Sunday, January 22, 2012

Birds,Seeds,And Dreams

The conservatory is finally finished.This was the outside view from the garden.The sparkling lights have been moved out into it.There is a nice wooden floor now,and the radiator keeps it warm.I have some where to sit comfortably and look out at the garden and the birds.The bird table took a battering in the high winds.The House Sparrows flew down to eat some of the seeds on offer.They were very close to the window.I can hear these birds daily chattering away in the neighbours hedge.They are very vocal,and very gregarious birds.If one comes to feed whole family's of related birds come to join in.They are comical to watch too.The Collared Doves are our most frequent visitors.They are in the garden daily feeding on the bird food,or drinking out of the bird bath.
Next weekend is the RSPB's big garden bird watch.Counting all the birds in your garden over a period of one hour.I will do it next Sunday when I'm not working.
With new windows to look out I felt inspired to go out into the garden.I continued the clean up of the pots and planters.I went to the pond today to try and sort out the Norfolk grass.It was covered in pond weed!The warm winter and sunny days had caused a boom in its growth.I cleared the debris on top and removed the majority of the pond weed.I have grown some oxygenating plant in the greenhouse which I put back into the pond.I even spied a Newt diving into the murky depths.The Norfolk Reed needs splitting and tougher pots to keep it from breaking out.It is sat in the greenhouse currently.
I sowed more seeds into the wildflower area around the pond.It has a wild charm being left to its own devices.I previously removed the Teasel which was too big for the area.The Frogs enjoy hiding under the plants when they sunbathe.
I went through all my seeds today and chucked out all the out of date ones,and wrote a list of what was left.There were over thirty packets of flower seeds in date still.
The Vegetable seed tin was decimated down to four packets only.Last year I had poor germination rates.It occurred to me afterwards I was sowing with old and mostly out of date seeds.My new years resolution was to use fresh seeds.
I went online this afternoon and ordered all my allotment seeds.I need to go to Wilkos to buy the seed Potatoes,Onions,Garlic,and Shallots.Everything else has been ordered online.
I also decided with me trying to grow Mushrooms,to keep the experimentation going.To that end I have ordered a Grape Vine to grow in the Greenhouse.I will also try to grow some Melons which I have never grown before.
I want to be experimental and try to grow new varieties,and new crops each year.My seeds list is all new ones.It keeps it interesting growing Vegetables and Soft Fruit.
The garden still needs tweaking in places,but im pleased how its advanced after a winter break.

2 comments:

L said...

Enjoy! Hope your conservatory brings you a great deal of pleasure.
The doves and pigeons, not to mention the squirrels, eat huge amounts of the food I leave out for the smaller birds. They are so heavy that the feeding station groans and sways under their weight!

Shell said...

Wow, that looks great. I can just picture you sitting in your comfy chair with a cuppa looking out into the garden - enjoy!