ST GEORGE'S DAY IN THE GARDEN

Did you know it used to be traditional to wear a red Rose in your lapel on St George's Day?


The gardening group are back after the longest Easter break ever and the Garden House garden is in full bloom.

Lots of daffodils are still in bloom, including February Gold (?!) and the tulips are out in force.


Note no dragons were slayed in the taking of these photos

The sun is shining

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the flowers are coming out! Can it surely be spring?

It's almost spring

It's official, it has been the coldest winter since the last Ice Age, or was it Ice Age II: the meltdown, I always get the two muddled up. Anyway, there were signs of life in the garden this week.

One in the form of bulbs

and the other in the form of ...

Some people will do anything not to the recognised on this blog

and as for those hiding in the potting shed

Not very fantastic Mr Fox

There was sad news in the garden this week and it had nothing to do with the weather. A fox got into the chicken coup in the dead of night and killed all but one of the chickens. As Bridgette contemplated what to do with the solitary hen (apparently they don't like being introduced to new mates) there was suddenly a shriek from the end of the garden as one of the girls found another of the hens alive and well. This cunning chick had foiled Mr fox with an ingenious escape route. The plucky survivor is pictured above with Bridge.

END OF HIBERNATION

Tomorrow is the 1st February, and it's time to wake up.... Where have l been for TWO WHOLE MONTHS. Well I've been hibernating of course. The garden was covered in snow, it was too cold to venture out and I am the lazy Brighton gardener after all, so I just went to sleep. Anyway, I've woken up again. Got a bit hungry, and so did the birds. What with all this snowy weather going on our poor birds are starving (we don't count seagulls in this equation as they're seaside scum.) So Friday gardening to the rescue.

How to make a bird feeder.

Get lots of yummy ingredients (dried fruit, seeds, nuts) and mix them in a bowl with a load of lard.

Take some pine cones and attach some string to the tops.

With a spoon push the lard mixture into the grooves of the pine cone.

Then hang in the garden and watch the bird fight over this haute cuisine delicacy.

And you can make all sorts of other feeders using wire or Cornus stems.

This was mine. A Valentine gift for the birdies.

Happy new year by the way.. !