Gardener's Diary

Garden Birdwatch

My new years resolution is to stop and watch, life in the garden.

It has been fascinating to witness a flock of linnets racing between silver birch tree and the walnut tree; backwards and forwards they went. Then as I was collecting my post, I saw a single linnet singing its heart out on the crab apple down the drive; pretty pink colouring around its neck.

Out of my dining room window, I often see two collared doves. I've named them Beetle and Blossom. They sit in the lilac tree, snug as can be, talk to each other, preen themselves, stretch a little, twissle round then sit down again, snug as can be!

A green woodpecker has been under the walnut tree twice this week, and a lesser spotted one too. Crowds of black crows, maybe jackdaws fly into the tree, then swoop down to eat the nuts below.

Tits (blue and great) and robins skip about in the bushes close to the house, while blackbirds come close to the kitchen window to steal the cotoneaster berries displayed below. They also love the yellow rowan berries on Sorbus Joseph Rock which I can see as I work at my computer.    see my website

Garden watch again

This morning I sat down with a cup of tea and looked out at the bird feeder positioned close to the path to my backdoor. To the right was a wild rose, growing like a tall fountain with strong arcing branches, and on the ends were shiny rich red rosehips. Some are plump and fat, but most are shrinking now with age. To the left was a winter flowering viburnum, sturdy dark naked upright growth, but on the end of each stem were cushions of glorious pale pink flowers. In the middle, where these two shrubs intertwine, the bird feeder is to be found. A quick shower of rain had come and gone, and like lightening tits were feeding. To begin with all I could see were two blue tits, shimmying up and down the balls of fat and seed. Then great tits arrived, strident with their smart black ties, and the blue tits disappeared. A moment later all four birds were on hand, feeding watching, changing positions. Now a robin had joined the party watching from on high then hopping closer to wait his turn. His breast looked orange rather than red, more like the terracotta pots on the wall nearby, compared to the deeper red of the rose hips.Then a great big blackbird came to join the throng, so smart in his tux with bright golden beak. Another sip of tea, and I looked up again and there was a chaffinch sitting amongst the fragrant pink flower of the viburnum, puffing out his matching pink chest. All in just a few minutes, natural and beautiful, a real garden ensemble. The peppermint tea was good too!

Flights of Golden Tiara

All the cultivars of tangutica clematis have gorgeous yellow flowers, so welcome in the late summer and early autumn. Golden Tiara is extra special because of its fly away nature and its maroon, almost black stamens which show up so well. There are lots to choose from....Bravo, Helios, Bill Mackenzie, tangutica itself...I love them all.

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They all have super seedheads, glistening in the sunlight, like a shiny hair do! What a treat in the winter garden. Eventually we cut them down to ground level sometime in late February/March.

Echinacea purpurea

Thought I would start off by showing Echineacea purpurea, one of the highlights of the July garden, smothered in bees and often butterflies as well. Excellent in full sun, or even partial shade and not averse to a dry summer. If you cut off the flowers after they have passed their best, you will encourage more and more to be produced so that we had colour on these plants even in October. Eventually we leave some to go to seed so that we can enjoy the cones through the autumn and into early winter.

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1. July-October 2. October-December

Does any one know which part of the plant is used in herbal remedies?