It has been a year since we moved in, and what a wonderful one. I just love this garden and can’t wait to develop so many of my ideas. I know you are supposed to spend a year observing- and I have done lots of that, but I couldn’t help but do a few things, namely

• Weeded and underplanted the trees in the orchard
• Fenced the vegetable patch
• Cleared the raised beds and grew the first season of vegetables
• Cleaned and planted the green house
• Made a grass path in the woods
• Raised the canopy of the holm oak
• Planted a Tulip tree, two roses and Jasmine ( all gifts)
• Planted two hydrangeas, daffodil and crocus bulbs

Next year I plan to

• Make more beds near the house including a rose arch across the path to create a cottage garden feel
• Plant plum trees and other flowering shrubs in the ‘cottage garden’ area
• Continue to develop the orchard
• Put in hedges at the front of the house and in the back garden to break down the space into smaller areas
• Develop the pond area
• Have two large trees removed, the alder which competes with the orchard trees and a silver birch which overshadows part of the vegetable garden
• Propagate yew and lavender plants
• Have fun and get outside as much as I possibly can….

I am trying to make the orchard into more of a ‘place’ as me and Ben often end up sitting down there. I heard that herbs under the trees, planted in the Autumn so they can establish while the trees have no canopy, can do wonders in terms of attracting the pollinating insects and repelling the coddling moth. So, I have started with a couple of thyme plants, chives, catmint and lemon balm. I am hoping that the rabbits won’t eat them or the badgers dig them up. Let’s see how it goes.

I made my first bottle of sloe gin today. I had intended to wait until after the first frost as is recommended- but that might take some time…I also discovered that what I thought were sloe bushes at the far end of the woods are actually wild plums/damsons. I shall have to look in my ‘forest food’ book to see how I can use them. Luckily for my plan there are sloes further up the garden in the hedgerow.

The second apples to be ready in the orchard are Cox’s Orange Pippin. The tree looks unhappy and appears to have fungus and canker, however the crop is reasonable and the apples taste amazing, even if there are relatively few unblemished ones. I plan a better prune this year to encourage healthier growth and I have underplanted with comfrey which is supposed to help with nutrients to the tree’s roots.

Spent the weekend finishing off planting the daffs in the orchard; Irish Luck and Mount Hood. I then mulched under each tree with grass clippings and pulled up as many nettles as I could find . When the leaves have fallen I intend to underplant the trees with herbs such as chives, lemon balm, lavender etc to create an orchard on permaculture principles; welcoming to beneficial insects and off putting to boring insects who might spoil the crop.

After a slow start due to early rat problems the vegetable garden is now in full swing. Better late than never.

After a very slow start I finally got a tomato harvest, but only started picking 2-3 weeks ago. With the nights getting colder I was worried that the outside ones would be spoilt before they were ready. I heard that the best thing to do is to cut the stems and hang them in a warm place. I hung them today in the greenhouse with mother plants- lets see what happens.

Aft

I used to have these plants in Green End Road and I miss them

Red sentinel crab apple

Viburnum tinus

Holly ( with berries)

Hibiscus

Smoke bush

Lilac

Climbing roses

Mock orange

Anemone japonica ( white)

Bearded irises

And these I just want to have;

Victoria plum trees

Quince trees

A moon garden 

Raising the canopy of the holm oak has been on my mind for a while. It opens up the area before the orchard and I think just generally makes the tree look more beautiful. Disposing of the branches made for a huge and very big bonfire.