Summer seemed to come early this year, just when we were beginning to grasp the worldwide consequences of a pandemic and get used to the jargon of Covid-19 – social distancing, track and trace, Zoom and lockdown. We carried on with digging and planting and early morning walks.
Most of the vegetable seeds were sown on 24th April – the day we saw the first swallows arriving. The June weather and the still lengthening days has encouraged germination. All that is, except for the courgettes – still not a single shoot from several sowings from a brand new packet. Their allotted space has gone to four eager marrow seedlings which look set to make up the deficit.
The seedlings – kale, French beans, runner beans and marrows – moved from windowsills to spells outdoors and finally into planting position. Beetroot, chard, chives, lettuce and radish were sown direct and are mostly doing well. Some leek seedlings will go out later.
A gift of four special tomato plants came over the fence from our neighbours and I have given them pride of place in terracotta pots. They are Black Russian, Principe Borghese, Fandango and a Yellow – treats in store for late summer.
This month’s garden produce was mainly broad beans and they were much enjoyed before they were finished, haulms hauled to the compost heap and their space planted with the kale seedlings. More plant labels on more vegetable rows . . .
Recent garden maintenance has included the repairs needed to the grass in the back garden after the laying of a new drain. When we found in November that willow roots had invaded and almost totally blocked the underground drainpipe, Peter took up his spade and pickaxe and dug The Trench – 40 feet long and 2 feet deep. Now it needed to be made good.
The roses have been blooming well. Alastair Stella Grey rampant again against the kitchen wall, rosa glauca now tall against the telegraph pole and setting many hips for autumn. Viridiflora, a curious but charming old rose with greenish/pink bract/flowers leans into an old greengage and Meg, a 1950s climber has the sunniest spot on the south-east corner of the building. Celestial and Buff Beauty are in the back garden along the fence with their roots behind a shed. This year our neighbour had some trees on the boundary taken down. A slip of the chain saw sliced through the thick woody main stem of Buff Beauty but missed most of Celestial. The response from both roses to the shock but also to the flood of light from the west was immediate – lots of healthy new growth and buds. A new lease of life.
There are many pyramid orchids in the meadow and they seem to be spreading as I discovered several flowering at the far end of the pond. But this year there were two bee orchids as well. They have appeared in the meadow before but not for some time so this is a welcome return.
Our water voles have increased in number and don’t seem to mind us being around. We have watched them running around the edge of the pond, seen them swimming out to grab mouthfuls of curled pond weed, heard them munching on the rushes and there is now a neatly nibbled ‘lawn’ at the end of the pond where one or two of what I think of as the maiden aunts gather to graze in the evening.
Muntjac are at home here too. They seem to be able to find their way through any hedge but mostly walk through the gate or up our neighbour’s drive. While talking on a video call recently a granddaughter had a good view of a munjac trotting across the end of the pond and leaping into the undergrowth on the far side. When we mow the meadow we find the flattened patches where they sleep – so our vines and vegetables all have stout netting around them to preserve the harvest. Now we just need to pick the greengages before the birds and wasps get to them.
The garden has been good to us during Corona virus lockdown and has also been a quiet place for family to come and camp in tents and campervan as a break from working in hospital, school, office, or at home with small children. Sharing distanced picnics, walks, barbecues and story-telling has made a big difference.
the garden at The Old Brewhouse 