It's been the finest spring weather that I can remember with almost continuous sunshine since late March. The grasses came down then too and immediately started sending up new green growth The pheasant grass that I had been worried about needed some careful cutting out of dead leaves, but is now growing more strongly. It's the only grass that doesn't get cut down.
We had a couple of very wet days in early April but they were necessary to water everything and refill the pond.
As I write this, on 23rd April, the forecast is for more sunshine, and so I have continued to water the box as well as any new planting - including last year's black bamboos and this year's euphorbia wulfenii. I decided to replace some of the wulfenii as they were getting too leggy.
A few of the box needed attention as some of them had been partially stripped, but all are growing strongly again and producing new growth.
The orchard has done particularly well this year and although there were a couple of frosts, they don't seem to have damaged the blossom, which is now largely set. It would be wonderful to have a good fruit season as last year's was mixed - good for apples and pears and Victoria and Czar plums, but no damsons, greengage, cherries or Mirabelle. Incidentally, Bruce Williams trims the fruit trees (as well as the box) and they are now all perfectly shaped thanks to his ministrations.
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| Apple blossom in the orchard |
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| Mme Aldred Carriere - Sally's rose - beautifully tied in. It was surplus to requirements at the Old Rectory until rescued by Katya. |
Lastly, I took a video of the garden at dusk, turning on the lights as I went round. It's come out quite well
