It has been ages since we put anything on this blog... I blame the weather, which hasn't been very garden- or gardener friendly.
Adele the hedgehog - a good news story
Just found out (via twitter) that Adele the hedgehog was released from our local hedgehog hospital on 7 April to a secure garden. Last Autumn, we found her wandering slowly, in daylight, at Nightingale. She weighed only about 300g and had every kind of parasite. The hospital volunteers and staff gave her some amazing care and she was more than 1600g by the time she was released. Go Adele!
She is the third hedgehog we have found during volunteering sessions at Nightingale and had to call for help. One didn't make it but the last two have done very well and have been released to safe locations.
We have recently seen some hedgehog poo in the garden so we hope we might be a happier night-time habitat for these very popular animals. This is one reason why we lock the garden at night to give the wildlife a rest from visiting humans and especially dogs.
Meadow sowing and blossom out
More things happening
Busy afternoon seed planting and other things
Pond news and things blooming
We don't have any frogspawn at the moment but we saw our first newt today... very excited.
The wet week has brought on lots of the bulbs (and weeds).
Lovely to see so many people in the garden this afternoon... and even a new puppy, which is possibly why there were so many children in the garden.
Happy Easter holidays
We were nervous about waiting until Easter Monday to share cake - due to the dire weather forecast - so got a bit festive today instead/as well. Not many gardeners or regular tea drinkers. But lots of families (some running off the sugar rush from eating too much chocolate earlier on) - very nice to meet you all.
Ribbet
We had a lovely afternoon in the garden on Monday - with two new people joining in and old friends coming back to see us. One of us dug out a new raised bed and started to make the walls. Several of us cutting dogwood in the park and learning how to make hoops with it. We will use the hoops, of different sizes and colours at one of the local primary school's garden on Thursday and maybe at events later in the year. We tried but failed to make a bird for our throne nest with the dogwood but it isn't long, or flexible, enough for the armature we have started; we will need to find some willow instead...
Planting starts - and tadpole update
Despite the threat of more cold weather, we decided to be cautiously optimistic and start to plant some seeds in our newly topped-up raised beds.
Our new terraced beds with some chives, red onion sets and various veg and herb seeds.
The pair of mallard ducks also had a pleasant afternoon on and next to the pond, until another drake came to visit - but he was quickly seen off.
Busy day in the garden
We had a very productive day in the garden on Thursday. We had a big team from Community Payback, plus several Streets and Open Spaces staff, people dropping by and helping out. We planned to:
- Get some old paving slabs, found in the garden, laid perfectly by the club hut door so we can make a ramp for easier access;
- Start to prepare a base for a new storage shed, with the spare soil being used to top up the raised beds;
- Clean and re-varnish the benches and the picnic table;
- Start to prepare a meadow bed by the bare fence in the park.
We didn't plan to witness a massive fight in the pond from two drakes... or have sun so strong at least one person applied sunscreen. Quite a day.