Spring cleaning (and tidying)

First of all to write about what I’ve just done because I’m dead pleased with it! I’m not very good at pruning my ornamentals – never know when to do what. So unless Monty tells me on a Friday night, I’m stuffed. Occasionally I remember to look it up, but then usually find it’s the wrong time of year. So I decided to document all the climbers in the garden (yes, I know other stuff need pruning too, but let’s start with climbers) – where they are, what they are, and what to do. I particularly like clematis, but the pruning is complicated. So I took loads of pics as I pottered in the garden today – like these examples:

Clematis Nelly Moser in the courtyard

Clematis label

Pruning instructions from label

then put them all into a word document. Once it’s finished I’ll print a copy out and pin it to the gardening notice board in our living room (who says we’re obsessed?) Obviously it will need continuous updating as new plants are added – in fact I’ve spotted several places today for more clematis – under the sumach, up the indian bean tree. It also occurs to me that I need a customised ‘what to do in your garden now’ document – probably starting with ‘February – prune clematis and other climbers (if not still working on the orchard).

Right, on to the topic of this post – tidying up. We still have a huge heap of storm damage to burn – that’s in the calendar for the weekend after next, as we may have some family-free time this weekend, and don’t want to fill it with friends wanting to drink beer round a bonfire (sorry friends – next week?)

Enormous pile to burn

But, as well as shifting that lot, we spent a lot of time last weekend re-organising the sheds. Having had various plans about how to store chicken feed, we finally realised that if we buy stuff in plastic bags, it can be stored outdoors and we don’t need another shed – well, we hope so. I’ll let you know if it’s not a success! So that meant the shed with the lovely huge windows with a view over the soon to be vege patch (after the bonfire) could be a potting shed. A new bench was purchased and everything re-arranged. But I forgot to take any pics with my actual camera, only with iPhone and I’m rubbish at getting it to sync with this ‘puter. Oh well. Then we sorted out what was the potting shed to be all about storage – chook related items, pots and tools:

In case of zombie attack…

So, then with everything organised, I decided to get on with coppicing the hazel hedge. I planted this about 5 years ago to provide sticks for the garden – each year I coppice about 3 of the plants (I think there’s 17 in the hedge). Here’s this year’s stash, as well as compost and chook feed storage:

Sheds and storage

I took these pics today as I’m having a few days off work – I have the biggest ‘to do’ list! Also took more pics of the garden in spring, just because.

Tulips for the terracotta pots

Frog orgy in bottom pond

Wild cherry over the front gate

Hellebores in the Naked Garden

Herb garden with skeletal fennel

Inviting pergola