This is the paddock this morning. Dormant and asleep.

But this is how I see it in my mind when I think of it. Vibrant, warm, heavenly and alive.

I’m in there somewhere with Anaïs. Walking around in the evening sun with a baby that only weighed a few pounds.

She was so tiny and I recall whispering things in to her little ear that must have been along the lines of “I’ll always be here if you need me. You’ll always be loved, my precious first daughter”. This summer when the twins are in this space they’ll be walking. What a big life!

The swing seat creaks as it makes way for the frost. It needs attention and bottoms to sit in it.

It needs people, company and laughter. And it will get those things before too long.

The beds are waiting for me right now. I haven’t made my mind up about them yet and I’m still trawling through seed catalogs. Picking out my colours the way some people would pick out shoes.

But it’s worth the time and effort as I have this to stare at in the Summer months and they don’t know that I live in Birkenstocks from April onwards.

The fence has a head of frost this morning. I have a romantic relationship with fences. I love them. I love the way that different types of fences say something different. The way they are used to hold all things precious in the garden.

And when I see the fence in the Winter I think of that long day two Summer’s ago when we all gathered to build a very wide fence that stretched the width of the Paddock. All the family were together. I had just lost my second baby so Robert and I liked the company and the distraction. We needed to be out underneath the big West Sussex sky, building and planning for the future. Believing that we would one day have our children there to enjoy it all.

But at that time we had Jodie’s.

And they gave us all the love we needed.

It’s coming isn’t it?

These green shoots of hope are all that I need to know that it is coming.

They are all I need to feel the sun on my face and the warmth on my back as I garden like a Mad Dog in the midday sun.

And they are all I need to know that there is nothing as heavenly…….

…as an English garden with a one year old boy and a one year old girl toddling about in it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

I love you and thank you so much for reading.

Cherry x

******************************************
Don’t forget you can join my Facebook page!

Cherry Menlove

Twitter – please feel free to follow me

If you’re thinking about growing some of your own fruit and vegetables this year then now is the time to get your Broad Beans in to some trays or pots.

Broad Beans look like this when they come out of the seed packet. Obviously you should follow their instructions but the easiest way of growing them is a simple act of popping them into pots (that can go straight in to the ground ) watering them and planting them out when last frosts have passed and they are of a good size.

I planted mine out last year when they had reached about 2 inches in height in double rows like this.

Last year we built a frame out of bamboo and string that worked well for us but we are building another type this year and as soon as we start to build it I’ll promptly upload pictures in time for you to build one too. I just wanted you to see how the Broad Beans will look when they are producing pods for you to pick.

Here they are.

They aren’t really as tough to pick as I’m making out here. But this type of bean is a real favourite of mine and a staple in my vegetable garden.

All you need to do right now however is to buy your seeds and get them germinating in some pots or a tray. I’ll not forget to pop back and take you along with me while they are growing.

This is a type of Verbena – Verbena Bonariensis – I had a very small amount growing in my old garden which is where this picture was taken. Now is the time to plant this type of Verbenea if you’d like something like this in your garden in the Summer….

I am planting several seed trays full of this variety and will then plant the Verbena out in the paddock area creating a small hedge of Verbena. You should know that planting out Verbena such as this can be laborious and time consuming in the first year but it is a perennial and should come back bigger and better year after year if you don’t live in too cold a climate. Once again I’ll keep you fully updated on how to continue growing Verbena if youd like to follow along but just get your seeds in to the seed trays for now and begin to grow according to your seed packet instructions.

This was the paddock a few weeks ago in the snow.

Well, I’ve already pushed the button on work in this area and the first thing to be done was to get the arches painted white.

You’ll have to bear with me as the paddock comes to life but I have a real vision for this space and am looking to create a space full of flowers, vegetables and places to sit to enjoy the big open sky that sits above us. We want to cook out here and enjoy long evenings on the grass in amongst the raised beds.

As I stare at these arches, outside in 2 degrees, it doesn’t take that much of a leap to see them covered in red and cream Lofos.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
************************************************************

Cherry x

I’m loving the questions and the chat that is starting to occur over on my Facebook fan page. We’re always there to answer any questions you may have.
Join my Facebook page!

Cherry Menlove

Promote your Page too

Feel free to add me to your links list. Here it is ! - http://www.cherrymenlove.com/

Facebook – Please feel free to join my page

Twitter – please feel free to follow me

The temperature has once again plummeted and I’m thinking about another log delivery for the fire. There we were basking in the relative warmth of 7 degrees over the weekend and now the frost is back over our windscreens. I’m thirty four years of age and should have known that the weather would not just keep getting warmer and warmer until July, but us humans live in hope when we see a tiny bit of sunshine peeking through the trees.

The garden however is paying no heed whatsoever to the weather. The signs of Spring are there for all to see and it has no problem in sticking two fingers up at anybody who says everything should grind to a halt because of a cold snap.

Bless you garden. Keep on growing!

You rock!

*************************************************

Join my Facebook page!

Cherry Menlove

Promote your Page too

Feel free to add me to your links list. Here it is ! - http://www.cherrymenlove.com/

Facebook – Please feel free to join my page

Twitter – please feel free to follow me

This big bunch of Parsley was picked fresh from my herb garden last year. I bought one Parsley plant and planted it in a HUGE terracotta pot alongside some Sage I already had, Oregano and Marjoram. That pot kept me going throughout many bar-b-q’s and to be honest is still going fairly strong despite being dumped on by the snow.

However, this year I have decided to plant seeds of the herbs I use the most. I’m writing up this journey in case you’d like to follow along. If you plan to plant at the same time as I do you will see the same results (I hope) and have a great looking garden by the end of the Summer.

For planting parsley seeds (we used the variety Italian Giant which is a flat leaf Parsley. The variety above was curly leaf), you will first need to decide upon the type and size of pot or container you want to grow them in. I have chosen pots of Parsley to focus on as they can then sit in my kitchen and are very easy to take from and add to food. Windowsill Parsley. Parsley seeds can be hard to germinate so soak them overnight in warm water to give them a head-start.

I chose two round pots (around 24cm wide) and half filled them with some multi purpose seed compost that retains moisture and then watered the soil. I then added a generous pinch of seeds to each pot, sprinkled them over the top of the soil, covered them with a little more compost and gave them one last drink. Parsley grows with a relatively long root so I may transfer the Parsley to a deeper pot as it grows or transfer it outside in the warmer weather.

The type of parsley seeds we used are ideal for growing indoors and the pots should be kept in a fairly warm place with 5 to 8 hours of light per day. When the weather improves it’s great to get it as much sunlight as possible.

Keep the soil watered and don’t drown them but also do not let the soil run dry as you’ll find it hard to bring the plants back from a drought!

Don’t worry I’ll be doing updates on my Parsley so you can follow along.

Last Summer I grew a ‘wall’ of Sweet Peas right along one of the walls surrounding the garden outside the back door. It kept me in cut flowers from June until September and I intend to grow many in the paddock this Summer.

For sowing the Sweet Peas I decided to use several varieties. Last year I planted a mixture of purples, deep pinks and reds, so this year I’ve opted for a paler pallet like pinks, lilacs and whites. The varieties I chose were – Norman Wisdom, Pulsar, Royal Wedding, Daphne, Charlie’s, Angel and Terry Wogan.

I used bio-degradable pots (around 10cm high and enough for my seeds) and half filled each one with multi purpose seed compost. I then added a seed to each pot and topped it up again with more soil. Check the back of your seed packet to see if they recommend soaking the seeds before planting. My packets recommend NOT soaking them. Although I have done in previous years.

I gave the seeds one last drink and popped them onto a large seed tray and transferred them indoors onto my windowsills, which is where they will stay until they are 8 – 12 cm high and ready to be transferred outdoors into my greenhouse when I run out of windowsill space or directly in to the ground after the last frost.

I will update you on their progress and if you decide to follow along we’ll grow them together. We’ll be bringing in baskets overflowing with Sweet Peas all Summer long. Happy Days!


***********************************************************

Join my Facebook page!

Cherry Menlove

Promote your Page too

Feel free to add me to your links list. Here it is ! - http://www.cherrymenlove.com/

Facebook – Please feel free to join my page

Twitter – please feel free to follow me

So, it would appear that we’ve been having a wee bit of snow lately!

This was the view from inside our garden gate, up the drive and on to the road last week. THERE IS NO ROAD!

The snow fell really heavily and weighed down branches of the heaviest trees. Trees fell in to the roads and power lines were brought down. We had almost two days without any power at all and it was getting COLD in the house by the time the lights finally bounced in to life again. Even the AGA wasn’t making much difference by the second day as it struggled to keep up with the outside temperatures.

Robert the Husband spent a good few hours over two days clearing the way for us to, first, open the garden gate and then digging the cars out. But even after all the digging, the roads had frozen in to streams of glass like ice and it all got a bit treacherous.

But apart from the hassle and inconvenience of the snowfall it did give me a fantastic insight into how the garden functions when covered in inches and inches of the white stuff. And of course it’s beautiful and quiet out there with all the sounds muffled.

A dash of colour against the white. Hanging on in there almost cryogenically frozen.

Icicles formed on the Honeysuckle almost overnight! I had a certain amount of rescuing to do around the place after such a heavy fall but nothing was damaged. It just all needed a little shake to rid itself of the weight it was suddenly carrying.

Robert grabbed one of the icicles. Not sure how he does the whole ‘t-shirt in the snow’ thing with such aplomb but he had just been shoveling snow so I suppose he was hot. I offered him one of my 32 “thin not too thick” layers but he declined. Tough nut!

Mmmmmm, lovely! Pure enough to bite into.

Aha!
Ian’s out today. Hello small red one.

Betsy too!

And then Ian arrived on here too as we were topping up the bird feed. We definitely have more than one Ian , which is of course BRILLIANT!

But let me introduce you to another member of the garden family. This is Fenella Pheasant and he has been wandering around quite regularly lately (didn’t want to call him Frank or Fred & here’s a link to a picture of male and female Pheasants). Pheasant and Grouse (two of which were walking across our drive on Saturday afternoon) are silly things and plop out in front of cars all the time in this area. And I know that because of the snow some of the shooting season has been curtailed so there may be a few more about than usual. But we’re happy for them to wander about in our garden for the time being although I’m not quite sure how long they’ll like it for.

I would urge you, if you have a garden frequented by birds, please feed them if you still have lots of snow on the ground. Do your research and find out what your type of garden birds like to eat and please put some out for them. It’s terribly difficult for them to feed themselves in deep and heavy snow, especially when it lasts for days. It’s also really great to watch them congregate all day every day around the feeders. They chat and play and feed themselves until ready to head off again. You’ll also find yourself getting really attached to the birds that visit and it’s great to get the warm fuzzies knowing that you’ve helped them out of a pickle.

Ian the Robin however likes to hang out with us and helped Robert the Husband clear the gates while I sat on a chair and watched.

I’m serious…here’s my chair in the snow. The one I sat on.

I sat on it for ages watching the proceedings as I was having all those tuggy sensations that you get as the babies grow. To be honest it was just as cold inside the house so I might as well have been out with the boys.

Here’s the other boy…

Thanks, Ian (another version I’m sure!). It was good to have you around.
*************************************************

Join my Facebook page!

Cherry Menlove

Promote your Page too

Feel free to add me to your links list. Here it is ! - http://www.cherrymenlove.com/

Facebook – Please feel free to join my page

Twitter – please feel free to follow me

We have some friends in our garden – a Robin called Ian and a Blue Tit called Betsy. Ian is rather awesome actually. He can often be found sitting atop an abandoned log and watching while we garden. He has a nice inquisitive face although he gets a little annoying when he decides to fly in to the garage just as we’re closing it up and are on our way out for several hours.

“Ian, come out of the garage please. If you don’t come out you’ll be stuck in there and that won’t be very nice, will it?”

Ian can be a little naughty on occasion.

The name Ian is stolen from a Starling that visits my sisters garden and was named by my Dad. I thought it sounded good as a birds name and it clearly suited my Ian, so I nicked it.

Betsy on the other hand is a new addition and has been seen hanging on to these two decrepit Sunflowers a great deal over the last two weeks.

The rest of the Sunflowers are long since gone but these two flowered so late into the summer that they just got left in the ground. Robert the Husband spotted Betsy upside down and chowing down on the seeds that were left. And look at the meal she’s had!

Betsy has almost totally cleared this Sunflower as the weather has gotten colder and she’s even started in on the surrounding area. It’s wonderful to see Betsy do her very best Cirque du Soleil impression as she hangs upside down and reaches for the hard to get at seeds.

It’s reminded me to make sure that all of the bird feeders are full and has also made me realise that the show put on by the birds when they raid the sunflowers for seed is far greater a site than that of cleared empty beds.

I’ll be leaving ALL of the Sunflowers in the ground for a lot longer next year and perhaps we’ll have a whole row of birds feeding at once.

Bees visiting by the minute when it’s warm and birds eating it empty when it’s chilly. All that from the humble Sunflower…. It’s got to be worth the £1 I paid for the seeds

And in only four or five months time I’ll be looking to plant them all over again.

Love it!

*************************************************

Join my Facebook page!

Cherry Menlove

Promote your Page too

Feel free to add me to your links list. Here it is ! - http://www.cherrymenlove.com/

Facebook – Please feel free to join my page

Twitter – please feel free to follow me