March 1st 2002
The daffodils,crocus and camellias are now in full bloom, despite lots of wind and rain, spring continues to gain momentum.
 We have removed any weeds from our raised veg patch, and covered the soil with plastic cloches, weighted down with bricks, to stop the wind blowing them away. This will warm the soil up ready for a first sowing of carrot and spring onion, we will  also be sowing beetroot in modules, and starting them in the greenhouse, we use a monogerm type beetroot (only one beetroot per seed), and when they are large enough we set them out in rows under the cloches. This ensures you get the most beetroot per row, as you don't get any gaps where the seed didn't come up !!
The clematis have been pruned as required and given a feed of blood fish and bone and a covering of compost around the base of the plant.
We managed to mow the lawns on a high setting, about a week ago, just really to tidy them up.
Last month saw more visitors to the website, some found us from the four page article on our garden, which was published in Gardens Monthly magazine, also an article is due to be published in July, by the Ideal Home magazine.

 
 
            Bob Hope                                    Donation

March 29th  2002
Well the weather here this last week has been clear blue sky every day and temperature between 12 to 15c during the day and just below freezing on a couple of nights, just enough to touch the Pieris Forrestii.
The plants in the garden really are growing now, the clematis Alpina "Pink Flamingo" is in flower, and the "Markhams Pink" just about to flower. You can see them on our Clematis Page, as they flower.

Every spring we have the job of cleaning the green algae from the paved paths,especially in the shaded areas, we have tried patio cleaner, and wire brushing, when  the paths are clean, we have sealed them with a concrete sealer, but none of these really work. So we have purchased a power washer, tried it out yesterday, much easier and much cleaner. The only problem is not to direct it at the plants, it just shreds them to pieces !