Pimp my poplar!

The fifty six poplars which surround three sides of the garden were getting a bit untidy round the base of the trunks.

When we were out walking at the end of last year we saw these poplars, trimmed round the base and looking so much better than our scruffy ones.

So over the past couple of days Colin has been cutting off the dead branches to tidy things up a bit whilst I took the branches to our bonfire, which has burned now for over 24 hours!

The result was a much neater appearance and more space for the hammock to swing.

Result!!

Weeping Willows

We have four weeping willows in our garden, three of which have become far too large. Yesterday was the start of a three-year major trimming program.

The first one to be severely pollarded, as shown in yesterdays blog, was the one adjacent to our well. Last year when we pumped the well dry the bottom 2 metres was a complete mat of fine roots. Willows are known for seeking out water this way.

So along came our woodman, M. Bourreau, full of enthusiasm. We would have been left with just a stump had he had his way! Under close supervision he cut just what we wanted and as you could see from yesterdays blog, left us with plenty to clear away.

The work has progressed and we have managed to clear the area and are pleased with the finished result...

Although it looks quite stark at the moment willow grows quite rapidly... This is a branch I trimmed last year at this time. All the thin branches are new growth....

We are expecting our tree to look something like this one,  photographed outside Richelieu camping site, in ?? years time.

The other bonus of course is we get part of our heating for winter 2013/14; that is once we have stacked it up.... or perhaps we should wait until my grandchildren arrive for Easter... Can't beat a bit of child labour!

The second one to face the chop next year at this time is to the left of the house...  you can see light through one of the main branches ....

That is if it stays up for another year!

Mountain moved...

The work on the mound which we posted about last Friday is now complete, other than for the cosmetic bits.  ....And we're talking industrial strength cosmetics here!

Just to add to the fun, a second project is now well and truly underway.

In fact things moved very quickly this morning... from this:

to this:

in less than an hour - and all before breakfast!

More of this tomorrow; suffice it to say it will be muscle rub and an early night for us tonight!

Don't mess with Elizabeth!!!

Just a year ago I broke the fork handle digging up a Pampas grass. See Here.

Well...

Yes it has happened again. Elizabeth gave me and herself such a fright digging up a Laurel bush.

The fork handle snapped and in the process hit Elizabeth on the cheek causing her severe pain. You could hear the cry in Tours.

She was very fortunate not to have done more damage to herself and is suffering with a large multicoloured bruise to her cheek.

I think this time we will buy a new fork with a short handle, together with a full set of body armour for me...

To protect myself from Elizabeth of course!!! The woman doesn't know her own strength.

Spot the difference!

Last year we had an exceptionally warm, dry spring and this clearly impacted on the growing season.

The photograph below was taken on 20th February 2011.

Six days later, the tree has buds bursting open and is playing host to hundreds of bees.

I took the following shots of the same tree today, the mid point between the dates above.

Spot the difference!! Roll on warm, sunny days...

The Plumb Tree !!!

On our return to France from our Christmas and New Year break in the UK it was obvious it had both rained a lot and been windy. Firstly when we crossed the Loire on the A10 at Tours yesterday where there is normally an island there was only trees sticking through the water.

When we got home our plum tree was plumb no more...

So today, out came the winch - again - and the process of re-aligning the tree began...

 

The winch was attached to a nearby cherry tree

Then it was time to carefully coax the plum upright

 

This had to be done slowly so as not to damage the roots.

Mission accomplished! One perfectly plumb plum!

Leaves and more leaves

The leaves have started falling with some gusto now... So this morning it being so so dry and rain forcast for later we decided to get rid of a few along with a pile of small branches that had blown from the poplars over the last few weeks !!!

Nothing like a few leaves to dampen down a fire.

In addition to burning the leaves this year we have built a large compost bin!!

In it we are putting a mixture of green garden waste and compacted leaves in the hope of some good compost..

Elizabeth has discoved that some of a similar mixture of green waste and leaves we placed in the HOLE has turned into very acceptable compost...

Sorry for the late post. We are having internet problems and have very intermittent connection!! awaiting a techy coming!!!

One tree too many...

We are not short of trees here at La Croix Blanche. We have trees of the fruiting variety, ornamental trees and trees for shade and privacy. But one tree fulfils none of these functions and its days have been numbered for some time now. The tree in question is the cherry to the right of the photo below.

To save us sweeping up yet more leaves we took the chainsaw to it over the weekend.

A few of the lower branches lopped off, and Colin was ready to fell the tree. It was down before I got time to take a picture!

ALL that was left to do was dispose of the branches and trunk. This was easier than I'd thought because we simply cut the trunk and thicker branches into logs  and the thinner branches could be put in the "hole" - one almighty composting area - and left to rot down. (Note the shorts - in the middle of October! And don't they look good with wellies?!)

 

The result is a much better view across the side garden and an addition to the log pile - once the wood has been left for a couple of years to mature.

So even this tree has its uses, retrospectively!!

Falling leaves

The great Autumn leaf fall has begun in earnest. Looking back at last year's photos, it has begun a good two weeks earlier than in 2010. Whether this is due to the particularly dry spring and summer we've had or to the late spring in 2010 we don't know. Yesterday the leaves fell like snow....

So what we do know is that we've got one mammoth task ahead of us!

People have suggested using a garden vacuum or leaf blower but that would be a bit like using a tooth brush to clean the Eiffel Tower!

The joys of leaf-raking aside, at this time of year I'm always reminded of a favourite poem, written by David Kossoff, called Autumn Banquet, in which he describes:

"that one day of the year in Autumn,

With the leaves still on, when the colours take

away the breath and make the heart sing....

...The world glows and burns and round 

every corner.. a new colour miracle.."

We shouldn't really moan as we collect these little miracles ..... But, hey, we're only human!

So it will be out with the rakes on a daily basis to keep a path open through the drifts... We've 56 fully grown poplars and 3 large weeping willows for starters..... then there are the apples and pears and cherries, the hazel the walnut etc.......

Now that's an Autumn Banquet by anyone's reckoning!