Very overdue garden update……

I am deeply embarrassed to see that it is three months since I posted about my garden, Heath Hands or indeed any garden anywhere. I can only blame our Salon Music project which has rather taken over my blog life, whatever about the rest of my life. And it has been winter so most of my plants had retreated under their thick blanket of bark.

But not so the mimosa tree, as you can see. It is just celebrating its second birthday and we have already taken its top out twice. And this year, not only has it flowered profusely but the flowers have lasted for weeks. Far longer than I had expected having only had mimosa as a cut flower before when it lasts scarcely 48 hours. Thank you the lovely Clarissa the gardener for that suggestion.

However, on the bank round the patio things are coming to life. The cardoon is well away and the heuchara are starting to look quite vibrant (that red one really is scarlet in the sun); there are tiny buds on the cotinus and some new leaves on achemilla mollis. Not many signs of life from the geranium Rozannes which completely took over the garden last summer but it is a bit early for them.

Meanwhile, the wild strawberries on that very difficult dry slope under the holly tree are doing exactly what they were meant to do and gradually colonising the area.

I am also delighted to notice that down the even steeper slope to its left, not only are the Japanese anenomes getting well stuck in but the wild garlic I transplanted from the bramble patch seems to have taken. Not much as yet but I know it will spread.

The other steep bank outside my study window is also doing well. The carex are looking rather tatty but the erigeron, now that I have trimmed them back, are ‘rarin’ to go – and even the campanula which never really got going last year is looking pretty perky.

And…. outside my bedroom window the ferns are all starting to uncurl their new fronds. Because it is so protected, they had kept their leaves all winter so I only realised this week that they were starting to grow – so went out and cut all the dead away. Aren’t they the most magical thing? Each one looks like a little person just waking up and stretching its arms.

But while all is peace and gentle spring growth in the garden, next door around the garage, chaos reigns….

To the right of the house is a garage with a strip of land about one third of the width of my garden running down to the back wall, at about 5 foot below the level of the garden ‘proper’. When I first came to Hampstead Lane my thought was to develop the garage into a house for a close friend who was looking to downsize. But after several years of to-ing and fro-ing, we failed to get planning permission – by which time I had really decided that I would rather leave it the way it was. But during all of that time the space had been abandonned to serve as a dumping ground for builders and any other rubbish for which I could not find a home.

Meanwhile, the brambles in the garden area had had a field day…..

Something had to be done – but what?

I did not really need any more garden but it seemed a great shame for it not to be used. One of my Heath Hands volunteer colleagues had been telling me about some children’s groups that she worked with on the heath and it occurred to me that there might be a number of groups who would value having access to a space like this in which to grow vegetables or fruits – or just to learn a little more about nature. So that is what we are planning.

My lovely Bulgarian builders have returned to tidy up the garage and to sort out and pave all around it and around the front of the house. This was never finished when we did the original job as we were waiting to see what would happen about the planning permission. This has meant a temporary invasion of the main garden by a gazebo in which the builders keep their stuff, spare bits of mirror, random pots and bags – and a very chirpy yellow polyanthus which had been abandonned round the back of the garage….

….but the result is definitely going to be worth it when finished.

And then to tackle those brambles….

My new mattock has just been delivered. Anyone offering?…