Plants

This blog is both an aid for my memory and also a call for help. I hope to record the plants which appear over the year in the garden and, thus, create a list. I would be grateful if any anyone can name the unidentified flowers.

33.) Primula Japonica

32.) Daisy

31.) Forget-me-not

30.) Dandylion

29.) Celendine

28.) Magnolia

27.)

26.)

25.) Violet

24.)

23.) Bluebell

22.) Magnolia

21.)

20.)

19.) Periwinkle

18.)Flowering Currant

17.)

16.) Forsythia

15.)

14.) Viburnum

13.) Flowering Quince

12.) Bell Heather

.11.) Switch Ivy

10.) Camelia

10.) Camelia

9.) Crocus

8.) Snowdrops

7.) Daffodil

6.) Primula

5.) Primrose

4.)

3.) Hellebore

2.) Azalea

1.)

1.)
2.) Azalea
3.) Hellebore
4.)
5.) Primrose
6.) Primula
7.) Daffodil
8.) Snowdrops
9.) Crocus
10.) Camelia
11.) Switch Ivy
12.) Bell Heather
13.) Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles Speciosa 'Rubra')
14.) Viburnum burkwoodii
15.)
16.) Forsythia
17.)
18.) Flowering Currant (Ribes, Sanguineum, King Edward VII)
19.) Periwinkle (Vinca)
20.)
21.)
22.) Magnolia Stellata
23.) Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
24.)
25.) Violet (Viola odorata)
26.)
27.)
28.) Magnolia
29.) Celendine
30.) Dandylion
31.) Forget-me-not
32.) Daisy
33.) Primula Japonica

Here comes the sun .. ..

The weather has remained mild and it has felt almost springlike. There was no great wind today and for the most part it has been dry. Little work was done in the vegetable garden but the aged, Tesco garlic bulbs seem to have survived and are now sprouting strongly. It is quite encouraging to see some green in the first raised bed.

The main work of getting the wood store ready for the winter goes on. I have started to work on the far side of the wood where there are a number of trees that have fallen and a number which need felled. With the fm radio on the phone and a set of earphones it is a pleasant place to listen to The Archers' Omnibus and Desert Island Discs.  The need for a good wood store has become more pressing as it seems that we are going to be able to reinstate the old wood-burning Rayburn in the kitchen

The biggest change over the weekend, however, has been the installation of the solar panels. We now have the ability to make 3.36 kilowatts although when they were switched on, just before sunset in the  winter, we only made enough (80w) to light a few dim bulbs. I am glad to say that the panels do not seem too intrusive and  blend into the roof quite well.

A recovered greenhouse.

The weather has remained stubbornly cold with no sign of the respite of spring. The last few nights have seen the temperature drop to around -7 degrees and during  the day it has only scarcely  risen above freezing point. This had practical implications as our water supply froze. This left us with no water in the taps for a day or so. This absence of working taps fitted in nicely with the absence of working radiators, lights or electric sockets. Sitting by our wood-burning stove, having collected our water from the stream, we felt truly medieval.


We have become very aware of the weather and keen to be able to anticipate what it holds for us. The Norwegian weather site YR has proven to be the best weather site available. Its hourly forecast is uncannily accurate, you could almost set your watch by the changes in the weather.

Even though spring still seems along way off, and despite the cold, we decided to try and rescue the greenhouse. This seems to have been successful. After a couple of replacement struts were made from old skirting board, and the broken glass replaced, we have a watertight structure. This will probably last for a year or so until we manage to get a poly-tunnel.

The greenhouse is quite well appointed. It has good shelving, a water supply (when not frozen), electricity,  and opening windows. We will need to find a paraffin heater from somewhere to make it fully functional.


During the rescue operations we uncovered a large number of pot plants and shrubs, many still alive. We will need to identify these and then replant them.

Be Prepared.

As befits January the theme over the last few weeks has been "Be prepared!" We have started on the vegetable garden and have broken open 6 beds. Digging a clay soil in the rain never gets easy but we have the foundation for raised beds and, as I mentioned previously, we have found some mature (and large) compost heaps which will come in handy.

We have also started to get ourselves ready for next winter. To ensure we don't freeze to death the wood pile has been started in earnest. With my neighbour's help we have a respectable start. Our festive period visitors enjoyed helping in this task as it also allowed them to return to the city with their car boots filled with logs.

Further, I was able to get a one-to-one tutorial on chainsaw use which should allow me to keep the same number or digits and extremities with which I was born. On the theme of education and getting ready, today also saw my enrollment in the local college's Welsh Course. Unfortunately there are perhaps too few course members to make this viable and it may be cancelled. So,  no sooner than I have learnt to say "Dw i' newydd ddechrau dysgu Cymraeg" than I am not !

Windy Meat

The garden has been quite productive over the past month or so. The best performers have been the potatoes, broad beans and onions. Therefore .. ..

this month I have been mainly eating beans, onions and potatoes.


This is not as bad as it sounds as they are the staples for many meals. A new recipe we found very edible was that below. This was so good that there are no photographs - as it did not hang around long enough.

Slice 2 onions, 1 lb of potatoes and one aubergine.
Crumble 4 oz of cheese. Dice 6 rashers of bacon
Use 2/3rds of this mixture in layers in a casserole.
Then lay a tin of topped tomatoes and some oregano on top.
Use the remaining 1/3rd of the mixture to make the top layers.

Bake for 1 hour at gas mark 4 then uncover for a further 20 minutes.








Robin Ince's Bad Book Club: One Man's Quest to Uncover the Books That Taste Forgot by Robin Ince

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. At times embarassingly funny as it provoked laughter that was impossible to suppress - milk through the nose type of laughter



Excellent and also educational, providing a service by signposting books to avoid, well recommended



View all my reviews

Clearly spring.

It is quiet clear now that we have left winter behind and that times are getting better. Indeed we have had unseasonably warm weather for the last fortnight. It has been hot, sunny and dry and the plants have needed regular watering.


I and the garden have been quite busy. I have riddled the two raised beds and  tried to keep up with the weeding.  We have been taking slug patrol quite seriously this year but due to the dry weather there   have been relatively few slugs .. so far.

The old faithful plants have started to show their heads above ground and the beans, potatoes and onions are clearly starting to get ready for the summer spurt.

All the seeds planted this year have been left-over from packets obtained in previous years. Often these have been free gifts with magazines. Some are past their sell-by date so we will await developments.


Even the apple tree has had blossom this spring.

The mystery seedlings that were damaged in the storm have started to develop. It unlikely that we will get a great crop from them but it is clear that we will get some lettuce, some cauliflower (if it doesn't bolt) and perhaps some celery.

Today we planted the peas (Kelvedon wonder which appratentl don't need supports) and started off the courgettes.  A final task was to clean out and refresh the herb garden with dill, thyme and basil.

We are still waiting for the spinach, which I think has expired, and the chard which is making a very poor show.