Valentine Roses

For St Valentine's Day last weekend, my lovely husband bought me two bunches of roses, one pale yellow and the other white.  I'm not a fan of red roses to be honest and the flowers at our wedding were pale yellow and white.

I don't know much about looking after cut flowers but I do seem to have a way with roses.  So often, bought roses end up with drooping heads and don't open up.  It's due to them not being able to take up enough water to stay alive.  Roses have woody stems which means they can only take in water on the cut edge and water can't permeate through the rest of the stem.

Whenever I am given roses, the first thing I do is snip the ends of the stems off as it gives them a fresh, clean edge to the stem.  Secondly, I peel the green of the stems for at least 10cm from the cut bottom edge to reveal the white underneath .  A vegetable peeler is the easiest way to do this.  If you don't want to peel the stems, you could bash them with a rolling pin to crush the stems apart instead.  Either will allow the roses to take up more water.

No doubt other people will have all sorts of top tips.  I'm sure I have heard of plunging cut flowers into iced water and adding aspirin to their water.  I always add the plant food that comes with the flowers and keep the water level above the peeled area of the stems.   I also change the water at least once a week.

As you can see from the photo, a week after St Valentine's Day the roses are still going strong and smell gorgeous.  The majority have opened up and there isn't a droppy head in sight.  One other tip would be to keep them in a cool spot if possible.  Above all, just enjoy them!

Blooming Marvellous!

At this time of year there really isn't much to get over excited about in the garden - well, if you live in the UK anyway.  One plant you can always rely on though is an Amaryllis which you can grow indoors.  I get given a bulb every Christmas and they never fail to put on a show.  The plants are native to South Africa and are commonly called Naked Ladies.

Needless to say, I have chucked the box away, so I have no idea what the variety of the one I am growing is.  It's the best one I have grown to date though.  They are so easy to grow, the bulbs come with a pot and some compost, so all you need is to add is some water. The plants seem to literally grow overnight.  You turn your back on them and they have grown another inch!  My Amaryllis went from bulb to two flowering stems with nine flowers, measuring about 50cm tall, in about four weeks.

The only advice I would give is to make sure you support the plant with sticks early on.  The weight of the flowers can cause the plant to toppel over as it is so top heavy.  Last year I forgot to support it and during the night another flower opened causing the plant to fall over and snap in two.  The plant kept flowering stuck in a glass of water but it didn't look quite the same somehow!

Gardening Calendars

If you are anything like me you won't have the first idea about when to sow anything.  Last year, I went to the garden centre on a whim and decided to try and grow potatoes for the first time.  I was obviously far too late as practically all the seed potatoes had gone and I ended up buying six small and wrinkley potatoes that were already starting to sprout tubers.

I didn't even have anything to plant them in and had to hastily buy some potato barrels for them.  They turned out rather well, with no help from me.  The largest potato was bigger than my fist and that was with me forgetting to water them most of the time!

Anyway, I can't remember the variety (they were red potatoes) and I can't even remember when I bought the see potatoes and planted them.  (You can see why I am now writing a blog for myself!)  I suddenly realised what I needed was a quick access gardening calendar.  I could trawl through my gardening books but sometimes you want a quicker answer.

A quick search on the internet and I found Garden Action's website.  It is perfect!  A real mine of information, including the all important vegetable gardening calendar.  According to that, I am fine for now but need to plant my potatoes in March.  All I need to do now is remember!

If you want to take a look at the site, the link is http://gardenaction.co.uk .

Walter Wagtail

I have a single Wagtail who visits my garden most days. I've no idea if it is male or female but I shall assume it is a lonely male in search of a mate. I'm probably completely wrong and it is a very happily single female!

Anyway, I find him quite entertaining as he struts around the garden. You can see why they are called Wagtails with their tail feathers bobbing up and down with every step. Their little spindly legs amuse me too, as well as their heads jerking backwards and forwards.

Watching the bird at the weekend suddenly reminded me of a rhyme my father used to say to me when I was small. I would sit on his lap and he would say, "Walter, Walter Wagtail sat upon a wall. Walter, Walter Wagtail fell down the hole!" As my father said the word "hole", his legs would part and I would drop down the gap. My father would be holding me under my arms to stop me hitting the floor though. He would then pull me up and say the rhyme all over again. I used to shriek with laughter as he would delay the moment he said "hole", so that I never quite knew when I would drop.

At the weekend, Mr Wagtail was sat on my fence posing for ages. What you don't realise from the photo is that he was actually having a Mexican standoff with my cat Dylan who had decided to sit on the patio by the bread I had thrown out there. Dylan, bless him, was convinced the birds wouldn't spot him sat there. It was so cold, he soon gave up and came back indoors though, leaving the birds to their breakfast.

Signs of Spring

It may still be literally freezing outside but at least a warmish spell a week ago melted all of the snow.  The garden is looking pretty bedraggled now though.  You forget how much damage the snow and cold weather is donig to plants.  A large shrub beside the garage has had a branch snapped off from the shere weight of snow that it was trying to withstand.

Other plants which were not winter hardy anyway have finally given up the ghost.  The fuschia was still flowering in mid December.  Having taken a look yesterday, all of the leaves have died off and the ends of some stems also don't look too good.  We'll have to see what the warmer weather eventually brings.

On the plus side, there are buds and shoots appearing all over the garden.  Daffodils have well and truly broken the ground and the Japanese Maple has got small red buds on the ends of twigs.  Another shrub, whose name I can never remember, is also throwing up lots of shoots already.  It seems to have more and more shoots every year.

The winter flowering pansies I planted early December have survived relatively unscathed.  They still managed to flower under 25cm of snow which amazed me.  They add a small splash of colour to an otherwise fairly bleak looking garden.

Roll on spring!

The Freeze Continues

The snow that fell a week ago is still causing havoc in the garden.  During the day temperatures have risen slightly causing a slight thaw but then they drop again overnight creating hazardous ice everywhere.

Whilst it is making the roads treacherous, the most amazing icicles have formed along the roof tops.  I don't remember ever seeing anything quite like it.  Certainly not in this country anyway. 

A slightly leaky downpipe from the roof has developed into a spectacular ice sculpture in the corner of the garden.  It really is quite something and I have to admit, I will be a bit sad to see it finally melt.

During the day, the ice seems to melt on the inside, next to the downpipe and causes water to run down between the pipe and the outer shell of ice.  It is fascinating to watch, it reminds me of an expensive water feature you see in hotels, where you have a wall of glass with water cascading through it.

(Click on the photo for a closer look)

Robin Redbreast

The humble robin is usually a welcome sight in people’s gardens.  Interestingly, for years, the bird has been revered by people throughout the world.  The English, visionary poet William Blake (1757-1827) wrote, “A Robin Redbreast in a cage, puts all Heaven in a rage.”  In fact, it is believed by many that harming the bird in any way will bring bad luck, or worse to the perpetrator.

For instance, if you are thinking of robbing a redbreast’s nest, you should reconsider.  Anyone who does steal an egg will not prosper afterwards.  Worse still, they may become entranced by witches or the Devil.  If you break a robin’s egg, you can expect something you hold precious to be destroyed.  If you break a robin’s wing, you will later break your arm.  Whatever harm you do to the bird, you will receive like for like afterwards.  In Yorkshire, it was believed that if you killed a robin, and you owned a cow, the milk would become blood coloured.  People in other parts believed that your barn or house would be burnt down.

One old proverb claims that, “If a robin you should dare to kill, your right hand will lose all its skill.”  However, in Ireland, it is believed that a large lump will develop on your right hand.  This will prevent you from working and will therefore ruin your livelihood.  Beliefs are so strong, that it is said a cat won’t even hurt a robin redbreast.  Conversely though, on Candlemas Day (2nd February), in Western France, a robin was traditionally spit roasted over a fire.

The negative associations with robins continue with the bird being considered an omen of death.  Oxfordshire appears to be particularly wary of the bird.  It is believed that if a robin sings whilst sat on your window sill, death will not be far behind.  If the bird taps on the window of a room where someone lies ill, the patient will die.  A redbreast flying into your house is also thought to foretell the death of someone in the household.  If the bird sits on a chair whilst someone occupies it, that person will die within a year.  However, in Gloucestershire as well as Oxfordshire, a robin is only considered a death omen for eleven months of the year.  During November, it is thought to be good luck if it flies into the house.

A robin flying into a church and singing is believed to indicate the imminent death of a parishioner.  In Wales, a robin was not a welcome sight near a mine.  A redbreast near a mine was believed to indicate a disaster below the ground.  In the North Midlands, the bird is said to have covered Jesus in leaves after his crucifixion.  It was also claimed that this is how the robin acquired his red breast feathers.  They were covered in Christ’s blood as the bird worked.

Needless to say, there are other explanations for the red feathers.  A common Christian belief is that the bird pulled the thorns from Jesus’ crown, on the first Good Friday.  The blood that fell from his brow onto the bird turned the feathers red.  An Inner Hebrides belief is that when Jesus was born, the fire in the stable almost extinguished.  The robin fanned the ashes to keep the fire alight and burnt his chest feathers on the flames.  This belief offers a link between the Christian and earlier beliefs.

One pre-Christian belief says that the robin burnt his breast feathers whilst carrying water to a benevolent god trapped in the inferno of hell.  Another folk tale relates that the wren flew to hell to obtain fire for man.  When the bird returned, with its plumage ablaze, the robin saved the other bird.  However, the robin scorched his own feathers in the process.  Finally, in Guernsey, it’s said that there was no fire on the island until the robin carried it there.

For years, robins have been thought to bring good or bad luck.  If you wish of the first redbreast of spring, your wish will come true.  However, if the robin flies away before you make a wish, you will have bad luck for the next year.  In the US, a robin flying upwards in the spring is believed to portend good luck.  Downwards is a sign of bad luck though.  In Germany, it is considered good luck for newly weds to see a robin as they leave the church.

Like many country residents, the robin has been used for weather divination over the years too.  One old saying is, “If the robin sings in the bush, then the weather will be coarse; But is the robin sings on the barn, then the weather will be warm.”

No matter how wet the weather, it is believed a robin chirping on an open branch means fine weather is on the way.  In Germany, a redbreast is even believed to ward off lightening.  If you see a robin hopping near your house, looking for food, cold weather, particularly frost and snow, are on the way.

This is actually quite fitting as today, the robin has become a popular subject on Christmas cards, surrounded by snow.  Interestingly, cards with robins weren’t introduced until the middle of this century.  Strangely though, old beliefs held fast near Lechlade, Gloucestershire, in 1950.  It was said that to receive a Christmas card with a robin on was an omen of death and misfortune in the coming year.