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Demolition in the Garden
Well the last of the three original conifer trees was demolished this week. When we started to take them down eight years ago, we decided to keep the one, to use as a bird feeder. The birds have enjoyed it so much, especially being so close to their holly hedge. They flit between the feeders and the hedge, where they sit on the branches wiping their beaks . If you look closely you can see a goldfinch looking back at you! Totem Pole It’s become known as the totem pole and we grew some winter jasmine up it, to make it look a bit more attractive. It’s done a good…
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Another Late Holly Chop
I thought we were late doing the annual holly chop last year, but this year we are even later! Winter is the correct time to cut a holly hedge, but as I’ve mentioned before we have to wait for the perennials growing under the holly to die back. This has been getting later and later over the last few years with such mild autumns. Luckily we had a very hard frost in mid December which did for all the remaining perennials, that were doggedly hanging on. Unfortunately due to other commitments we weren’t able to get it done before Christmas, which would have been ideal. Then the weather hasn’t been…
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Catching-Up With The White Garden – Part 2
The White garden is at the very end, where it eventually goes to a point. It is split in two by a central path, dividing the white shrub border on the left and the perennial border on the right. The Holly Border – White Perennials The right border has the holly hedge running down the side of it. This means we had to plant perennials on that side, so that they die back in the winter. Allowing us access for the annual hedge trim. Conditions in this border are quite tricky, because it’s dry from the hedge. It’s also reasonably shaded as it faces North West. Although I do believe…
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The Annual Holly Hedge Trim
We shouldn’t complain about this prickly annual job really, as the largest circumference of the garden is walled. But cutting the 80ft long 8ft high holly hedge isn’t our favourite gardening job! It’s supposed to be cut in November. But these days the weather just isn’t cold enough, to cause the perennials planted under the hedge to die back. Meaning we only have a small window of opportunity, between the perennials dying and the bulbs coming up. This now seems to be December most years, but this winter has been particularly mild. Even Harry, our resident hedgehog was confused, and was still bobbing around at the end of December. Obviously…
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The Holly and The Ivy
Garden transformation Part 9 – Tackling the holly hedge The 8ft high, 80ft long holly hedge, on the right hand side of the garden. Starts at the old sandstone wall by the bamboo bed, and carries on down to the walnut tree. It had got completely out of hand, in places it was at least 10ft wide and so spindly inside. November 2013 Three months after moving to our new overgrown garden, we left the other jobs and finally set about tackling the mammoth hedge. We had read that holly should not be cut until November, so we had waited – it wasn’t as if we’d got nothing else to do!…
