March arrived as docile as a lamb and then began to roar, continued to roar and will leave still roaring. Spring took one look at the weather map and immediately fled southwards, leaving us cold, wet and miserable. Any daffodil foolhardy enough to raise its head was immediately decapitated, the primroses huddled in corners and […]
Croft Gardener
At Home on the Range…..
“Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam” – Dr. Brewster Higley (1874) This is not exactly the Hebridean equivalent of the Great Plains, but it is an example of unimproved grassland and although it looks like a completely natural habitat, it is the product of careful grazing management. If left unattended it would […]
A Visit from the Widow
A couple of weeks ago, iris-type leaves emerged in the lean-to-garden and produced a bud. No plant label, which is not too unusual, but the Head Gardener had no recollection of planting iris tubers in this particular spot. Eventually the identity of the mystery plant as revealed as the flower opened. It is a plant […]
Plan B?
We have just survived one of the worst weeks of weather I can remember for a long time. Storm force winds had been forecast for Saturday 13 February and by the late afternoon it was gusting about 70 mph, so we were not too surprised when there was a electrical power surge which blew several […]
Plotting and Planning
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near one“J.R.R. Tolkein We might not have dragons, but we do have weather. Over the years we have learnt how to storm-proof the garden to the best of our ability, but as soon as I hear the shipping forecast […]