The Spring clean up

It was sunny over the weekend and fairly warm so I decided to make a start on the Spring cleanup of the garden borders. I started at the bottom of the garden where the area is covered with dead leaves dropped by the nearby Cercis and Eucalyptus trees. There are also a number of Ferns and grasses that need cutting back as well as a few weeds. Crocuses and Snowdrops fight to raise themselves above a sea of crispy brown foliage. At this rate the compost heap will soon be full.

In need of a trim and a tidy up

The Eucalyptus tree sheds its bark at the end of each year so this year I decided to bundle it up and stow it away in the corner – the beginnings of a small wildlife hotel. I’ll add other bits and pieces later so that there will be a selection of different sized “rooms”.

Eucalyptus bark

After the clean up the border looks neater and I can see where there might be planting spaces as I have a dozen plants in the greenhouse looking for a home. Unfortunately when I look closely most spaces have a plant just showing through or a plant marker indicating a sleeping occupant. Plants needing a space =12, Planting spaces found =1. Hmmmmm……

Tidy but showing a sad lack of planting spaces

But at least I can see the flowers now.

Crocuses

Snowdrops

I also tidy the narrow side border. It is not deep enough but we cannot be bothered to move the path at this late stage. Careful pruning and trimming keeps the plants in check.You can see the twisted branches of the Wisteria on the left.

Path to the bottom of the garden and out to the allotment

Last year I planted some Catmint (Nepeta cataria) in this narrow border only to watch my cats flatten every nearby plant as they rolled around in extacy. This year I moved the Catmint to a small border where the plants are very tough. I cover it with an old hanging basket securely fastened to the ground. Without this protection the plant would be destroyed by the constant nibbling. As it grows the cats can only eat the leaves that poke through the mesh. A win win situation for all!

Catmint under wraps

Lets hope the good weather continues so I can tidy the rest of the borders. Once that is done the garden suffers benign neglect as I concentrate on growing vegetables.