The Gardener gets busy with the Garden Tidy up

Saturday was a hard day for a small mouse dog. First a visit to the vet and the first time travelling in her crate in the car. Then a visit to the nursery to start learning her role as nursery dog and learning to be in her crate for small amounts of time. She's also learnt that no matter how cute, she won't be getting pizza crusts from our pizzas oh and she has her collar, its tiny.

Delighted to get the weaving of the willow fedge finished on Saturday. Quickest time ever! There are just the areas left for our workshop on Tuesday. Next task next week - starting to tidy the gardens.

After a full day of solo puppy sitting, catching up on house chores and nursery admin it was good to get an hour or so of painting. Light and shade using only 2 colours - paynes gray and cadmium yellow

Me thinks the new recruit has a long way to go to be a proper nursery dog............. stealing and chewing plant labels is not part of the job description

Time to start tidying the nursery gardens, this is another great job where I can really see what I’ve spent the day doing. On Monday I got the Winter Garden done, weeded, leaves lifted and perennials cut back. Just waiting on the bark being delivered and then these borders will get mulched. The shrubs have been in between two and three years, well before the borders were created so they are well established. I’m looking forward to all the perennials knitting together and covering the ground. There are lots of bulbs planted so they should put on quite a show in spring, apart from the ones the voles have feasted on.

Some of the plants in the Winter Garden today, from top left to right:

Bergenia ‘Baby Doll’, Bergenia ‘Wintermarchen’, Cotoneaster 'Cornubia', Viburnum davidii, 

Picea abies 'Nidiformis', Pulmonaria ‘Samurai’, Lonicera pileate, 

Cyclamen coum

Cornus canadensis, Carex ‘Ice Dance’, Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Kokuryu', Acorus gramineus

 'Variegatus', Helleborus orientalis own seedling

Viburnum carlesii, Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys', Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea', Cornus alba 'Sibirica'

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

Staying on the bottom terrace and moving on from the Winter Garden, on I was tidying the Cornucopia Garden on Tuesday. Cutting back perennials and grasses, lifting leaves and general tidying ready for spring. This garden was inspired by one of my favourite borders I created in my last garden. A garden for all seasons with evergreens, bulbs, spring flowering Rhodos and azaleas, evergreen perennials, summer flowering perennials, grasses, autumn colour and shrubs. I held my second willow weaving workshop in the afternoon which was another success, no photo as time went so quickly and everyone enjoyed weaving the fedge. A busy achieving day and my winter hibernation old body is letting me know.

Before tidying

and after

Tidying

Tidied

Late afternoon light

Love a bonfire

Snowdrops emerging

Plants in the Cornucopia:

Cornus alba 'Elegantissima'

Bergenia pacumbis, Polypodium x mantoniae 'Bifidograndiceps', Geranium phaeum 'Mourning Widow'

Cyclamen hederifolium, Tellima grandiflora Rubra Group, Cyclamen hederifolium silver leaved

Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum'

Polystichium aculiatum, 

Abies koreana, Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea', Origanum vulgare 'Aurea'

There are snowdrops beginning to appear here and there, the earlier ones poking their heads out between the grass. Although here in the nursery they are always much later. Here I have planted up some Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) in a zinc washing bowl. I’ve covered the top of the compost in moss and layed over some twigs to give a hint of a mossy woodland snowdrop scene.

Viki at Junkshopantiques quite often has zinc bowls or containers that can be used as planters and she always has a great selection of enamel ware which can be used in the same way

Over Wednesday and Thursday I’ve been tidying the Wildlife garden. This garden follows on from the Cornucopia garden and means that’s the bottom terrace finished and ready for spring. Bulbs are beginning to come up, the tips of their leaves tentatively poking up through the soil. The buds of snowdrops are starting to show too. Now all the leaves have fallen I’ve removed the net on the pond and cut back the pond plants. I know its early to be clearing the gardens but I have so much to do both in the nursery gardens and nursery work, propagation and running a business, it has to start at the beginning of the year. The weather has been amazing this January, though worryingly dry, so I am getting ahead while I can, I am sure February will change all that.

Plants in the Wild life Garden: 

Mahonia x media 'Charity'

Ilex aquifolium, Buddleia 'Lochinch', Berberis stenophylla, Rudbeckia fulgida var. Deamii

Equisetum hymale

Cotoneaster horizontalis, Origanum vulgare, Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'

Polystichium setiferum 'Plumosum Densum', Melissa officinalis, Hedera helix 'Buttercup', Dipsacus

 fullonum, Chrysanthemum 'Mrs Jessie Cooper', Geum 'Primrose Cottage'

Centranthus ruber, Heuchera 'Blackberry Jam', Geranium x monacense  'Claudine Dupont', 

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Esther Read'

On Friday before the mizzle drizzle got heavier I got the Native Scottish plant borders tidied and cut back, then a top dressing of our own compost from the compost heaps. I cut back the oldest branches in the Rosa rugosa hedge and tidied the bug hotel. The green roof on the bug hotel got a topdress of compost and a sprinkling of pelleted organic chicken manure. The snow drops are coming up and the bark on the Betula pendula has finally turned white as the tree matures.

Tidying the Native Scottish Plants garden

After

The bug hotel

Plants in the Native Scottish Plant Garden:

Anthyllis vulneraria ("Common kidneyvetch"), Rosa spinosissima (Burnet Rose), Daucus carotta (wild carrot), Polypodium vulgare (Common Polypody), 

Galium vernum ("Lady’s Bedstraw" (Keeslip. Ruin – Scots native)), Veronica chamaedrys )Speedwell), Fragaria vesca (Wild Strawberry), Primula vulgaris (Primrose), 

Viola riviniana( "Dog Violet"), Prunella vulgaris ("Self-heal"), Geranium sanguineum ("Bloody Cranesbill")

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