Perfect pen holder for a Gardener's Office

Not Rocket Science - but it took me a couple of years to think of it!

To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Clotted Cream Jasmine brings back memories of scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream teas in Cornwall

Hello there!

Being a big fan of scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream teas on holidays in Cornwall as a child  I couldn't resist this lovely climber.

I planted it last year and its doing really well. It has rich cream coloured flowers which are really special and a heavenly scent.  It flowers all summer, likes full sun and a sheltered site though its reasonably hardy. It can grow up to 16 feet tall and is a really posh looking plant!

In my garden its climbing up an iron arch I found in a skip and the idea is that it heads up the arch and into the almond tree above in a few years.

You can buy it from the Sarah Raven website.

Its also known as Devon Cream Jasmine in case you are having difficulty finding it.

Do look out for it.

Caroline
x


To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Making a mini pond from a £1.49 washing up bowl found in Aldi- Bargain!

Hello, please excuse me for being so exited about this! Got to get pleasure where I can!

I've been looking at articles and thinking about making mini pond for ages. I've found the odd toad or frog in the garden over the years to my delight. Last year three of them were hiding under a plastic tray where I'd been watering pots for ages. They were all lined up underneath. I got quite fond of them!

I really want to encourage toads in the garden as the adults eat slugs and snails - something I have a big problem with particularly as I keep forgetting to hunt them down and relocate them!

I'd expected to have to pay quite a bit - having seen pictures of glamorous ceramic bowls.

However on my regular shopping trip to Aldi I found a rectangular washing up bowl in dark grey so cheap - about the price of a bag of frozen chips. Just the thing.

So once the snow has gone and the ground unfrozen I'll be out with my spade.

I plan to dig down so the rim is only just above the soil level. I then plant to surround it with some gravel,  stoneand cobbles I have left over from another project.

Then I need to use small logs or bricks or small rocks to build a ramp in and out of the "pond" to make sure nothing gets trapped in there such as hedgehogs.

I'll collect rainwater to fill it as apparently that is best.

I'm planning to site it in a shady border near the house which has some small shrubs in it which will provide cover. With a really small pond it can't be in full sun as it will get too hot according to my research.

Nearby I'm going to  make a toad or frog house. Apparently I need to make a hole about 30 cm deep and fill it with rocks and logs to make "corridors" for amphibians to hide in. I need to mound these up to be about 10 cm higher than the surrounding soil. I think I will then cover with something like a paving stone propped up on bricks to protect it further.

I have a shortlist of recommended plants though I can probably only fit one in. Rigid Hornwort or Water Milfoil or Marsh Marigold or Nymphae Pygmae.  Apparently these allow shade and cover and also places for emerging insects to sit.

My local garden centre sells aquatic plants but right now they all look dead and the water around them is frozen. I was advised its not the right time to buy! I tend to agree.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Take Care
Caroline
x



To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Muscari Valerie Finnis

Hello!

Hope things are OK with you. Thanks for dropping by.

I found this beautiful pale grape hyacinth at Aldi in Huntingdon of all places. Its a delicate pale blue and highly scented. It was less than £2 too.

For the moment its in the glass cabinet in the porch but when flowering is over it will go into my Herb garden. Its a sunny spot with clay soil so as it needs to be well drained I'll mix some grit in when I plant it. It should go well with the evergreen leaves of the rosemary and lavender in early spring.

Hopefully it should spread happily there.

I really recommend it.

Love
Caroline
x




To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Newly retired - be inspired! Have your own English Cottage Garden Lessons.

Hi there.

I've recently started giving gardening lessons. I'm really enjoying them and have lots of positive feedback from clients. You'll find these on my website carolinescottagegardens  on the testimonials page>

They would suit anyone who wants to enjoy their garden more but particularly the newly retired who suddenly find they have more time and miss the stimulation of work. .

Gardening gives a reason to learn new things for the rest of your life.

If you or someone you know would like to learn about having their own English Cottage Garden please do get in touch.

I can teach people anywhere in the world who has a telephone and email access. Time Zones permitting of course. Written notes are provided for all lessons and what is learned is embedded with practical exercises.


To read more about the health benefits of gardening please click on the link below.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a22109/health-benefits-gardening/

I was worried about being a professional gardener at first because I had back problems and bursitis in my knees and hips. But I needn't have - the gardening has solved these problems rather than exacerbating them to my amazement.

Take Care
Caroline




To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Exhausted on the spectrum

I've read a lot of books written about the Autistic Spectrum and Asperger's and notice that many people with these conditions get exhausted a lot. This is said to be because trying to be "normal" takes so much more effort for us than for neurotypical people.

  I get more tired than everyone I know, including my mum who is 85. It is embarrassing at times. For example recently my sister wanted me to come to a concert with her. It was really enjoying it but at the half way interval (around 9 pm) I was overwhelmed with exhaustion and had to apologise and go home. She was understandably quite shocked.

I can do an energetic things for short periods but tend to need long recovery times.

When I get into a subject - like family history- I can do it for hours and hours at a time with intense concentration - far more than most people can. But then I burn out - it might be months later but then my brain just seizes and refuses to work for me. Not ideal when trying to hold down an office job!

Most tiring is social events - visiting an aunt for a weekend, a family do or similar. It can leave me wiped out mentally and physically for a day or two sometimes which is very frustrating. I think its to do with the effort the drive and the interactions with people take. I need a huge amount of social down time.

A few hours physical activity leaves me exhausted to the point that I just can't even watch TV. I have to sleep that moment and not a moment later, its almost like being really ill and is bizarre. When I get this tired there is no arguing with it, everything just shuts down.

I have to really make myself stop sometimes. I work from home so this is easier than for some. Half an hours break morning and afternoon, a whole hour at lunch, and stop everything at 4 pm (until I have to make tea!). I'm trying to rest properly on Sundays. It does give me more energy for the following week.

I have a wheel suggesting ideas for how I feel and also ideas for fixes. It was given to me by the clinical psychologist who diagnosed Aspergers for me. I don't find it easy to recognise lower levels of tiredness, I just feel I can't cope. I do find this wheel very helpful but I do feel quite thick for not being able to do this process more automatically.

I feel:
Unmotivated
Demoralised
discouraged
Sleepy
Exhausted
Tired

Therefore I need;
Time alone
To take a break
To set time limits on the work I need to do
Rest
Sleep
Watch a light film - escapism
To thikk of my acheivements
Be kind to myself
Be patient with myself

Here is a link I found on the subject

http://adultswithautism.org.uk/autism-tiredness/




Take care
Caroline x

To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Satisfying your inner caveman/woman in your garden

Hi there

These days we tend to live a complex and stressful life that we weren’t designed for. In many of us there is a need for a less stressful life away from the crowds, technology and other pressures.

But what were we designed for, what are our basic needs?

Back in prehistoric times our needs were for meant  warmth, food, and somewhere to cook it,  a small group of companions of our choice, water, nature, safety and rest. 

You CAN meet all these needs in your garden!

Shelter

From the sun, rain or wind, a shade sail, a pergola, a garden room or shed; odds and ends for children to build a den with.

Warmth

 A spot in the sun sheltered from the wind, a chimnea, gathering your own wood from walks in the countryside or using any prunings from woody shrubs or trees in your garden.

Water

Anything from a blue saucer filled with water that the wind makes ripples on and the birds 

bathe in – to a pond or water feature or even a wild swimming pool.

Nature

A wild area perhaps with long grass and wildflowers, plants to attract birds, butterflies and bees

safety

 Our garden is our territory, only the select few we invite can come in to it . It is our place to hide away. Screen in with trees and shrubs. When its dark put up strings of lights or use spotlights so we can feel safe and know no sabre toothed tigers are approaching. 

Food and a fire to cook it with

Grow things to pick and eat, an fruit tree or fruit bush needs little looking after. A raised bed or container with salad or vegetables in it. A simple barbecue (it needn’t be expensive ) a chimnea or a firepit. Or you can make your own campfire on the ground.

 Rest

A hammock, a swing seat, a comfy chair to lie down on with soft cushions. Soft grass to lie on perhaps with a rug, your eyes level with the daisies and buttercups. Rest from people, solitude if we need it

Have you considered the caveman or woman in yourself in your garden?

Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for reading!

Caroline

xx

To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/