in the garden(s)

Living in one space but moving to another presents a few complications in the garden.

I'm keen to keep our current one pretty and tidy, which is no mean feat when you have a boy who loves to wood carve all over the grass.

So I'm mostly weeding and cleaning up here. 

I have planted out some broad beans and sunflowers, and there was some spinach plants but I noticed - three days after planting - that a dog has laid on some of these and so they are looking squashed.  My fault as I should have used some of our sticks to build a protective barrier.

The daffodils are finally going over, and making a horrible mess everywhere just now.  The temptation to cut all the stems is huge.

I'm starting to earmark plants I'd like to try and take cuttings of for the new place.  I'm going to divide some of the teeny tiny Alpines that my other half likes so much, and I may try and take green wood cuttings of the Ash tree, but I'm not going to expect much from these as I've never done tree cuttings before. 

Bluebells are everywhere, and I love them.  There seems to be so many more this year than previous.  It may be because I divided up some bulb clumps last autumn when I was digging out a border.  It may just be the conditions are so good.  I think they are my favourite flowers in the garden just now. 

Up at the land there is a lot of this plant: 

(Photo credit :: APhotoFlora.com)

We call it Stitchwort, but its Latin name is Stellaria Holostea.  It's an edible weed, with alleged healing properties ranging from curing constipation, easing bronchitis and colds right through to healing wounds.  It's very pretty and grows in large drifts along the burn bank. 

Other trees we've managed to identify are huge, ancient beech trees growing along the boundary, as well as hazels and wild raspberries growing along the dividing stream.  For simplicity we call the bigger stream "The Burn" and the stream that divides the field "Dividing Stream".  In time we might find out their actual names, or come up with something more imaginative ourselves.

Having a blank canvas has meant a great deal of brain freeze.  It feels daunting just now, but once we get a feel for the place, and factor in shade spots, wind direction and other practicalities, I'm hoping a plan should come together more easily.