Overgrown hedge back in shape

 In the garden  No Responses »
Feb 202013
 
Overgrown hedge back in shape

On February 19th 2013, the hedge to the front of the house was finally restored to some sort of order. Already well overgrown when we moved in, the hedge had reached the roof of the house in places and contained two dead trees. After seeing the work of Tree Hugger and Son on a friend’s Facebook page, I asked them to quote for the work. For cutting back of the hedge and removal of the trees, they quoted £330, which I thought was a little expensive. However, I didn’t know at the time that it was going to take 12 [Read more]

Siskin sighting bird highlight of the week

 In the garden  4 Responses »
Feb 082013
 
Siskin sighting bird highlight of the week

It’s been an interesting week of bird sightings at Bracken House, the highlight being a first ever recorded appearance of a siskin. This sole small finch was seen at the bird feeders on Friday 8th February. A common bird in Wales and Scotland, these birds are less common in England, but are more frequent in winter. They occasionally visit bird feeders searching for peanuts, though they do feed on seeds, especially of conifers, alders and birch. Also noted at Bracken House on the same day was a pair of mallards, who spent most of the day alternating between the two ponds. [Read more]

Bracken House in the Snow

 In the garden, Weather  No Responses »
Feb 042013
 

Today, I created a video of the snow at Bracken House, filmed on January 22nd 2013. Filming took place when there was about six inches of snow on the ground. I used the music of Norwegian musician Per Wollen to accompany the video and I am pleased with how it turned out.

Gardening time

 In the garden  No Responses »
Jan 052013
 
Gardening time

Today I was finally able to do some work in the garden when I continued cutting the meadows, a job I started in mid-November. There has been so much rain for the last few weeks that the ground has been too waterlogged to work. This year, I have decided to spread the cuttings from the wildflower meadows onto the muddy and bare patches in the grazing fields. The idea behind this is to fill in some of the hoof prints as the cuttings rot down, and also to allow some of the seeds that are in the cuttings to germinate [Read more]

Mice damage to trees in meadow

 In the garden  No Responses »
Nov 172012
 
Mice damage to trees in meadow

The long task of mowing the wildflower meadows at Bracken House started at the beginning of November. This is earlier than last year, when I didn’t start the task until the New Year. However, with all the wet weather throughout the year, the grass in the meadows had grown high, and was very dense. Next year, I shall have to mow twice a year, before the growing season starts in Spring and again in July or August, depending on the weather. With the weather very unsettled, without any reasonable dry spells, the mowing is taking longer than I expected. Once [Read more]

The Himalayan Balsam problem

 In the garden, What I do  No Responses »
Oct 112012
 
The Himalayan Balsam problem

Himalayan Balsam is an invasive, non-native species that has become widespread across the country. Listed under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to plant or otherwise allow this species to grow in the wild. Bracken House has a relatively minor problem with the plant as small clumps of it grow in the stream, over the whole length of the land. As the stream ultimately flows into the River Erewash, control of the plant is necessary. Two years ago, Chris Jackson, Biodiversity Officer of the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group, visited Bracken House and confirmed the existence of [Read more]

First sighting of a marsh tit

 In the garden, What I do  No Responses »
Jun 222012
 
First sighting of a marsh tit

Today, I noted a family of marsh tits at the feeders. This is a small, mainly brown bird, with a shiny black cap, dark ‘bib’ and pale belly. This is the first time I have seen this particular member of the tit family. These birds are rare in gardens and live mainly in deciduous woods. They are found across England and Wales, with a few in southern Scotland but are most abundant in south Wales and southern and eastern England. They feed on insects and seeds. If marsh tits find a good supply they may start to hoard seeds, burying [Read more]

Garden progressing nicely in warm weather

 In the garden  No Responses »
Mar 262012
 
Garden progressing nicely in warm weather

The warm weather in March continues which has given me a chance to get out in the garden and get it ready for the new season. In the vegetable patch, I have sowed the peas in the same raised bed as the beans. I try to rotate the beds yearly, with the peas and beans going together in one bed. The brassicas have their own bed also, as do the root vegetables. In the fourth bed, I now have an asparagus bed to accompany the chrysanthemums. Also in this bed, the sweet corn will be planted when they arrive in [Read more]

First sowings in the vegetable patch

 In the garden  No Responses »
Mar 102012
 
First sowings in the vegetable patch

With the temperature warming up nicely and the soil in the vegetable patch ready for sowing, I erected this year’s bean row yesterday. I also made the first sowings in the patch when I sowed my broad beans. This season, I have chosen to grow broad bean “Karmazyn” (pictured) an unusual pink seeded, heritage variety from Dobies. The beans ‘have excellent table quality and are best when small so they cook quickly and retain much of their colour’. Being compact, the plants make them ideal for slightly more exposed locations, which is descriptive of the vegetable patch site. Whilst outside, [Read more]

First signs of Spring

 In the garden  No Responses »
Mar 082012
 

As I write this, the robot lawn mower is making the first cut of the back lawn, a sure sign that Spring has arrived. The Robomower, who we call Horace, was one of the first gadgets I bought when we moved into Bracken House and it saves me hours of time. While it mows, I can go and do other jobs. Another sign of Spring is the arrival of frog spawn in the two ponds. The small pond is heaving with mating frogs and toads, and spawn already covers about 25% of the surface. There is also a small amount [Read more]

First prune for the fruit trees

 In the garden  No Responses »
Feb 162012
 

Today I gave the fruit trees their first light prune. The purpose was to reduce the height of a couple of trees that were already approaching ten feet high, and to trim some of the branches that were growing too far out from the main trunk. Also, I removed dead twigs and any branches that were rubbing against each other. Also today, I added a new page to the Bracken House website listing all the species of birds so far noted on the site. The ‘Birds of Bracken House’ page can be found here.

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