Long, hard day.

You may think the life of a Librarian is a gentle one and for the most part you would be correct. Today though I've had a class of 28 seven year olds to talk to and I was at work from 7.40am till 6.50pm so there wasn't a lot of time to sit back and smell the roses.To make up for this I have got a few photos of my Christmas roses, as Hellebores are also known, to show you.
When pulling the black leaves off one of the Hellebores I accidentally pulled one of the main stems off too. A year's wait to mess it up but never mind, I've put it in a vase and have it on my window sill so I can look at it whilst washing up the dishes. Here it is before I manhandled it (along with another one I have)
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And on the seventh day..,

Sweetie's tail 

Weren't Sundays traditionally a day of rest? Well, we bucked that trend today with a jolly good clear up and we feel fighting fit and exhilarated after a good day in the garden. Whilst Luke sawed through the trunk of the tree he had dug out last year ( a chore that took half a day) for firewood I turned over the earth in the greenhouse only to be joined by the chickens who scrabbled around in the newly dug soil. Sweetie chose the only bit of soil I hadn't turned over to have a dust bath in and once I was done with that I moved out to the stretch of earth between the greenhouse and the shed (where the buzzard had landed a couple of months ago). This area had been used as a litter tray by the cat next door and was quickly overrun with weeds throughout the wet winter months. On with the gloves, out with the fork and an hour later it was ready for the cat to visit it again.

Luke raked up lots of fallen leaves off the lawn and piled them into a little dome which Shakira, the biggest and most favourite of our chicks quickly destroyed by scratching through them all. She's forgiven everything though on the grounds that she once stole Luke's cake - whilst he was eating it. Now he thinks they are food buddies!

Next up the decking got cleaned and the wood stock tidied up then I popped out to the front garden and planted up the clematis I bought last year. You know how usually you would dig a hole for a potted plant to the same depth so that the soil would be the same level? Not so with the clematis which like to be planted slightly deeper than the level they are in the pot. I also planted up the sunny primroses I bought yesterday but have not yet done what every gardener knows needs to be done - watered them well in. Shock, horror! Just writing that has guilt tripped me into sorting that out right away. I feel like I've sent children to bed without a warm drink. Oh, the shame of it all.

Anyway, enough text - here are some of today's photos. Hope you enjoy them.

 

Shakira grubbing about in the greenhouse.

 

This was the first visit to our feeder from a green finch; inside the feeder is a cheeky blue tit who decided it was quicker to pop down the feeder and grab a entire peanut. 

(You can click on any of the photos to get a larger image.)

Here is another blue tit showing his mate how it's done.

 Shakira and Sweetie - friends again.

Weeds in the garden.

This morning I was tidying up the border and pulling up weeds when I got to thinking about how to spot a weed. There is no hard or fast rule. You can't say, if it is bright green it is a weed or anything that easy. The absolute truth is that really, as the old adage goes, there is no such thing as a weed. It's just a wrong plant in the wrong place. Unfortunate for the plant but it's YOUR garden so you should have what you want in it.
I remember about fifteen years ago walking around the docks trying to find teasels because I wanted their seed heads to provide some interest in the garden during the winter. They are also fantastic sources of food for certain birds but I wasn't bothered about that benefit back then. My Auntie was horrified at my suggestion. "What do you want those for? You'll never get rid of them once you have them; the seeds will spread and you'll be stuck with them" is what she said to me. I never did successfully pull them up out of the dock yard cracks and replant them in my garden but that's not to say I wouldn't still have them. IN fact the trend for natural gardens encourages nettles and teasels.
I wanted to find out which plants are 'official' weeds in Britain. However, when I Googled  'offical weed Britain' all I found was cannabis sites. Not exactly what I was looking for.
By changing 'weed' to plural, I did find this general information,

"Weeds are simply plants which are growing in the wrong place or behaving badly, but when they trespass in our flowerbeds or vegetable patch, they cause no end of annoyance. They are usually the native plants which are best adapted to the environment where they grow, so can easily out-compete our more delicate ornamental plants. The seeds they produce can lie dormant in the soil for many years, germinating when it is cultivated, or imported with 'new' topsoil. Even in a "wild" garden the native plants must be controlled to give the more pleasing effect we seek. "

and then I chanced upon this,

Identifying common invasive non-native plants

Three of the most invasive non-native plants are Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed and Himalayan Balsam.

Japanese Knotweed

Japanese Knotweed appears to have no natural enemies in Britain and is difficult to control, tiny fragments (as little as 0.7g of its rhizome, or root) can produce a viable plant. This plant can grow as much as two centimetres per day, will grow in any type of soil, no matter how poor, and can grow through walls and concrete.
The plant forms dense clumps up to three metres in height. It has large, triangular green leaves and a hollow stem, similar to bamboo but often flecked with dark red. Japanese Knotweed produces fleshy red-tinged shoots that can reach a height of 1.5 metres by May and 3 metres by June.

Giant Hogweed

Giant Hogweed has a green stem with dark red or purple blotches and spiky dark green leaves. The plant can grow up to 5m tall and grows mainly in areas of damp soils, such as river banks.
Each flowerhead can produce up to 50,000 seeds, which are easily dispersed by water. Seeds can remain viable for up to 15 years so disposal has to be carried out very carefully.
Giant Hogweed can have adverse effects on skin following contact. Symptoms are usually noticeable within 24 hours including blisters and swelling on the skin, which may be made worse by exposure to the sun. If you feel unwell after contact with Giant Hogweed speak to your doctor.
Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed are listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This means that it is illegal to plant it in the wild. Waste from some non-native plants is controlled by law and so certain regulations have to be complied with when disposing of such material.

Himalayan Balsam

Himalayan Balsam was introduced into Britain in the 19th century. It has pinky red stems with dark green leaves. It grows fast and can reach 2 to 3m in height. The plant can produce large quantities of seed in exploding capsules that can throw seed several metres.

Five particular plants are classified as 'injurious', or harmful weeds under the Weeds Act 1959. These five plants are:

• Common Ragwort
• Spear Thistle
• Creeping or Field Thistle
• Curled Dock
• Broad-Leaved Dock"