Walking, working and Wondering

Fragrant Friday - Hyacinths - The best way to enjoy hyacinths over the festive period is by buying ‘forced’ bulbs, or try forcing the bulbs yourself. They can grow in a multi purpose compost in a pot on a light window sill or try growing them in a glass over water. The scent is strong and there are many colours to choose from. Once they are done you can plant them in a sheltered corner of the garden where you can get a few more years from them.

 I know I can go on about how much grasses add to the garden, but look at these beauties glowing in the early winter sun this week. These and all the other grasses with flowers in the garden will give colour and interest through winter until they fall over in the winter weather or I cut them down when I do the garden spring clean. The Molinia stems and flowers are a glowing golden yellow at this time of year, great for brightening up dark winter gardens.

Yet again weather changed plans on Saturday, we were going to go up to the nursery and do the last of the strimming but the weather forecast changed overnight and is for rain and sleet mid morning onwards, so a day at home. Saturday's walk, the Traquair circuit, thank goodness we went out in the morning and got the best of the weather. A lot of trees down, a few over the path, a lot snapped off like wee twigs home for hot chocolate and an afternoon of blog writing in front of the log burner

before it snowed.

Firegazing mog style

I was excited to get one of my articles published in the Hardy Plant Society Northern Leaves newsletter this autumn and fuzzy dog has yet again been immortalised in print

Busy day in the nursery on Sunday, making the most of a dry sunny day. We finished off strimming the wildflower banks and the meadow. Great to see it all cut back and raked off before any more bad weather rolls in. There was plenty seed raked in to the soil as I raked and picked up the strimmings, filling in the gaps for next year. I can now get more bulbs planted in the meadow and the rabbits have no where to hide

Huge thanks to David for doing all the strimming, well deserved pizza for tea tonight

A wee walk up to the Pirn Fort in Innerleithen on Monday in between domestic chores and nursery admin. Snow on the hills and more forecast for this week, brrrrrrr.

An easy and cheap candle decoration for Christmas and winter. You need a kilner jar, a smaller jam jar that fits in side with room around the edges, a candle, some coloured raffia, string, wool and some Hawthorn berries (or any other red berries). Pop the smaller jar inside the kilner jar and then place the berries still on their wee twigs in the gap between the two jars all the way round. Tie some coloured raffia around the top, light your candle and put in the smaller jar. A christmas scented candle works really well or you can use a plain tea light.

Late afternoon sun on seed heads in the nursery gardens

Seed heads of Aster umbellatus (Doellingeria umbellata)

Late summer sun on the seedheads of Agapanthus
 Headbourne Hybrids'

Tuesday saw more snow in the afternoon, glad I went and did the food shopping in the morning, had planned a walk on the way home but by the time I left Peebles it was sleeting so gave it a miss, home to get the log burner on. The afternoon was spent in front of said fire doing the RHS return for the plant finder. Another tick of the winter to do list.

David was away all day working up north on Wednesday and I didn't feel that great in the morning, which saw me sleep until after 10am! Despite that I managed to write all my christmas cards and post them on the same day! A wee wander around Peebles High street doing some christmas shopping, feeling more organised and keeping my christmas shopping local again and supporting local small businesses. A terrys chocolate orange hot chocolate from Costa for my lunch 🤔🤣🤔 which was amazing. A walk at Cardronna forest, so many trees down, then to Innerleithen to pick up my prescription and do more christmas shopping. A dull overcast day but at least the snow has gone. More nursery admin done.

I went in to the nursery on Thursday to start picking up the leaves in the sales area. Smashing it and another big winter job done. Last year I was chuffed with myself as I got the leaf lifting in the sales area down to 2 days from 3 or 4 and originally 7 when I did it by hand and rake. This year I finished in one day! Yeh I know I couldn't believe it either and that included the track down to the gate. Power to the leaf blower, best bit of kit I've ever bought

oh and the operator of said leaf blower

Not the task list I'd planned for today, but not much you can do when M nature decides its to be a frosty one. Frozen gravel won't rake, frozen plants for an order can't be cleaned up and no watering was happening. Plant B - finish of going through the queries on the stock take, planting lots more tulips and daffodils in the meadow (don't tell David), removing the dead apple trees in the stock beds, sorting out the latest delivery for the wee shop. Honestly I have so many new things for the wee shop next year I need a bigger wee shop

Cant wait to get them all on the website so you can see what we've got.

It was lovely to see some blue sky for a change and again lovely sunlight through the grasses.

Normally I start looking forward to the new year, new start and all that, but I can't help bt wonder and dread what next year holds.....

 #rural #countrylife #countryliving #cottagelife #antiquecottagescenes #interiors #scottishborders #independantretailer #smallbusiness #localbusiness #independantplantnursery #uniqueplantnursery #hardyscottishplants #scottishgarden #gardeningontheedge #scottishborders

Find out what's been happening in our garden at home like our Facebook page 

      The quirky Bird Gardener 

 If you to see what's new and looking good at the nursery like our Facebook

  Quercus Garden Plants

Find out more about the nursery here - our web site: www.quercusgardenplants.co.uk

Follow us on Instagram @quirkybirdgardener

All contents  and photographs ©  Rona, unauthorised reproduction & use of these images is strictly forbidden, thank you