June has finally arrived and it came in with a gasp rather than a smile! Finally, that cold, chilly weather has abated and turned to summer at last.
NO early start for gardeners this year that’s for sure.
The Hawthorn blossom is particularly beautiful this year and is so prolific it almost seems magical. Whole swathes of white flowers adorn the hedgerows with a brilliance that is breath-taking! It may not last for long but the show it makes is a welcome sight after a long, drawn-out winter. We have planted a whole bed of flowers on the ramp to the garden with Borage at the back, Calendula’s in the middle, and a row of Marigolds at the front. As these grow it should provide a beautiful show of colour.
Many of our newly transplanted flowers and shrubs are now growing fast and flowers should be produced quite soon now. As these shrubs get bigger they will fill-in many of the gaps we still have at present around the grounds. The orchard has produced blossom on many of the young trees and we may even get a few fruits this year if we are lucky, but we are not counting on much as they are still immature trees so we cannot expect too much.
Our orchard is coming on although slowly! We are a little impatient to get to the fruit-producing stage so we can reap the
rewards of such. In the background, you can make out some of the Hawthorn which shows up white.
After spotting a letter in a Gardening magazine which approached the problem of moles in your area which cause problems with plants, buildings, lawns, etc, it explained that this couple had such a problem and were told an old remedy which is to place Wind-sculptures in the area which produce vibrations in the earth that deter the moles without hurting them.
We have no wish to harm such lovable creatures who are, after all, just trying to live their lives as the rest of us are. We have placed two such Wind-sculptures in the growing area and after a week there is no sign of any new tunnels or mounds to be seen and feel that this may be a winner for us so we have ordered a couple more to place in the orchard area as the moles seem to be down there at present making a right mess of the newly mowed grass. We shall let you know how we get on with this trial and how successful it has been.
Here one of our spinner wind sculptures is moving quite fast, hence the blur on the spoons, and should be producing
the required vibrations to deter our mole population.
Our new hut is almost complete now and Paul is busy finishing the task apace. It is getting its second coat of wood protection in a forest green finish which we think blends in well with the surroundings. All of the windows have been fitted and the glass has been set in each frame and the temporary plastic covers removed. We have three top-opening windows so we can get a fresh breeze through the hut in the summer months when it tends to get a little muggy. The double doors on the East entrance will suffice to let air through on that side.
At present, Paul is constructing the veranda on the East side where the double doors are, the frame and decking will be constructed from the old fence posts that were removed around the fields which were no longer needed and this is half done already. Photos will be posted later on as it is finished. The guttering still has to be fitted on the West side of the hut which will be used to fill a number of water butts and the overflow will eventually be used to top-up the pond that is yet to be built.
The hut is near completion now and is usable for the forthcoming summer which we are looking forward to with great
anticipation. The veranda will go along both the front and side in this photo.
The inside of the hut will also be finished soon as there will eventually be a sink unit fitted with stainless steel sink all plumbed in with a hot-water heater fitted to provide us with hand-washing facilities.
The electricity is already connected with six double sockets fitted around the hut for ease of use. Next to sort out will be the telephone connection and the Internet link between the hut and the main house so we can use our portable computer to access any of the gardening sites we frequent without relying on Wi-Fi connections which can be intermittent at such distances.
Part of the hut as seen from the inside looking towards the Southside. Plenty of room for tables and chairs plus other
furniture not required in the main house which we can use for storing different items.
The hut will be used to store all of the gardening tools and items needed to run the vegetable gardens surrounding the hut. There will be boxes to house the various nets we use throughout the year and storage for the various lengths of canes which are important for plant supports and climbing frames.
One thing we are greatly anticipating is the CCTV camera system that we shall set up in the hut to capture the wildlife that is in the area and should be watchable from the main house whenever we want. As we become more settled we shall try to have cameras in nesting boxes and other areas of interest but as there is much to do there is no timeline set for these tasks at present and they will be tackled on importance, weather, and length of time to complete.
That is all for now and we hope you enjoy this short update on our endeavors.
Please take care of yourselves in these troubled times and don’t forget to enjoy life as you go through it!