The donkeys are losing a lot of hair and like to scratch on the metal gate fixings, this arrangements of logs was knocked over twice before stabilized sufficiently to withstand a donkeys weight. Saw this hornet on the shed roof, probably collecting wood for its nest, fortunately the nest isn’t in the shed.
Birds Foot Trefoil
In amongst the buttercups in the paddock and not trampled by the sheep, struggling a little because the buttercups are so tall. Hot again today, the hay in the field, which was cut five days ago, has been baled. Watered the veg, trees and hedge, saving the last full waterbutt to top up the pond so it’s tap water from now on until it rains. Saving as much water as possible from the kitchen, helps to water the plants outside the back door.
Saw Leaved Moon Daisy
Flops about in the wind, guess it wouldn’t if I staked it. Shorter than the Giant Scabious and has more petals than the Ox Eye Daisy, flowers are tightly packed with more foliage to fall over. Seeds everywhere so plants are growing all over the garden. A hot day with a slight breeze, no rain in the forecast so more watering. Did some cosmetic concreting round the edge of the greenhouse slabs. Sheep are doing their best to eat the grass in the lower paddock, donkeys are looking slightly tubbier than when they arrived – fish and chips from the travelling van was good.
Roses
Flourishing in the manured rose bed, they get the early morning sun. Drinking from the bird bath early this morning was the Green Woodpecker, flies the same route from the oak tree at the bottom of the paddock up to the row of trees that border the lane, he stops to eat the ants in the nest under the birdbath. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker also drinks here but doesn’t eat the ants before flying away. The Ash trees growing out of the hedgerow are full of ‘keys’, I hope some saplings will grow and flourish elsewhere.
Produce!
Bite size carrot thinnings with lovely fresh green tops, and a few radishes, there would have been an inch long courgette in the picture as well but I ate it in the garden….! Participated in a Donkey Sanctuary webinar on donkeys today. Learnt some very interesting things; you need a shaping plan if you want to change their behaviour, so that you take only tiny small steps towards the final goal. Another hot day, will have to top up the water in the pond. Gardeners’ Delight tomatoes show signs of recovering in the greenhouse, the Outdoor Girl plants behind the greenhouse have their first flowers.
Ragged Robin
Self seeded from the border, now growing between the crazy paving stones, love the colour of the flowers. The field at the end of the garden was mown today for hay, looks like a good time to do it as no rain in the forecast. It’ll be cut again later in the year for silage. Thinned the carrots, watered the runner beans and courgettes, more tomato plants potted on in the greenhouse. Donkeys losing a lot of hair, and the sheep are starting to grow their fleeces again. Not sure where the woodpecker is nesting, does a swooping fly past several times day.
Giant Scabious
The bees love this nectar rich scabious, it does well in the wind swept border even if it’s not staked. Fog in the valley this morning, turned into a very hot day. Watered the hedge and all the veg, water butts nearly empty. House Martins are flying in and around the garden and stable block at low level catching flies, not sure where they are nesting. The pair of thrushes are back collecting worms, not seen them for a couple of days. Sheep are happy in the lower paddock where there’s lots of shade if they want it, and there’s a rabbit that likes to sleep in the buttercups, only know it’s there when it makes its escape.
View from the stable at night
An intricate spiders web over the lense blocks the view of the fence and the donkeys standing in the corner, in daylight this camera sees down the paddock; buttercups, fences and trees. Very windy today, vents on the greenhouse still opened in the sun, able to work in there without feeling too hot. Tricky for all the plants which have to cope with daytime temperature swings of 10* or more. Planted out the rest of the climbing beans, some of the runners are halfway up the sticks. Lawn looking dry, need some rain but there’s none in the forecast. A couple of branches have snapped off the oak tree, need to be brought up to the house and cut into logs for the woodburner next year.
Chinese Windmill Palm
Moved from a neighbours garden a year ago, an abundance of bright yellow male flowers, a baby at 3 meters high he could grow to 20 meters, already have one that’s around 10 meters high so there’s some way to go! A windy cooler day, mowed the paddock after poo picking, removing the buttercup stalks left by the sheep, the noise spooked the donkeys a bit, the sheep weren’t disturbed and are finding their way round the lower paddock ok now. Started to arrange the canes for the tomatoes in the greenhouse, my Gardeners Delight tomatoes are taking a while to perk up after suffering a setback a couple of weeks ago. The Outdoor Girl plants are fine, fortunately.
Water lillies
Already established, these pop up each spring, they live alongside irises , elodea, tadpoles and the ever increasing numbers of fish, which need feeding several times a day. They change from brown to orange as they mature. Opened the gate from the square paddock into the lower paddock to let the sheep wander in for richer grazing, all was well until one of them became detached from the group. The bleating was LOUD, all calm once they were reunited. Sheep are now back in the square paddock overnight, don’t want to be woken up…! The noise made the donkeys a bit agitated, they wanted to see what was going on. Hot day today, veg doing ok, planted spinach, coriander and rocket in the raised bed with the courgette plants which are supposed to trail over the edge of the bed as they grow – I think some training may be required.
Sheep shelter success
Good news, they like it! Really foggy this morning, turned into a very hot day with light winds so most of the young plants came out of the greenhouse. Poo-picked the paddock and disturbed a partridge having a dust bath in one of the donkey roll-over patches. Planted sunflowers and sweet peas. Eating Mizuna salad leaves, not sure what’s happened to the nasturtiums, they usually self seed everywhere, may have to buy some.
Cold frame assembled
Poppy and the instructions, looks as if she has some paws missing… Frame parts fitted together well, colour matches the greenhouse, will need to fix it down. Warming up today, less wind, need to keep the bird baths topped up, the blackbird empties one every day with a lot of wing flapping. Planted out the Blue Coco beans and the courgettes. Parsley seedlings repotted, sowed iceberg lettuce and basil seeds. Getting through my seed store! Hedgerows growing really fast, lots of noisy bird activity, the thrush is always on the lawn looking for worms.
Sheep shelter
Mark II version of the sheep shelter which will provide shade and protection from the rain once it’s finished. Mark I was a tarpaulin that was noisy when it flapped about in the wind and wouldn’t have lasted very long, will be interesting to see if the sheep ever use it! Moved the seedlings out of the greenhouse today and walked the donkeys to the paddock gate before letting them out onto the grass. Hedge watered and growing well, let some of the branches out of the plastic wraps, the leaves tend to go brown if scrunched inside. Looked for fruit on the Ellison’s Orange apple tree, very hard to find, the blossom must have caught the frost.
Veitch’s Climbing French Bean
Really shiny seeds, pods start off green and then turn purple as they age. Seeds in pods that are older are good in soup. Just appearing in their pots, sown 7th May along with early purple sprouting which germinated more quickly. Fixed the glass in one of the cold frames, sunny, bit of a lazy day….
Pink Hawthorn
Planted next to the native hawthorn hedge this forms a striking contrast with bright pink double blossoms. Maybe a few taller white hawthorns would look good, the hedge behind is able to provide these if I don’t cut it. Moved muck from the heap, all three raised beds are full, one is growing carrots, the next will have courgettes and lettuce and then the third will have purple sprouting broccoli and pumpkins. Cows have moved into the field at the end of the paddock, more company for the donkeys.
Sheep’s eye view
Of one of the oak trees, grasses and meadow cress in amongst the buttercups. The sheep are flattening as much of the paddock as they are eating, lovely sunshine, feels like the cold wind is gradually warming up. New hedge looks good today. Eating Mizuna and herb lettuce from the greenhouse. Potted on courgettes which have some flowers already, too cold to be planted outside. One sunflower seed has germinated. Donkeys happy to be out grazing the hedgerow over the fence.
Tayberry or Loganberry?
Not sure! Red stems, I hope the birds will leave me some of the fruit.
Mowed the copse, potted on courgettes, the raised bed is ready but it’s too cold at night to plant them out. Sheep are happily munching round the buttercups in the square paddock. Donkeys are shedding a lot of hair, confined to the avenue today as the willow paddock was being mown and they mustn’t eat grass cuttings. Gardeners’ delight tomatoes potted on, still looking a bit sad. Sunny day, chilly wind.
Wisteria Sinensis
Well established, lovely scent but the cold wind is stripping the pendants, flowers can be made into an aromatic wine, don’t think I’ll try it. Nice and warm in the greenhouse and there are lots of hungry fish in the pond, tadpoles growing, don’t think there are as many as last year. Forget-me-nots seeding everywhere and the seeds embed themselves in Poppy’s fur, very difficult to get out. Another two raised beds nearly full of donkey poo, will plant courgettes in one of them. Rose buds bursting, the first flowers of the climbing rose have been nipped off by the deer, those higher up have survived ok.
Dorset milk
First pint (500ml) of local milk! Delivered for 50p a bottle from the farm a few miles away. On the windowsill potted-on cucumber plants Louise F1 planted 25th April.
Another cold night, tomato plants looking a bit sad. Mowed some of the buttercups in the paddock today, so tall and so many. Planted more runner bean plants and watered the carrots which are looking good – no rain for a few days now. A noisy Partridge wandered through the garden, usually a pair of them so was calling for company, I think.
Mushroom/Toadstool
Chilly wind today, 6* instead of the very warm 21* yesterday. Greenhouse vents staying closed. Beans starting to wind round the sticks. Biodigester serviced ok. These are growing on the muck heap, look tempting but probably not a good idea to eat them.
Blue Coco French Beans
Climbing french beans, heritage variety, lilac flowers and violet pods that turn green when cooked. Planted 26th April, 6 inches high now, will be planted out next to the runner beans so if I save any seed it’ll produce a slightly different bean next year.
Spot the donkeys
Greenhouse
Love my new greenhouse, already filling up with young plants, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, beans and marigolds. Warms up really quickly, hope it stands up to the high winds. Have a couple of cold frames to assemble as well, not had those before. Hot yesterday so maximum ventilation.
Stumpery
Old dead tree had to be cut down, would be interesting to create a stumpery, although not an ideal position in full sun. Some research and experimentation required, I think, definitely needs to be kept damp.
Donkeys and crows
Losing a lot of hair, William and Toby are providing a valuable nesting resource for the crows who make off with really large clumps. They seem to favour William’s hair and land on his back to self select if there’s none available on the ground. The crows have reduced in number since January, when they rose together from the sweetcorn field in a huge group of flying feathers, usually around 9.30 in the morning. A crow murmuration….. They’ve moved to their various rookery’s I guess.
Runner Beans
Stenner runner bean seeds sown on 7th April, planted out today before they started winding up and around each other. Sticks have been up a month or so, secured with lengths of bailer twine to cope with the strong winds. Poppy was briefly interested in the chives! Good that the deer didn’t eat the young plants, hope that’s true of the flowers as well. Not sure about the rabbits. Ordered more raised beds for the strawberry plants, still chilly in the evening so lit the woodburner, hope we don’t get a late frost.
Hedgerows
Greater Stitchwort at the edge of the paddocks below the hedges.
Growing alongside Red Campion, Bluebells and various ferns and nettles. The Donkeys don’t eat any of them.
Sheep
Half a dozen freshly shorn sheep have arrived, borrowed to eat most of the grass in the paddock so that the donkeys can be allowed to graze there. Sheep also have a different worm burden to donkeys so cross grazing is no problem.
The donkeys were pleased to see them, not sure they like buttercups, donkeys don’t!
Dawn Chorus Day
Sunrise and drizzle before 6am, super to see partridges walking in the lane, pheasant in the paddock and goldfinches, blue tits, great tits, robins, a pair of thrushes, blackbirds, pigeons, rooks, buzzards, a pair of wrens, hedge sparrows, magpies, ducks flying over and a few other birds I can’t identify (yet), in the garden. Definitely saw swallows yesterday. Have deer in the garden most days, flowers on the bushes grazed very neatly to reachable height.
World Naked Gardening Day
Distinctly chilly wind today, cat mint is blooming, no sign of the cats….
May Day
Three swans flew over this morning in perfect formation, lovely to see. Hawthorn is in full bloom, later than the Blackthorn and frothier!
