Who can resist the loveliness of a primrose?

On this April Morning:

Upon this Primrose hill,

Where, if Heav'n would distil

A shower of rain, each several drop might go

To his own primrose, and grow manna so;

And where their form and their infinity

Make a terrestrial Galaxy

John Donne

Is this the start of the heartbreak?

This used to be an old orchard, but hasn't been so for a long time. There are many self-seeded Ash trees, some of which are not in good shape. We took down 14 before Christmas and now about 8 more are about to be taken down because they are either dead, diseased or dangerous. We have made a promise to ourselves to replace each tree with two more, eventually creating not only an enchanted woodland but also restoring fruit trees to the area.

Just days before the end of bare root planting - March 31st according to my gardening friends - we (well, husband and son) dug four holes in the ground and our first fruit trees were planted.

We chose four (one for each child): Bramley, Red Windsor, Discovery and Egremont Russet. They have settled in well and already leaves are starting to sprout.

Ofcourse, the biggest problem will be the deer - I have been to see the local blacksmith and he tells me he can make me four deerguards by next week.

Our friend is involved with a project that develops microbial technology www.reaplenish.co.uk and I added their microbe blend into the soil as we planted, plus have been adding some every few days to encourage their settling in. I was delighted to see on the BBC's Gardeners' World that the RHS are using similar stuff, calling it compost tea, at Wisley! I am certainly hoping that our trees feel the benefits. I have also added some to the compost - and on the roses and cyclamen I planted. Basically, if I have looked at it, its been sprayed with microbes. (Except for the wild flowers, they seem to be doing well without our help for now.)

Childhood Delights

When I was a little girl there was a meadow behind the woods across the road from our house. It was full of cowslips and I remember spending what seemed like endless sunny days there with a friend when we would pluck the flowers and suck out a delicate honey flavour from them. I am probably personally responsible for the decline in the numbers of cowslips in the Bedfordshire area!

Those delicate little yellow bells always held a gentle magic for me and now, here in sunny Hampshire, I have my own little oasis and I have discovered that there are cowslips are emerging. No-one is allowed to touch them. It feels like seeing old friends after a long absence. I look forward to seeing how many of them will surface from the mossy bank.

As a child I was convinced I saw the flower fairies dance beneath the gentle ringing bells of the flowers - perhaps if I am very quiet ....

Burning Woman

The Glade from outside..After an enthusiastic start at the beginning of the year we accumulated lots of clippings, garden waste and dead wood. We have been storing in in the Glade but it is time to clear the area out as an old ash tree on the neighbour's land needs to be pollarded and dropped into that area.

Although I am sad for the ash (one of the oldest in the area) because it is reaching the end of its life span and the grand old dame is going to be reduced, it is exciting for us because it will open the Glade up to more sunlight. I'll post photos later to show the project, but in the meantime let me show you the before and after pictures that result from 3 days of chopping and burning.

The start of the ordeal....

It was so satisfying to have cleared a huge pile of waste and the ash will now be added to my new compost bins that are quietly settling down to creating next years feed.

(According to the experts compost should be the colour of christmas cake. Yum.)

and now ashes to ashes .....

Beating the system

I think I have beaten the squirrels. The garden terrorists have been invading my 'squirrel-proof' bird feeders and helping themselves to the birdseed by just lifting the lid. The rain then got inside the feeders and I was doing brilliantly with sprouting seeds. The feeders looked like a plant nursery!

So, here is my solution. The brilliant paper clip. So far no sign of the squirrels and the blue tits are gorging on food.

Spring is here

What better confirmation of the arrival of spring than a posy of primroses! At least the deer haven't eaten them! I have found shy little violets who are starting to show off now that the sun is here. The birdsong is deafening and the garden is bursting into life. Now the projects can really begin.

Oh, What a beautiful morning!

God's in his heaven, all's well with the world.