Strimming & Edging.

Today I managed to get the Leeks planted, I will show you those in another post, the rest of the day has been spent edging the lawns, strimming and mowing. When it comes to edging and strimming because there is quite a lot to get through I split the whole grounds in to three. This also applies to a few other things too. You will probably have seen me categorise parts of the garden as Main Garden, Walled Garden or Public Gardens, well this is how I allocate the edging, this week it was the turn of the Walled Garden which has by far the most amount of edging to trim. I do it this way for two reasons the first being after edging the Walled Garden I need a break from edging. Secondly if you do it on a three week cycle there is always part of the gardens newly trimmed. Of course the best way would be to trim the whole lot every week but I don't have the time for that.

Tonight we will have a look at how the fruit is progressing. First up we have the new Quince tree that was planted a few weeks ago. Its starting to put out new shoots now so thats good. There is a little problem in that the two lower shoots that I wanted to grow up the canes have not grown but fortunately there are a couple of new shoots growing that I hope to train in their place.

In blossom this week is the Tayberry, this, for those that don't know is a cross between a Blackberry and a Raspberry - I think. The fruit are purple when ripe and have the shape of a Raspberry but twice the size.

A Close up of the Tayberry

Tayberry

I'm with you as far as the Orchids go Emily. It is quite rewarding when they are in flower but really these days they're ten a penny so not that special anymore therefore hardly justify all the trouble and expense but I was given them to look after so thats what I did.

Planting The Quince.

Today the weather was plenty good enough to plant the Quince tree that came the other week. I thought the boss might have let it grow as a tree in the open but it turns out he wants it training as an espalier against the west wall of the walled garden. So first of all I dug the square hole as is the fashion these days and then worked plenty of compost in to the bottom before positioning the tree.

The tree wants planting to the depth it was before being dug up at the nursery. If you can't see where that is then just be sure not to bury it so deep that the union where the tree was grafted to the root stock is buried. As a rough guide to getting the depth right I lay the spade across the hole to give me an idea of what the soil level will be when the hole is filled in.

Take a few minutes to look at the tree and work out which is its best side and how you plan on training the branches. Once you have it how you think is best stand back and take a long look. Its best to take your time and do the job right because the tree is going to be there for a long time.

Next you have to back fill the soil, I mix a good amount of compost in with the soil as I go and keep on firming with my foot. Keep checking the depth of the tree, if it looks like it's going in a bit deep just gently ease it up to the right level and then firm with the foot again. Keep doing this until you have all the soil back in around the tree and make one more check to be sure you haven't buried the join of the tree and root stock.

Tomorrow I will show you how to train the tree.

Bob.

Quince Arrives

Today I took delivery of the new Quince tree that I ordered from Blackmoor Nurseries http://www.blackmoor.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=418 Everything arrived in good order as can be expected from this company. The important thing with any living plants is to unpack it straight away and if the roots of trees are dry stand them in a bucket of water for a while. In this case it wasn't needed as the roots were still damp.

The unboxed tree, the plastic bag helped to keep the roots moist.
Had the weather been right for planting I would have done so straight away but the ground still had a covering of snow and ice so I planted it up in to a pot for safe keeping until the weather is right for planting.
This variety is a Meeches Prolific and has "beautiful flowers and large pear shaped fruits. Makes delicious jellies and pie fillings when combined with apples or jelly or marmalade when used on their own. Pick fruits in October. Self-fertile".