2025/50 - Botanical nerdy stuff

 Since my last two posts our Delta weather has taken a wintry turn. Suddenly the night frost has reluctantly arrived, and during the day it is chilly, what we call 'guur'. Guur means your lips chap, you curse yourself you have forgotten your gloves, you have to defrost car windows, and you long for hot toddies. In my personal case it also means walkies are a wet affair, for it rains a lot.

Still, I do visit Hunky Dory, and try to do my business in between the showers and hail. This week I have continued replanting. I did dig up that pesky clump of Solidago that was in the wrong spot, and have moved a few shrubs to better places. 

The Pyracantha 'Teton' I mentioned last week has gotten a pyramid support and a trim. I am trying to get it to form a pyramid shape. Quite ambitious, as this plant longs for a nice wall to climb against... I can't provide one, so I am experimenting. It 'thanked' me by piercing my leather gardening gloves with its thorns. Wicked they are! Still, the berries are glorious this year!

Whilst I was walking back and forth doing my bits and bobs, I surprised (or scared, sorry sweetie!) a large hare in the Fig Jungle. It suddenly jumped up from its lair and legged it down the allotments.

Seeing wildlife in the garden always makes me happy. I know there is a hedgehog around, as I find its scat, but I have only seen it the once.

That hare was in this Fig grove. It borders my plot and is sadly totally neglected. Why some people take on an allotment and then never visit, is beyond my comprehension. My bewilderment must be because I was on the waiting list for years!

Some toadstools have sprouted beneath my Pinus. They look nibbled. Mice?

Making a sudden leap to something entirely different: this gorgeous Orchid is my son's. I am very envious.

He has inherited my love for plants and wildlife, so I have painted him a plant as one of his Christmas presents.

It is actually a wooden tray.

Obviously I could not forget my daughter, but her 'thing' is cats.

Cute, eh? Being in the mood for some more painting, I did myself a new one for my wall.

Liking the one for my son, I used the same umbel plant as inspiration.

Right, back to basics! For those of you in Mexico, and Asia, that sky, and more specifically that light level, is your typical Dutch Delta winter gloom. ( I took this photo in the middle of the day!) So perhaps you can understand I fight winter depression? Still, meeting hares does brighten up my day, and mood, at the same time.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, wherever you are. Do visit my website at Renée Grashoff Schrijft if you want to keep up to date about my novels.

Take care!

Renée Grashoff 

2025 - 6 Frost and freezing winds do not a happy gardener make!

 Whilst I sit here trying to thaw out after an hour in my garden, I will make good use of my time and write a blog. For those of you that experience real frost ours is peanuts. But it is exactly our wishy-washy winters that make it so complicated.

Cortaderia selloana

  It should be either a proper winter, or none at all...not 4 nights of frost and sunny days and next 2 degrees C nights and 4 C days with an Eastern wind that feels more freezing than those proper frosts! This confuses my plants and cheeses me off.

  My spider plants in the greenhouse were confused as well and died. This experiment has taught me it is no use trying to keep them in there over winter.

Thankfully my spider plant has plenty of babies.

   Anyway. I was glad to see the rest of the garden was looking bedraggled but alive. My new stakes were upright despite the storms we've had, so that's good news.

And the spring bulbs are still alive as well, great.

My paperwhites even show buds. They are underneath the artichokes, so perhaps they are a bit protected. They are always the first to bloom.

So happy to see the bearded iris are alive, next to some more narcisii.

The hellebore next to the frog pond is almost in bloom too.

And the rozettes of the teasles are fresh and perky. I started out with one, and have at least ten by now. I value them, as they provide seeds for the birds and shelter for the insects. Besides, I like the historic value: they were used for combing wool, to get it ready for spinning. For someone who writes, those are useful details about our past.

My logs are there for the same reason as the teasels: shelter for the insects. This afternoon there was a robin perched on them, but as is so often the case, when I tried to take a photo all I captured was a blur, as it bolted.

The apple trees are pretty in their own way, with lichen. And canker... they are not very healthy and the apples are mostly mealy. But as I inherited them, I simply leave them be (except for pruning) and enjoy the spring blossom.

My frog pond is full of leaves, which I will not disturb yet, as I hope there is wildlife hibernating in that mud underneath them. So far the frogs have shunned it, but there are plenty of boatsmen and other swimming creepy crawlies in there. So strange, I have plenty of toads in the garden, but frogs, nope. I had one three years ago. Perhaps they are afraid I will try to kiss them?

Looking rather grey and boring... But just you wait!

Amaryllis

   In a few weeks time that grey, boring space will suddenly burst out in colour. And then my life will evolve around the garden again.

   In the meantime I have a gig next Sunday, wish us well.

   And my book will be for sale in approx. 2 weeks. Cannot wait!😁 (If you are interested in buying it, you can order it at Trichisboeken.nl, that's the webshop, or alternatively send me an e-mail at dutchdeltagardener@gmail.com )

   Have a lovely weekend, wherever you are.

   Renée