4TH SEPTEMBER 2017 - NORTH YORKSHIRE, UK
The
vivid blue skies and high temperatures of a Portuguese summer have been exchanged
for the more temperate (colder) climate of glorious North Yorkshire or, as
known by the privileged residents as ‘God’s County’, with verdant
forests and amazingly flat expanses of super fertile (up to 15 tonnes per acre)
wheat and barley ‘prairies’. The Combine Harvester cutting the 100 acre field at
the bottom of the new garden had a 12 metre ‘cutter’ and required the services
of four tractors with 20 tonne capacity trailers to remove the continuous flow
of grain.
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| The view over the fields from the new garden |
This ‘fertility’ of the land
transposes itself to the flora of the gardens. Everything grows bigger in
‘Yorkshire’, all be it only between April and October, when the climate changes to cold and wet in the
winter for much less progress, unless under glass, of course.
The ‘New’ garden is small, could
actually be called ‘Bijoux’ without exaggeration, it is currently grass and a ‘Blank
Canvas’,(could any Gardener ask for more?).
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| Blank canvas 1 - Head Gardener has plans for this! |
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| Blank canvas 2 - hmm! |
Fragrance and Colour will be the
applied principles (being dog friendly will also help as the two Portuguese
hounds, Ferdy and Rudi, are in residence and have to be accommodated in any
planting schemes) with roses and assorted climbing plants taking the priority
spots in the new performance and, if they are Bee Friendly, even better.
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| Ferdy and Rudi getting aclimatised and used to green grass! |
As space is very limited, all
vegetables will, by necessity, be container grown. This method of cultivation has
the added advantage of ‘portability’, especially during the difficult winter
climate.
Having purchased the required licence
for the removal of garden waste (Yes you heard correctly, a licence is required
in UK if the garden waste is to be removed by the local authority). ‘Brown Bin’ is now placed in the very precise position by the garden gate once every fortnight. This is very useful in a small garden where there is no room for a compost heap. (Note to self - must get a composting bin.)
So it’s all new and exciting. Found a
local Supermarket selling an extensive selection of temperate climbing plants
for £1.76 (€1.76 at current rate of exchange - but, on present trends, may be €1 by next week, and good old Lidl are selling
spring bulbs again at give away prices – so life is almost complete.
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| So, the roses are planted - all scented |
Must dash, have twenty miniature
Cylamen to plant (eight for £3 can’t be bad), just heard the HG‘s coffee bell
(imported from Portugal with CITESE certificate of course)
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| Mini cyclamen planted over tulip bulbs - ready for spring |
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| Pansies are always great value - planted around a young clematis |
Stuart.
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