to find out where exactly to make the cut. The accepted wisdom has it that you cut off the shoots that have flowered, and they are easy to see, but where they stop and a new shoot may form is the hard part to find, especially when you are drowning in foliage and the insects are loving the idea of a new meal turning up on their patch

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1152483832899695372006-07-09T15:18:00.000-07:002006-07-09T15:23:52.916-07:00

Speed GardeningWell, today I managed to do two episodes of speed gardening. One was first thing this morning when I rushed around like a maniac making sure stakes and supports were secure, and adding new ones, especially to the Malva (Magic Hollyhocks), because I woke up to a pretty awful wind in the garden. The lesson is that every potentially tall plant should be staked as soon as it is

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1152276606208006052006-07-07T05:44:00.000-07:002006-07-07T05:50:06.220-07:00

I have just found a colony of earwigs inside the Catwatch electronic cat scarer. Well, actually I found a load of them in there last time I brought it indoors to change the battery,which is a bit annoying because they jumped out and clustered behind my conservatory cupboard.And there are just a couple of holes forming in one of my Dahlia Bishop of Landaff. Therefore I have decided to put some

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1151881711308667362006-07-02T16:03:00.000-07:002006-07-02T16:08:31.326-07:00

It's hot in the gardenAnd it's hot in the house and everywhere else. The only respite is outside in the evening being bombarded by what we call 747's (please tell me they're not Maybugs as it is now July!) and watching the bats emerge from our roof.Once you go back indoors you wish you hadn't bothered because it is so hot and stuffy. This morning I almost fainted with it, but it doesn't help

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1151618430254775352006-06-29T14:57:00.000-07:002006-06-29T15:00:30.270-07:00

Gardener's back - or is it?Hmmm... I am unhappy to say that I have done my back in! After all the hard slog lifting and humping sacks of compost and all that and planting big shrubs and allsorts, this spring, I do my back in now... now there's not much left to do but water, deadhead and weed. Well I can still do the watering but the deadheading and weeding is harder because you have to bend to

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1151324138607342292006-06-26T04:03:00.000-07:002006-06-26T05:15:38.626-07:00

Seen an RHS Members GardenWe went to a barbecue the other night at the home of a couple of friends who live with an aged Aunt. She is a keen gardener and member of the RHS, so I was keen to have a look around the garden with her. She was very sweet in her own way, offering cuttings to anyone who wanted them. There were some plants there which I couldn't identify and she helped me out; some of

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1150964469591346562006-06-22T01:16:00.000-07:002006-06-22T01:21:09.606-07:00

The Bamboo is Revolting!I noticed whilst weeding the exotic bed that the bamboo which is at the back of that bed (and established before we arrived on this plot) is straining on the leash of the root barrier we had placed in there last autumn. Basically it hasn't worked and the bamboo is still popping up all over the bed!The lesson is that root barrier should be placed around bamboo at the same

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1150840531639016222006-06-20T14:50:00.000-07:002006-06-20T14:55:31.653-07:00

A Windy Day in the GardenNot much gardening was done today - life got in the way, but I did have to go around tieing in a few more plants as the wind really got up later on. It's raining now at almost 11 pm, which is great. If only it rained every night we wouldn't have to water, and the days would be nice, if humid. Mind you that might encourage the slugs more than one would like.I have just

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1150758565038232992006-06-19T16:06:00.000-07:002006-06-19T16:09:25.050-07:00

Weeding, deadheading and tieing inThat's what I was doing today. It was quite windy so I decided I had better go around with a lot more canes and tie up the larger Foxgloves, Delphiniums etc. Also I have sort of lashed the shrubby Lavatera to the fence as it is inclined to flop forward all over everything else.I was also deadheading pansies like mad, weeding like crazy (by hand) and cutting back

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1150645051659506492006-06-18T08:31:00.000-07:002006-06-18T08:37:31.673-07:00

Apple Tree DiagnosisWell, apparently it's got just about everything - fungus, scab, you name it! The problem is that there are two schools of thought on gardening - the organic, leave it all to do what it likes and the spray everything whether it needs it or not bunch! I try not to spray things unless they really need it, and watch them until they tell me they need it.We took the specimens of

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1150497303039342242006-06-16T15:30:00.000-07:002006-06-16T15:35:03.040-07:00

Dead oriental poppyYes, I believe it is called "allegro". We only bought and planted it about a month ago, or less. It produced one spectacular flower and then it has died back. Now I know oriental poppies have a habit of looking pretty awful, foliage-wise, after (or even during) flowering, but this one just turned totally yellow and drooped ground-wards with undue haste. I pulled it and it

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22861379.post-1150497018882180962006-06-16T15:25:00.000-07:002006-06-16T15:30:18.896-07:00

Problem with the apple treeWe seem to have something very wrong with the apple tree. It is getting sort of foxy colored tan-brown splotches on the leaves, but then the leaves are totally dying off and drooping as if they are totally dead. I wonder if it is fireblight? Would that account for the paucity of tulips in this garden? The previous owners seemed awfully keen on bulbs but there are very

The Enthusiastic Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081151235770686783noreply@blogger.com0