Medlar

Autumn produces two of my favourite fruits; the medlar pictured here, and the quince. The medlar I love because it is such a wonderfully quirky British type of fruit - after all you don't eat it until it 'blets' or rots (it tastes of caramel and is lovely with cheese); and the quince because quite simply it is a wonder of nature. How can such a sour ordinary looking fruit produce such a sublime range of flavour particularly when cut up small and cooked with a little sugar and apple. Divine.

Autumn?

I am not sure that autumn really came at all. But there were a few fabulous colours about - it is my absolute favourite time of year. These leaves of my maple epitomise the glories of the autumn. Berries too are abundant on the hollies around here - but they are not going to last long as the first fieldfares have arrived and will strip them for food, particularly now that most of the hedges have been cut.

Spring?

Yes, it really is coming. Well, I think it is. It is going to be very interesting with the early planting this year. The soil is still really cold, and it is not easy to grow plants on, never mind plant up flower beds at the moment. The soil is cold, wet and dank. Which makes the sight of the snowdrops all the more welcome. I have even spotted a few early daffodils - just up the allotments near the roundabout going into Blandford off the Salisbury road. They are always the first ones up. My tulips have put their heads above the parapet but the daffodils most certainly have not.

Thank you!

One of the main reasons I love the work that I do (problem solving basically), is that I get to feel so good about it. Selfish I know, but there you are.

Yesterday was a case in point. I went to see some clients who have a lovely little garden, locally. The garden has become too much for the lady of the house, who now works more or less full time, so she asked us to come and have a look to see what we can do to help. The upshot of a walk around the garden was that I can put three of my lovely guys into her garden for a day and it will be sorted out for them. What made it such an uplifting experience was the pleasure she received from having her problem solved. To be told that you have made someone feel better for having solved a problem, is one of the most satisfying things about the work we do. It is a real privilege.

In addition, and I don't know if you have noticed, but the birds are starting to make merry in the morning. The morning chorus is on the increase - the first sign of spring starting to stir. And whilst I will not tempt fate by saying that the weather is improving - it is becoming marginally warmer!!!

Here comes the rain!

Just as we were starting to get our feet under the table again, and the occasional snowdrop was daring to put its head above the parapet, the wretched rain has arrived! But there is still a feel in the air that spring may be just around the corner. The catkins are coming out; snowdrops are evident in small patches (apparently they are well out in the Scottish Borders, but are less brave down here). Business is picking up with our clients starting to realise that the snow has left damaged shrubs and trees; fences and that the grass is looking a bit like it has suffered from scorched earth policy! In such circumstances the best thing to do is to make a list of what you can see is damaged; remove any obviously broken branches or limbs with a sharp pair of secateurs to give a clean cut (or pruning saw for larger branches). If the damage is minor, it may be best to leave it until the weather improves. Quite simply we may well be in for another very cold spell and the more of the plant that is left the better, as it acts as a protection against the hard frosts. just keep a eye on things: once March arrives it can be looked at again and in the case of roses, pruned towards the end of the month. If the last few years are anything to go by, we will have a fabulous spring which will arrive with a rush!

Apologies, excuses...and some news

I must apologise for my stunning silence on the blog but there has been a huge amount going on. Most importantly I have just formed another business called Independent Gardening (IG). This is going to focus on creating and designing gardens for those suffering from traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder and other neural disabilities. This does not mean that Down to Earth will suffer! In fact is is intended that Down to Earth will continue with designing and building gardens as we always have done, and will build the gardens for IG when and where appropriate. Do please have a look at our new website and post any comments on it too – feedback would be much appreciated.

If you are keen to hear more up-to-the-minute news of our TBI work, then I have also rashly launched a blog especially devoted to this. Let me know what you think.

Procrastination reaps rewards

Happy New Year! What a fantastic start to the year. All those wonderful childhood dreams of a white Christmas coming true. And how the snow changes the way we view our environment and our interaction with it. As you may have gathered by now, I am an avid birdwatcher (not a twitcher, I hasten to add).

My grandfather was the most wonderful man called David Wolfe Murray: he painted under the name of Fishhawk and was a gentle giant of a man (at least in my memory!). He first taught me to fish and cast a line. And he loved the call of geese flighting across the evening sky; a sound that has always held a deep personal meaning for me. It was 'Grandad' who first caught my interest in the small garden birds and the importance of feeding them and providing them with water. I will never forget feeding his tame robin with mealy grubs; the first time a small bird perches on your hand is, I think, indelibly etched into one's memory. They are so fragile, so light and so wild. Grandad's back garden looked like Fort Knox to marauding cats. It had wire and netting all around it, but inside it was a haven. Blackbirds, robins, dunnocks and tits all nested safely there and raised their young. Grandad would sit in his studio with a catalpault at his side, and between painting, would keep a beady eye out for any cat foolish enough to consider entering his back garden. They never did it twice. Which brings me to the subject in hand.

My kitchen looks out across a piece of lawn to a stumpery replete with ferns, hellebores, moss and a resident short-tailed vole. And around this heap of stumps there is a mass of leaves, left over from autumn. They were supposed to have been cleared up and put on the compost heap, but I am so glad that they have been left. The activity over the last few days, even with the snow, has been frenetic. The leaves have obviously acted as a refuge for all sorts of insects which the birds have had a field day enjoying. I am determined to leave part of my garden particularly the shrubbery border to overwinter au naturel so that all insects and bugs can do what they will. That way I will have birds to watch throughout the winter months (although I do not need a catapault – our Jack Russells keep unwary cats at arms length!).