Posts by Nicki

March 10th 2013

Posted by on Apr 6, 2013 in Garden Diary | Comments Off on March 10th 2013

Hedgehog News!   Matthew found a hedgehog hibernating in our walled garden. Let me introduce Matthew. He is 15 years old, lives round the corner, he loves olives and pan boli and he helps Finn and I most weekends in the garden. We were clearing last years herbaceous perennials and suddenly we heard the shout “hedgehog!” Lo and behold Matthew had found a Hedgehog Hibernation Nest with occupying hedgehog. This was mid march the weather was cold, wet and due to get colder and windier. I believed that a hedgepig at this time of year might be running out of fat reserves and meeting a whole new batch of cold weather just when in other years they would have come out of...

Read More

March 15th 2013

Posted by on Apr 6, 2013 in Garden Diary | Comments Off on March 15th 2013

Well, the exciting news is that I did actually receive First prize for the Amateur gardener award 2013 for  Wiltshire Life. I feel quite humbled as the other two shortlisted on my table where both very experienced gardeners with so much knowledge. ( and by the sounds of it both had amazing gardens.) We three swopped our stories and we have all agreed that we will visit each others gardens this year. The awards ceremony at Marlborough Town Hall was a wonderful evening compared by the inimitable Sue Davies from BBC Wiltshire radio. ( she’s so funny)  There were many awards; from best restaurant, best young initiative, best business, best green business, best carer...

Read More

March 2013

Posted by on Mar 7, 2013 in Garden Diary | Comments Off on March 2013

At River Barn we are mostly on heavy clay which becomes waterlogged very quickly. Consequently we have planted lots of willow and Cornus which sucks up quite a bit of moisture. But to keep them decorative as well as useful we pollard them every couple of years in early spring. They then produce lots of young whippy growth which colours up beautifully in the following winter. They then look like torches on a sunny winters day. Last weekend was the pollarding day and then followed the shredding. A whole day’s work. Once shredded the willow filled one of our oak bins. All this matter is pure carbon and to get good useable compost it needs to be layered with equal parts of...

Read More

February 2013

Posted by on Feb 22, 2013 in Garden Diary | Comments Off on February 2013

February 2013

Exciting news! I have been shortlisted for the Amateur gardener Award. The winners will be presented with their awards mid March at a Gala dinner held in Marlborough Town Hall.

Read More

January 2013

Posted by on Feb 22, 2013 in Garden Diary | Comments Off on January 2013

January 2013

I had an email from Wiltshire Life magazine asking us/me to enter for an amateur gardening award; a new award for 2013

Read More
Page 9 of 22« First...7891011...20...Last »