2016 The story of our garden this year.
Please click on the small pictures to see a larger version
Other years : 1970 onwards 2000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
January February March April May June July August September October November December
From here the notes are in chronological order
January
Tuesday 5th January
Friday 22nd January
Thursday 28th January
Our first snowdrops, just outside the front door
Friday 29th January
Feathers, we think the Sparrow Hawk helped himself to a pigeon, in the back garden
Some of the snowdrops in the back garden breaking out
The crocuses in the front have been out for a while now
Saturday 13th February
22 June 2014
I moved the Sparrow box on Wednesday from the front gable end to our shorn Hawthorn
Tree. I originally fixed it on the rear gable but after a few years and no interest from the Sparrows I moved it to the front gable. After many more years and no interest I hope I've moved it to where it will be used. Actually we don't seem to have many Sparrows now, they've all moved to number 439
I guess they are disgusted with the state of our table, not as bad as the back garden though.
Our 'sink hole' where the Ash tree used to be.
Now to the back
Friday 26th February
Sunday 28th February - Jaja's 17th Birthday
W have lots of Goldfinches and Greenfinches except on Bird Count Day?
Our Reed Bunting, a regular visitor at this time of year
The grass is growing wild but it's too wet to cut and has been for months
The Snowdrops are still keeping the garden alive
Monday 29th February
Sorry these are poor photos but they represent some of the birds we get on our feeders. Unusual visitors are the Siskins, photo 2.
Thursday 3rd March
What is this bird?
No poblem identifying these Goldfinches but we don't usually see them on the ground
The second photo is a Bullfinch but what's the top one in the first photo
Friday 11th March
Sunday 13th March
The new bird table in the back garden - all my own work
Tuesday 15th March
Friday 18th March
It didn't take the pigeons long to master the lower roof
Saturday 19th March
Female Chaffinch and Bullfinch
Sunday 20th March
Friday 25th March
We have a pair of Bullfinches this year, rare visitors in the past
Saturday 26th March
Sunday 3rd April
Is our Tit, resident in the box for over a year, going to build a nest?
Tuesday 5th April
Saturday 9th April
Monday 11th April
Lee and Emma had fitted two new fence panels so we cleared out between the house and fence, Virginia Creeper and rubbish, which included cutting up an old boat trailer chassis frame ready to take up to the tip
Wednesday 13th April
Thursday 14th April
A day or so ago I scarified the lawns with the new electric scarifier we had bought Steven. Although dry on top the scarifier had churned up mud in places. Miraculously the ground seems to be drying out at last.
The Cherry blossom seems to have lasted longer this year, getting on for two weeks now?
The savage pruning I did last year seems to have suited the Berberis
Tuesday 19th April
The cherry blossom is falling but most of it is still on the tree
The oak leaves are breaking out
Friday 22nd April
Amelanchier
Saturday 23rd April
Monday 25th April
Thursday 5th May
Sunday 8th May
Michael's Iceplant cuttings from last autumn and Alex's Fritilliary
Michael's Fir Tree and Rambling Rose cuttings from last autumn
Monday 16th May
On Friday I repotted all the plants Alex had given us when Damian visited. The pansies, strawberry, sweetpeas, alyssum, stocks and pelargonium. The fritillary was one she gave us lastyear as is the pot with many little plants in.
The Fuchia bought with the others, there's also a smaller Lavender amongst the pots
This is the Mirror sailing dinghy, the only boat we have left. I took the cover off last month, first time since November 2013, and there was only a little water in the bottom. Dried it out and put the cover back on. It's a pain really, difficult getting the bike and lawnmower ot of the lean-to shed.
The tiger Lilies bursting out and the Lavender which we bought a few days ago
Removed some weeds from the rockery. Moved the miniature rose, bottom left hand, it was being over run by the ***. Dug the heuchera in, see photo 29th January - been in its pot all winter. Found the fern. Planted out the Lobelia, bought wit hte Lavender a few days ago.
All the above work was done on Friday 13th May.
The Wisteria is now in full bloom
Tuesday 17th May
The Aquilegias, Granny Bonnets, are out in force, taking over the garden?
Monday 23rd May
Birds have had a go at building here but given up - cat?
Friday 20th May
Monday 30th May
Four little heuchera have survived the winter after being split up and moved into the sun.
You may be able to pick out nine little poppies and one bigger one. The larger one is the only seed that has shot out of handfulls scattered last autumn. The nine are ones that I've transplanted from the rose bed where there are hundreds.
Monday 30th May
Four little heuchera have survived the winter after being split up and moved into the sun.
You may be able to pick out nine little poppies and one bigger one. The larger one is the only seed that has shot out of handfulls scattered last autumn. The nine are ones that I've transplanted from the rose bed where there are hundreds.
Friday 3rd June
We've had some really heavy downpours so the roses are looking a little ragged
Recent purchases to fill the boxes
The climber on the bedroom wall
Monday 30th May - full of roses
Friday 17th June
These photos are of a clematis we planted last year round the (broken) washing line post
Our dividing hedge between us and 419 is full of brambles
The roses have all suffered under the very heavy rain
Saturday 18th June
Sunday 19th June
Wednesday 22nd June
This year we are getting sparrrows in the back garden
Thursday 23rd June
Tuesday 12th July
Wednesday 20th July
Thursday 11th August
Friday 12th August
Saturday 27th August
No photos