Garden Report 2007 - 5

We have had a great variety of weather since my last garden report. Along with the rest of the country we had snow. It only lasted a couple of days, and was more or less gone when I got home from my weekend away at the Wirral Open.

It has been nice enough since then for me to have had several sessions out in the garden. I don't think it was warm/dry enough last year until March.

Tuesday was very mild despite the weather forecast so I got back out after lunch. I finished clearing out the nettle debris at the bottom of the drive, despite it being very muddy after the steady drizzle of the day before. We now get a much better view of the snowdrops as we set out/get home from our dog walks. They should give me a good supply of clumps to split up and replant into the long bank once they have finished flowering.

I then carried on to weeding the rockery patch on the other side of the drive. Paul took the dogs for their afternoon walk as I wanted to get as much done as I could - the weather forecast for the next few days was rain.

However, it wasn't too bad on Wednesday and I decided to start pruning my inherited fruit bushes, starting with the black currants. This is probably a bit late as my fruit pruning course last year was in January, but better late than never. I had forgotten all that I had been told but according to my R.H.S. encyclopedia I should cut down to the base between one quarter and one third all two year old wood or older. According to the book new shoots are a pale tea colour, 2 year old wood is grey and older wood is black.

The next problem was to decide which bushes were which - the red and black currants seem to have become rather entangled. I eventually made my decisions and set about cutting back what I hope are the correct branches. Time will tell. To get around the back of the bushes I also ended up lopping off the lower branches of the conifers that were planted behind them. This should also allow more air and light into the bushes.


The weather forecast came true yesterday, and I think it rained non-stop for all of the day. Luckily I had already arranged to go over to Allan's to continue/complete our long running scrabble match.

This morning it was rather dull and misty, but by lunch time it had brightened up. I decided to have a go at the gooseberry bushes. There are about a dozen plants, but three of them are still very twiggy - they may be younger or just not doing very well. The others look more like established bushes, although they produced very little fruit last year. I attempted to spur prune these...


On the flowering front not much has changed. A few more of my crocuses are flowering, but not the great splash of colour I was hoping for yet in the garden. However, the ones in the tub are putting on a much better display. Adding new compost last autumn has paid dividends. I have spotted the first few unseasonal flowers on one of my aubretias!