FAREWELL SILVER BIRCH
The silver birch (Betula pendula) that has giving me years of grief was removed last week. Just after dawn the sound of chainsaws could be heard breaking the silence of a cold frosty morning. When a closer investigation revealed what was happening I could hardly believe my eyes. The tree that had caused me so much trouble for over fifteen years was unceremoniously laid to rest across the main road and then quickly sawn into manageable logs. These were then placed in a neat pile for collection later in the day, and the branches were put through a shredder which deposited the Chipping's neatly into the back of a lorry that was obviously designed especially for the job.
I can assure you that there were no tears shed at the loss of that particular tree. At least now I will have some sunshine in my front garden in the wintertime, and a lot less work removing seedlings from the scree beds.
The weather.
From all accounts we have not seen the last of the winter weather yet. Although we have escaped in this area, most of the country is covered once again with a blanket of snow. Night-time temperatures have continued to drop to 7 or 8 degrees below zero for more than a week now and I fear that some of my Mediterranean plants will not survive.
The Abutilon that I planted against the fence to the west of the alpine house looks quite dead at the moment, but I will not remove it yet just in case it sprouts from underground. The South African bulbs in the Mediterranean bed are all above ground and appear to be ok but it will be a few weeks yet before I know for sure if any permanent damaged has been done.
The up side of the cold dry weather is that the crocus is really enjoying themselves with sunshine every day and no rain to spoil their bold display. The Cyclamen coum sulk a little in the frost but soon brighten up when the sun comes out. Snowdrops don't mind the frost and one called G. Sophie North has very large flowers, in fact they are the biggest flowers I have ever seen on a Snowdrop.
Latest Articles