What’s the fuss about?

There are very few pests in the garden that I bother to kill; Most are left to their own devices secure in the knowledge that they are bound to be food for something else. If I leave the blackfly on the roses then a couple of weeks later I have a beastery of ladybird and hoverfly larvae, which munch their way through flies of every colour. But nothing seems to eat these red devils and left undisturbed they munch their way through the leaves and flower buds of every lily in the garden leaving bare stems. So, although I squash vine weevil when I find them, the lily beetle has the dubious honour of being the only pest that I actively hunt out.

How to spot them

Holes in the leaves of lilies and fritillaries are tell-tale signs of an infestation. My inch-high shoots are already scarred. To stay ahead you need to attack all stages of the lifecycle. If, like me, you avoid chemicals then this means looking for the eggs and larvae as well as the adults. The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaf and can be anything from bright orange to dark brown. The larvae are also orange but cover themselves in excrement to deter predators, so they often look like brown/black bird-droppings! The adults are bright red.

Of course, at this point I should have some good photos to show you, but funnily enough I don’t have any – my first thought on finding lily beetle is to squash them not reach for the camera! However, this site has good illustrations of all stages of the lifecycle.

What to do with them

When you find them, wipe off the eggs and squash the larvae and adults.

It sounds simple and you’d think that something the colour of Marilyn Monroe’s lipstick would be easy to find, but when disturbed the adults drop off the leaf to land upside down in the leaf litter displaying their black undersides, making them nowhere near so easy to spot. The best way to deal with them is to lift the leaf and trap them between the leaf and stem or lay something pale on the ground before you start.

Vigilance is key

I try to look over my plants every day. It’s a little bother but this vigilance worked last year, and squashing them was really quite satisfying! Now, if only it was so easy to deal with those pesky cats that insist on doing their business in my borders…

This realisation of a garden out-of-step has just hit me. I’m looking at my winter losses and what should have been excitement at sourcing new plants to fill the gaps is instead resigned acceptance of another chore.

My garden is not designed and it’s not conventionally pretty but it was a perfect space in which to potter about and unwind at the end of the day. Looking back I recognise that the dissatisfaction started last year when we rearranged the interior of the house. This resulted in a lovely new view from the living room of a garden which was arranged to be viewed and accessed from the kitchen. But the bigger problem is that my work/life balance has changed. I no longer have the pottering time I did and I can’t manage the garden in the time I have, so something will have to change.

I can’t afford to throw everything out and start again (who can these days?), so I’m pretty much stuck with the hard-landscaping materials I already have and hubby wants to keep the lawn (moss-infested patch of weeds though it is). That still gives me plenty of scope to redesign the space and make it more appropriate for my (our) current needs.

So this weekend will see me outside surveying the site ready to start the redesign, but at least I don’t feel guilty anymore about the gaps and weeds. I know that by the end of the year the garden will be rebuilt and then I can go back to enjoying my time in it.

Before clearance: Looking rather tatty

After clearance with soil prepared

Planting started in June and progressed in stages. This picture shows plants set out ready for planting. Notice how well-spaced the plants are, allowing plenty of room for growth.

Planting in progress

Planting completed and already filling-out

Then I started to get work and that was much more interesting than the hypothetical commercial project (and I still didn’t have anything suitable for the residential project). But with the end of the year looming I finally bit the bullet. I picked one of the gardens I designed this year and tweaked the drawings so they showed everything I needed for the course. Then of course I got another couple of clients and while I was really busy that was the perfect time to finally get inspiration for the commercial project – perverse or what!

Anyway, at the end of last week I packaged it all up and sent it off. Now I’m biting my nails waiting for the final mark. Wish me luck!

East of Eden Plants in Cornwall supplied a magnificent, gnarly, olive tree for the centrepiece and Wednesday saw a major milestone as it was lifted over the wall in to its permanent position.

I will admit to breathing a huge sigh of relief when it landed safely. Now I have to hold my breath for the loggia… but more of that later.

What is compost?

Compost is simply broken down organic material. The decomposition is performed primarily by aerobic bacteria and micro-fungi, although larger creatures such as ants, nematodes and worms also contribute.
Microbes generate heat as they decompose organic matter. The inner part of a compost pile heats up the most; the centre of the heap can get very hot. The ideal temperature is around 60°C (140°F). These temperatures, if sustained, will kill most pathogens and weed seeds. However, domestic heaps rarely maintain high enough temperatures for long enough to do this, so home-produced compost generally contains seeds.

Size is important

The fastest acting decomposers are thermophilic, that is, they like heat. So to make compost quickly the compost heap must be warm, and insulated so that it stays warm. A small heap tends to lose heat rapidly, so the aim is to provide a large enough mass to self-insulate and keep the centre of the heap warm enough for the fast-acting microbes to do their job. Ideally, the heap should be about 1m wide, 1m tall, and as long as is practicable.

What to feed your bacteria

The heap itself is food and lodging for bacteria and micro-fungi. To keep your bacteria happy the heap must contain the right mix of food – that’s carbon and nitrogen to you and me.

There are many rules of thumb to guide composters in approximating the mix, based on volume. Generally, a mix of 1 part nitrogen-rich to 1 or 2 parts carbon-rich material will generate good compost. I have found that it’s easier to get away with more carbon-rich material than nitrogen-rich. We have all, at some time, experienced the soggy, stinking mess that results from too many grass clippings – that’s the result of too much nitrogen.

Nitrogen-rich material includes:

• vegetable peelings,
• sappy plant material,
• grass clippings,
• coffee grounds, and
• chicken / horse / cow manure.

Carbon-rich material includes:

• dry leaves,
• woody plant material,
• straw,
• bark,
• paper (including newspaper, but not glossies), and
• cardboard.

What NOT to feed your bacteria

Given enough time, all biodegradable material will compost. However, most garden systems won’t reach high enough temperatures to kill pathogens and deter vermin, so non-vegetarian animal manure, meat scraps, cooking oils, and dairy products should not be used.

Is anything else needed?

Two more things are needed for quick, effective composting – water and oxygen.

The compost pile should be kept about as damp as a well wrung-out sponge. That’s all.

Oxygen is trapped in the heap when you build it. Over time the bacteria use this up, but turning the heap periodically adds more. It also brings the outer layers to the inside of the heap and vice versa, so everything has time in the middle where it’s hottest.

Don’t worry if you can’t turn your heap. The aerobic bacteria will die as the oxygen in the heap is consumed, but anaerobic bacteria will take over. The heap will still rot down, but will take longer. I do turn my heap, and use the opportunity to correct the mix if it’s going wrong. If the heap is too dry then I add grass clippings; if it’s too wet then I add shredded paper.

Shredding the material and mixing it together as it is added increases the rate of decomposition but isn’t necessary. If you don’t chop everything up your heap will still rot down – it will just take a bit longer.

So, how do I do it?

I compost all my food waste and all the weedings and clippings from my garden. I chop everything up as much as I can with secateurs because I don’t have a garden shredder. I shred all my private papers and compost those. I throw in loo-roll inners, kitchen-roll inners, egg boxes, corrugated cardboard (torn in to hand-size pieces), newspaper, and as much of my lawn clippings as I can without the heap going soggy. I don’t put in egg shells (they seem to take years to break down) or tea-bags (the tea rots but the bags don’t. I try to mix everything up as I put it in and also stir up the top few layers whenever I add a major load (like after a big weeding session).

I have three bins on the go. They are set up in a row and once a year I empty one bin and turn everything else.

So, at the start of my gardening year bin 3 is emptied. Anything that is still recognisable is thrown in to bin 2 and the rest of the lovely stuff is used to mulch a newly-tidied border. Once the bin is empty, the contents of bin 2 are thrown in to bin 3 and covered; the contents of bin 1 are thrown in to bin 2 and covered, and I start filling bin 1 again. I should cover bin 1 but can’t be bothered to remove the lid every time I want to throw something in. So instead I leave it uncovered and sometimes water it before adding a new layer (but only if it’s got too dry).

You’ve probably worked out that it takes me A LONG TIME to make a batch of compost. It could be done quicker, if I chopped everything up smaller and turned it more often. BUT, I’m already composting all the garden and kitchen waste I produce and I’m not using all the space I have, so doing it quicker wouldn’t make any more but it would take much more effort, so I’m happy as I am.
If you do it quicker then it’s ready when you can’t recognise anything, it doesn’t smell offensive, it’s dark brown or nearly black and crumbly.

Here’s a few currently looking coy in my garden…

Anemone blanda with Stipa tennuissima

Viola (unnamed), more Stipa and Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'

Scilla siberica with Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum' and various ferns

Where do you go for something more unusual?

For something more unusual why not try a specialist nursery. The Norfolk Nursery Network brings together a number of specialist nurseries in Norfolk selling everything from grasses and herbaceous perennials to shrubs, roses and exotics. I can particularly recommend

• P. W. Plants for bamboos,
• Hoecroft Plants for grasses, and
• Urban Jungle for exotics.

That’s not say that the other nurseries aren’t worth a visit, just that I have personal experience of these three.

For trees, Barcham’s in Ely is a treasure trove of semi-mature specimens with a comprehensive online catalogue and very reasonable delivery charges.

Or you can let someone else do it

If you commission a planting plan from a designer then they will usually offer to source the plants for you. Although some of these will come from the garden centres and nurseries above, many will be obtained from trade-only suppliers. There are advantages to buying your plants this way.

• Many plants are available in smaller sizes than are available retail, so large areas can be planted up more cheaply. This is particularly useful for herbaceous perennials, which grow quite quickly.
• Some trade suppliers will buy-in plants they don’t have so that all your plants come to you from a single place, with a single delivery charge. This alone can save you hours (and £’s) traipsing around the country looking for that elusive cultivar that’s not ‘in-vogue’ this year.
• If a plant you want isn’t available then a suitable substitute can be supplied instead, again saving time and money.
• The designer will often set-out the plants in the garden ready for you to plant, so there is no chance of getting it wrong.

So, where do the professionals go?

My special find this week was a trade nursery, GooseGreen Nurseries, in Beccles. I spent a happy couple of hours looking around and came away with 20 Tiarella ‘Silverado’ I wasn’t expecting to find. By the way, don’t be deceived by the website, they sell larger plants as well.

Treasure troves like this are usually reserved for trade customers, but GooseGreen Nursery opens for charity several times each year. The next open days are 3rd and 5th April (Easter) with all proceeds going to the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (E.A.C.H). So why not go along and support the charity. Let’s face it, even a well-stocked garden has space for that special find.

What has this got to do with buckets?

Toads in particular are in decline. They’re fussy about where they breed, preferring deep ponds, and return to the same pond year after year. Unfortunately this means they often have to cross busy roads and, not being familiar with the Green Cross Code, many are killed. It’s a personal disaster for the toad and, at busy crossings, creates an awful mess (toad jam not being to everyone’s taste).

Little Melton has one such pond and in recent years a number of volunteers have turned out on warm, damp nights in spring to ferry toads, frogs and newts across the road in buckets. A couple of weeks later we ferry them back again. Somewhere in the middle it gets very confusing as we try to work out where they want to go!

Credit where it’s due

I can’t take the credit for this exercise – John Heaser was/is the driving force – but I do my bit. For the last couple of years I have organised the rota and this year we have extended to cover a crossing in the neighbouring village of Great Melton. John also manages a crossing at Bowthorpe and this year has started similar exercises in Costessey and Ashwellthorpe (although I don’t manage their rotas).

I also do my bit with torch and bucket. Just in case you’re wondering, they’re not slimy, but frogs can be difficult to pick up and often jump out of the bucket.

Does it make a difference?

So far this year the volunteers have helped 2252 toads, 253 frogs, 21 smooth newts and 24 great-crested newts across the five sites. We’ve lost a few, but there’s no more jam.

So, look out for the signs and the volunteers – we’re the ones out after dark in the rain with reflective jackets, torches and buckets. Many of our buckets appear to be making strange noises.

Thank you

Thank you to all those drivers who slow down for us and particular thanks to those who stop and allow us to pick up beasties before they get run over.

To learn more about what we do and for up-to-date information on this year’s migration see toadwatch. In particular see this excellent article by Dr Anne Edwards (one of our volunteers).

So, what’s the problem?

I’m one of those people who works better when I have lots to do. When I’m busy I’ll always find time to do that extra chore, but when I’m not busy the jobs I do have expand to fill the available time. I appear to be busy, but when I look back through my day I realise I have achieved nothing.

And that’s partly why I haven’t written anything lately. I’ve been so busy doing nothing that I haven’t had the time.

The original intention

I had hoped to use my work to illustrate common design challenges (and solutions) and perhaps highlight some of the pitfalls waiting for the unwary (in a suitably witty, self-deprecating, way). However, so far my biggest challenge is finding work – any work at all.

And what do you write about when you’ve got nothing to do?

So, what now?

My predicament isn’t unusual or unique. Having spoken to other designers in the area I know that many are struggling to find work at the moment. If established companies are struggling, what hope does a newcomer like me have?

This business is based on recommendation. You need that first job (done well, of course) to get the second. At the moment that first job is eluding me, but I’m sure it will come. I am in an enviable position – I don’t HAVE to work – I have ‘another half’ bringing home the bacon, so I can afford to grit my teeth and sit it out.

In the meantime, perhaps it’s time to stop prevaricating (micro-analysing my website stats) and time to finish my final projects, so I can claim my Garden Design Diploma before the spring rush. Well, you never know!