Regal Ferns

Dan Pearson in the Observer yesterday had this interesting feature on ferns...

In the light well at the front of my house is a small pot-bound fern collection that is thriving. Right now, the first scrolls of Osmunda regalis are unfurling in a pot that sits permanently wet in a tray of water; I like to feel that I am fooling it into thinking it is in an Irish peat bog, to make it feel at home.

I will have to get one of these.

I know I said previously that greenery was probably the best way to go in the yard but mentioning the two metre square of sunlight that the back wall gets set me thinking about the possibility of introducing some summer colour.

On impulse yesterday I bought two hanging baskets with brackets and then went looking for some trailing, flowering plants to fill them with. In between showers this morning I fixed them either side of the back gate with the strategic intention of capturing whatever scarce sunlight the yard receives. (I timed it, by the way, and the sunpatch migrates slowly from left to right over a period of about four hours, roughly giving each basket two hours each of sunshine - when the sun does shine, of course.)



The gate is in need of some attention and will probably need replaced, but one thing at a time.

I planted the same trailing varieties in each basket: one fuschia (Matt Busby - is this a bad omen, will things come crashing down?), one purple surfinia and four or five mixed lobelia.

So, I will just have to feed them, water them and then wait and see. I may have cause to regret that previous reference to prissy pinks in the near future if things go well.

Still Holding On

It has been nearly six months now and my bonsai is still alive. I must be doing something right.

Baby Blackie

I came down to breakfast a few mornings ago and caught sight of this little blackbird fledgeling sitting on top of the newly painted wall.



It must have sat there for at least half an hour, for the most part on its own but its parents, first one and then the other, flew down beside it and fed it with worms before they flew off again. The wee chick eventually departed after a clatter of bins nearby startled it but the whole scene was sufficiently enchanting to keep me late for work that morning.

Butter Cream and Fresh Greens

Things in the yard are progressing - slowly. Over the past few weeks Spring has well and truly ousted the dreariness of Winter and the weather has been glorious. A series of dry, sunny days has allowed me to tackle the paintwork around the yard. A few spreadings of Butter Cream coloured masonry paint cheered things up a bit and infused the area with a glow I didn't think possible.



As you can see, all this warmth and work has prompted me to start acquiring plants for the area. This may be somewhat premature as major decisions still remain to be taken over what to do with the yard's ground surface (paving? gravel? decking?), but I just couldn't resist. At the speed I work, it could be some time before a permanent flooring is achieved, so I said what the hell, greenify the place.

With the exception of two square metres on the back wall, the yard receives no sunlight whatsoever throughout the year so I had to think carefully and do some research before populating the area with plants. I have accepted that a profundity of summer flowers is just not going to happen and I have plumped for lush green shade-loving plants: hostas, ferns, ivies and hydrangea. I have sneaked in some plants with a liking for acid soils too (camellias, dwarf rhododendrons and azaleas) to see if their colourful blooms will enliven the space. As yet, I am not convinced. Seeing the contrasting foliage of the hostas, ferns and ivies side by side, with their many shades of green and their many textures, has swayed me towards thinking about a yard festooned with green, highlighted maybe with one or two accenting colours. The camellias and azaleas may yet have to find somewhere else to flaunt their prissy pinks. Anyway, who needs colour when you can have foliage like this:

Back Yard & Bonsai

I originally intended writing this blog last summer when I had big ideas to give the back yard a bit of a makeover. As you can see from some of the pictures here, I didn't exactly get too far- rainy weather and a sustained bout of lethargy hindered any progress. Despite this, I am determined to get stuck in again once spring and dry, warm weather return and by starting this record, I hope to spur myself into action when the time comes.


Until then I am going to occupy myself with another yard-related hobby inspired by a present given to me by a family member at Christmas time - bonsai tree growing.

I have no idea why I was given a bonsai tree as a gift, I mean it's not as if I have ever been a keen gardener or an enthusiastic houseplant grower. So my first reaction on opening the festive wrapper was 'Oh f##k, how am I going to look after this thing? I've just been given a living thing worth £100 and it'll be dead before the end of January. Don't you know that a bonsai is not just for Christmas!' When I had stopped freaking out I went straight onto the net to see if the poor tree had any chance of survival. A bonsai certificate that came with the tree told me that it was a serissa foetida, or Tree of a Thousand Stars and that it was 17 years old (I'm not sure how you pinpoint a tree's birthday but that's a question for another day). The tree's Latin name derives from an unpleasant smell given off when its leaves or bark is crushed - I tried this and it smells like mouldy cheese. Its more poetic name comes from its display of numerous white flowers during summer.

Any online references to serissas I came across all warned that the tree does not like to be moved around so my first priority was to find a suitable place and hope that the tree saw fit to like it. The house I live in is a small two-up two-down affair in the middle of the city and light is poor and scarce. Online information advised strongly against placing the tree above radiators so this ruled out a number of bright windowsills next to heat sources. I settled on a place in the bathroom below a relatively bright north-facing window and far enough away from the room's radiator. Serissas also like humidity and I figured that the warm, balmy environment of the bathroom might be agreeable to the tree.



So far, the decision to place the tree in the bathroom seems to have paid off. With the exception of it gaining a few yellowing leaves in its first weeks next to the bath the tree seems to be doing well. I have even grown confident enough to cultivate a layer of moss around the tree's base.

Flushed with this month-long success (and I am hoping this good luck isn't shortlived), I have armed myself with a number of books on the art of bonsai and am now planning to propagate my own mini trees. I hope to record my progress (or lack of) with regular posts on this site.