Cube Pallets and Butterfly Gardens

More frost this morning. I can hardly believe it. But I have taken the bull by the horns and begun to plant things out, albeit with a bit of protection. 

At home the first cornflowers went in and at the garden the sweetpeas went in. Later I protected them with slug pellets and net curtains.

Steve put in sprouts and red cabbage. They are covered too.

I took the first crafts for the Wool Barn and arranged them on the trolley. This year we have CCTV.

My sister walked up for a cuppa. It was such a lovely day we were able to sit outside. There were bumble bees and butterflies around.

Steve removed the huge periwinkle plant which Paula pulled apart. Later in the day I made up eight pots of cuttings.

Then we set to and sowed all the wild flower seeds in the newly cleared bed. We`ve labelled it and called it the butterfly garden.

I can`t wait to see how it grows.

What better way to spend an April morning than sowing a wild flower area with your sister.

I spent the afternoon potting things on. Tomatoes, courgettes, French marigolds, tithonia, asters.

I am fast running out of the right sized pots. As soon as square pots are emptied, they are grabbed with glee and filled up again.

 

And finally, thanks to John (Cooke) we have a new table/bench outside the polytunnel. John left the fantastic cube pallet in our front garden and Steve recycled it. 

I love it.

Burrowing Bees and Ladder Shots

What a strange April we are having! I heard on the news that out of 20 days in April so far, 15 have started with frosty mornings. Every evening I have covered my vulnerable seedlings and plants with fleece. After all the care we have taken with the new plants/seedlings, we don`t want to lose anything. 

I have begun to move things on and out, under tunnels of fleece, mainly to make more room. Steve has been busy making me a coldframe out of the old greenhouse and that is going to help.

The little nursery at the garden, is up and running and people are already finding some gems to take home.

My job for the morning was to remove the straggly lavender, over-run with couch grass and then prepare the bed for some wild flower seed mixes.

It was hard work as it is so dry and there`s still a horrible corner to tackle next time. It will involve moving a shrub as well. I won`t sow the seed mixes until we have had rain.

I was thrilled to find 6 eggs in the robin`s nest. Despite leaving an open-sided nesting box in the cobshed, they chose to build their home in a carrier bag of pine cones hanging on the wall. The robins do love our cobshed....

.....and so do the bees.

They are burrowing into the walls.

 

Incidently my mason bees are hatching out at home. The flight box and home was a present from my nephew and niece-in-law last year.

Steve planted the first lettuce and rocket, though I felt ill-at-ease, leaving them to their own devices, after all the nurturing.

They look a little lost in the raised bed.

I climbed the ladder to get this shot. It shows the damson blossom at its best, miraculously intact after the frosts. 

Other views around the garden .....

 

....and the blue of the grape hyacinths.....

......and a new butterfly.

 

A warm start and a cold finish, typical April.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Easter Fairy Trail

 Anne opened the fairy trail for the Easter holiday. It was obviously a very welcome change for families, judging by the letters to fairies and donations for St.Michaels.

The groups were well-spaced out with plenty of time in between.

The trail itself is spread over a wide area.

On Good Friday I set up the fairy willow tree which I enjoyed very much. I put the finishing touches to the gnome home and Anne had worked hard on all other areas. Paula and I even managed to give Winnie a slight spruce-up.

The gnome home was a new project for this spring. It all began when Anne moved the bird bath to the tortoise run and left a very interesting "space." After setting up the fairy cave, I decided to create a gnome home.

Here is the complete corner including the fairy scarecrow I made last year.
The fairy garden has been set up for quite a while.

The new donkey stable was turned into a fairy haven for letter writing with a log burner set up in the corner.

The sun shone but it was very cold.

Other highlights are the witch`s hovel, the goblin`s lair, the fairy village and the giant. Not to forget the garden where you can see rabbits, guinea pigs and tortoises.

And of course the three donkeys are not to be missed.

The fairy trail is on-going until 18th. and the money is still rolling in.