Month: February 2020

Cooking and eating from the garden, Growing vegetables, fruit and flowers4 Comments

Daffodils and rhubarb update

Reclaiming Paradise

There have been a couple of cold but beautifully sunny days here and so I have been in the garden and able to do a little spring tidying. A few years ago I told you about my unusual combination of daffodils and rhubarb in a small dark corner near the house. It’s a strange combination but one that has worked for a good few years – for more on this , see here. The daffodils used to be able to compete with the rhubarb but this year the rhubarb has taken over. I seem to have the earliest rhubarb on … Continue reading Daffodils and rhubarb update

Why I garden12 Comments

Signs of spring amidst the storms

Reclaiming Paradise

This last week has been all about weather again but today the sun shone, there were primroses at the allotment and daffodils in the garden. Earlier in the week we braved the snow and the hail and the floods to visit Dawyck Gardens in the Borders to look at snowdrops. In the days leading up to our visit and for many days since the gardens have been closed because of wind and rain but on our chosen day they were open and we were not disappointed. Meanwhile the garden at home is very wet, though not flooded, the pond is … Continue reading Signs of spring amidst the storms

Growing vegetables, fruit and flowers11 Comments

Winter work

Reclaiming Paradise

Last weekend I did some DIY in the garden to provide some protection for the expected storms. I noticed a crack in the door of the seed palace. The palace has done a great job protecting seedlings but this needed some attention. I got out the ancient tools and added a splint of wood to hold it all in place Since the problem had been caused by the door banging in the wind, I also added an extra hook and eye to keep the doors shut. It’s all nice and cosy now and looking after the sweet pea seedlings, which … Continue reading Winter work

Why I garden10 Comments

February joys

Reclaiming Paradise

Its’ been a cold and miserable day: a day for doing indoors worklike things, but I nipped out to the garden this afternoon to see what was in flower now that February is upon us. Here’s what I found: the sweetly smelling winter box Dozens of snowdrops A mahonia just coming into full bloom The hellebore has started flowering The witchhazel is still in full bloom As is the viburnum, which is throwing its scent all the way down the street In vegetable news, there was a small handful of purple sprouting broccoli And rhubarb coming up beautifully February is … Continue reading February joys