Weather Woes

 Our plant order arrived yesterday from the lovely Future Forests in County Cork. Bang on time - fantastic service as usual. As most plants come with bare roots, they need to get into the ground asap and so I was well prepared and headed out in full thermal kit plus salopettes etc - I know it's January but the weather really is woeful - everywhere you walk, you squelch. By the time you dig a hole and walk to the wheelbarrow to get a handful of grit, bonemeal and compost, the hole has filled with water.

Somehow we managed to plant the following

3 Indian Bean Trees (catalpa bignonoides)
3 Pride of India (koelreutia paniculata)
2 Turkey Oaks (quercus cerris)
3 Vine Maples (acer circinatum)
3 Alder (alnus glutinosa Imperialis)
2 Sweet Gum (liquidambar)
3 Lime Trees (tilia cordata)
5 willows (triandra, pentandra, purpurea, fragilis, sekka)

Still LOTS more to plant but have been carefully "heeled in" and hopefully the weather will improve in the next few days.

Here's another photo of the shady garden in Spring 2012 mentioned last week, just to have something to look forward to.

And I can't wait until I can walk through the orchard and inhale the scent of summer.