No, I’m not talking about the #Squirrels, but I do have a heartwarming story before we start. We are expecting our third child in July “O well”, my garden will never be the same again sob!. We are so excited, so I have been busy for the last few months but I have been also missing our moments together so I am back with my first post of #2020.

Henry the hedgehog was told the news as you can clearly see but I’m afraid Sid Squirrel is fed up with waiting for his snack so let’s get right to it!!!

The true winter winddown for me has begun in the garden before the snow arrives for good, a time to organize pots, plants, cuttings “you name it” as the weather is still quite unpredictable with Temperatures rising & dropping by 12° daily. The rise & fall brings more rain than usual and thick ice making it quite difficult at times to complete tasks. Enjoyable though,  Luckily on the coast, we have later snow than the rest of Norway, still time to protect our plants & even plant shrubs & trees. Good time to help those insect friends and prepare some high fatty foods for the gardens #wildlife.

Why so mild?

Glorious as its been, the snow is just a few weeks away. Its been a truly remarkable winter so far as we have never had these high temperatures for years. Seriously counting my chickens for an early spring, I have been pulling out all the stops to provide a safe haven for our tiny friends of all nature & keep them well fed.

check out @chirpybirdfoods on #Twitter

What you can do:

• Make a pile of stones or wood for wildlife to shelter under
• leave a pile of leaves in a corner for hedgehogs & insects to crawl under
• buy/make a hedgehog den
• make openings in fencing for wildlife to pass through
• plant as many plants as possible to bring in a wide range of insects
• leave pet hair out or hair from your comb for birds as nesting
• build/buy bug hotels
• prune some hollow stemmed plants like Digitalis to overwinter insects in
• make fat balls for birds
• put out bird feeders
• put up bat boxes & bird boxes
• leave some apples out for birds
• make water available for wildlife & insects to drink
• plant more tighter hedging for birds
• #compost  & improve your soil by mulching for more worms

Winter wonder

If you even attempt 1 of these you are doing your garden proud, it takes very little effort indeed but it will make a difference for something & they will repay you in kind. For winter, remember to get a head start for spring, the jobs that you do now will count to a great start. Clear out rotting debris, material that will overwintering disease like #BlackSpot on roses. remove the last leaves on all roses, bury or burn. Look out for those newly planted friends, care for them like children until they establish & watch them go. Read up of things to sow, be adventurous & take some risks. Don’t be scared to take a loss or two, life will carry on & it means you get to buy something new. Reach out on social media to people in your interest zone. If rather new to the game they can give you great garden management skills & seasonal tasks to follow. Like myself, I do not possess the time to read but to follow gardeners on daily posts is easy & fast. With heavy snow, care for your shrubs, plants & conifers that will bend under the weight. Have a weekly potter to tap those branches under stress to clear clods. Under heavy rain, stay off the grass until it has time to dry as it will squeeze out the air in the soil & increase compaction. #Compost like a winner, nothing will get kids more involved than making organic matter, kids love getting their hands in & mucky, its a metropolis for all kinds of finds. Never seen them so proud to find so many things, good to teach them about recycling.

WildLife is back

It has never been cooler, with fresh new minds at work like conservationists & trusts doing an outstanding job at educating the new generation about our native species. We can do & make such a difference for species like #HedgeHogs #Bats #Badgers etc.

Check out @SeedBall on social media at what they are doing & follow trusts like @BadgerTrust & @_BCT_ to get up to date news on how to improve biodiversity in your gardens.

Enjoy the sweet songs of the birds in your garden, encourage other species into your #Garden by buying a mixed seed mix. Bird beaks are different in shape & size so not all can cope with just one type of seed but you are doing a wonderful job. If you start to feed them then a big thing is not to stop as they will see you as a helpful source & return. It takes a lot of energy to travel to you so keep up the good work.

It’s not just a bugs life !! there are millions

Bugs & #insects will feed & help to maintain a very healthy balance in your garden, key roles are given out to these lovelies & we need to let them do there thing. Have you ever studied a small piece of earth for a while, get up close for a few minutes & see things I guarantee you have never read about before that just pop up.  They are soil helpers, the key to plant life, roots are helped by them & nutrients gained. We must give them more credit these days, I for one have been inspired more for taking the time to look & get to know them. This is why we need to fill our gardens with drifts of beautiful flowers that give off scent & colour. Ballsy blooms that will attract wildlife & insects to our gardens that have never visited before because they are dull & unloved.

Keep a good lookout for life in your plants & those heralds of #Spring. Happy #gardening

Oh yes & check your grease bands that debris hasn’t stuck to it bridging the gap for insects to cross!

Grab a pensioner!

I’ve been going to Chelsea for about 14 years now, I truly love #London & revel in my trip every year. I never knew that my first visit would inspire me so much that it would lead me into the world of horticulture. I loved my childhood gardening with my grandfather, those #ChelseaPensioners remind me of him. When I get a chance I grab a picture and have a chat, I highly recommend you do so on your next visit.

James Wong back then

It is hard to explain ChelseaLife but I will try my best to do so, firstly I openly ask you to become an RHS Member. Last year they surpassed 500,000 members which is simply amazing. For such a small yearly fee the benefits are outstanding, one of which is members-only days at RHS Shows & early ticket purchase. Press day Monday opens the event & the Royal family visit so it is closed on this day. #ChelseaTuesday as I call it is the first official open day to the public, it is members day and when medals are awarded. Though busy, it’s outstanding as things are new & fresh. The quicker you can attend the show the better as the show quality is at its best. Also, Designers & garden celebrities are out and about so keep a lookout.

Have a SHOW & PIMS plan! 

It’s not essential of course, a general direction to start is good to have as it can be busy by the main garden entrance. As a quick #Tip, the bulk of the crowd roar off to the main avenue to see the show gardens. You have plenty of time to see them through the day, I relax & head off to the Artisan Gardens first.  Left, right, left & round is my motto, immediately after you leave the crowds you relax, I’m there the full 12 hours so having a no rush agenda is best. I love to soak up the British atmosphere and meet people, I make it a point to Network. I meet up with #gardening friends, talk to my suppliers & hopefully make a few more. Try some culinary delights & sample some summer alcoholic English traditions #PIMS. The sun never seems to disappoint, nothing better than feeling dapper with a glass of bubbles, tell me what’s better?.

The variety at the show is never dull & well-orchestrated, gems seem to be scattered & waiting to be discovered all over the show. I admit, I am so entranced that I hardly eat at all, all day. I favor getting lost in the show then wasting time queuing for food, my choice of course but it is my one & only day to indulge in everything #Horti. To go back a step if I may, If you have a general question about THE RHS or the show please ask the information desk. It is located on your immediate left after entering by the main gate by lost property, I find them extremely knowledgable & willing to help. #TIP You can charge your mobile phone here but bring your own charger, they are fine to watch over it but not obligated to do so so it’s your responsibly if it goes missing but this was fabulous of them I thought.

160,000 people visit The Chelsea Flower Show every year!

Get lost & discover!!

I truly love the randomness of every show, you think you have seen it all then Wham! a green bear or shiny graffitied apple. It borders eccentric but rather intoxicating after a brief spell, it just works. A celebration of pushing the horticultural boundaries, the industry pulls in, in my opinion, the best of all trades & crafts. Outstanding purchases to also be made, order a bespoke forged gate or hand-carved nameplate made from green oak is just a few off the top of my head. This is why I need a full 12 hours there, though a small show, Chelsea has an extraordinary layout with hidden areas. There are also many more small & large businesses then you think surrounding the Great Pavilion, you can get caught up in walking the main avenues and miss the second row of shops by Chilstone & Pavilion way.

The Gardens

The Highlight of one’s day, extraordinary feats of engineering, we revel in the beauty of the planting and message in portrays. The atmosphere is electric at the gardens, it is truly a spectacle to behold & urge you to visit one day.

On a given day the crowds can be 39,000 people, it amazes me still the number of people trying to get a glimpse of the gardens. Usually, 3 people deep at the main show gardens, being tall or having long arms to take a picture from above is my only solution to this flowery mayhem. Gone are the days of strolling such events, it feels a bit overwhelming and frustrating especially if your trip has built up to this moment to grab a glimpse at something of interest to you. Patience & kindness will win in the end but can you wait? My observations thus are, people are more interested in seeing the grouping of flowers up close. Of course the gardens, as one entity, are the main event but people talk most about the chosen flowers when they finally get to the front. I’ve thought about this for a while now, do we go to dream or to escape. Can we possibly manage such a garden ourselves, the choice of materials used are luxuriously priced so what are we looking for? We go to not just inspire our physical surroundings but our minds, are we becoming more aware as a society of our #MentalHealth & Wellbeing?.

“Gardening will become more important to us, growing our own medicine is the way forward” 

Friendly faces

Adam White

Jo Thompson

It wouldn’t be #Chelsea without meeting the Designers, a great way to follow more closely their work is to follow them on #Twitter. The RHS will be outstanding at keeping us up to date on the gardens as they develop.  A one to one with the designers themselves though, will give a greater look at the work that goes into the project as it happens, to give you a better overview. I make a point of meeting a few, it is wonderful to grab a moment with them & try and extract their energy & drive. I am very fortunate to have made a few great friends, they have been marvelous support & always on hand to give you a morale boost even if they are abroad in Russia! Long story but I’ve been lucky to have connected with a few truly remarkable human beings, good to be bold sometimes. Social media thus far has been a unique tool & very kind, I believe, if used wisely, it can & will improve our #gardening. Thanks #AdamWhite & #JoThompson

The Hall of Fame 

Thanks to #MontyDon #CarolKlein #TobyBuckland #MarkLane #SimonLycett #SueBiggs #AdamFrost #JoSwift #NickBailey #FrancesTophill #JamesWong #MatthewPottage

We say Goodbye but never forgotten! We hope to still see you at the shows Zoe.

Zoe Fontannaz of Garden Brocante

A #Horti haze of wonders

Mr Nuts about Gardening himself

Chito (The Hat Man )

The shows boast the best in horti purchases, its a lavish gardening shopping paradise with beautiful products to tempt your pockets. A sea of friendly faces as you walk down Eastern Avenue, you must take home at least one memory of Chelsea so take a really long look.

Neil Urry of VegePod

Cacoon

I love meeting up with friends & making new ones, keep those eyes peeled as it can be a bit crowded. I’m like a homing beacon of unique characters & Chelsea never disappoints. I do love meeting people and looking for new products to bring back to Norway, it is such a wonderful day networking & making others smile at my fabulous attire. Chelsea is all about the show & I bring it every year, one loves a #London gent. I try to relax but with so many amazing products to try & see I am rather exhausted but I find ways!

Thanks to M&G Garden for sponsoring the event & getting in touch, look forward to seeing you next year!

#hagebrukspesialisten #theenglishgardener #goprogardener

The Joy of Fruit

What gets your horticultural juices flowing? A hedge trim?, an autumn bed clean up ? what is it!!. I have a thing, or can I say it is more of a guilty pleasure and its fruit. Its the look, smell & taste that gets me in a good mood. The smell of a bare root black currant bush is intoxicating. I have more #fruit than you can shake a stick at, being a professional gardener is truly satisfying enough but when you are called in to help manage two full-scale projects, I was like a bear finding a honey stash.

Let’s get the juice :

1. Apple trees 280 ( Grafted )
2. Pear trees 80 (Grafted )
3. plum trees 32 ( Grafted )
4. black currants 30 ( Ribes nigrum )
5. red currents 80 ( Ribes rubrum )
6. Raspberry 600 ( Rubus Glen moy & ample )

Gardener to #Farmer

There are two properties/farms, which I am currently looking after with my client. It has now been just over a year and a half since I started caring for the then 200 grafted apple trees which we planted together, it has further grown to 280 Apple trees & 80 Pear trees since that time.

The main, and first farm is the largest, holding the bulk of the fruit. We have an assortment of fruit which is increasing yearly, due mostly to the client being very excited about the work thus far. We have 280 Apple, 50 pear, 300 raspberry & 50 red currants, but I would not be surprised if he calls me early next year on a further project.

The second fruit #farm, holds 300 raspberry, 32 plum tree, 32 pear tree, 30 red currants, and 30 black currants, it is the new kid on the block and I am rather happy that though large it’s flat. It is hard to tell which is my favorite at this point, both are changing and expanding all the time. I am very much looking forward to as is the client in seeing the finished plan all matured and full of glorious fruit.

Just Juice it!

I should explain quickly that the plan with all of this fruit is for making juice and absolutely nothing else which is astonishing. Purely a hobby to make juice for the family and nothing more, which is beautiful don’t you think. This is the largest scale hobby I have ever seen, it is quite amazing. Fruit is harvested and juice is made, the children pick n play. Its fabulous and life couldn’t be better. I’m in ore of it and really respect my client’s vision. 

I love this job

It’s not very often in this business that you get to see these many number of plants, and not to forget the materials. I believe the scale excites me a little, and scares me at the same time. Tending to each fruit keeps me busy, I enjoy the seasonal tasks as it gives me a good reason to check in on problems such as watering & losses due to soil, pests and animals etc.  Plus seeing the progress of each plant is great, something wonderful as well is seeing the insects enjoying our efforts. Literally buzzing with life, I have a growing interest also in Entomology which makes my job even more worthwhile.

#Kneelo by Burgon & Ball

Do you have the tools?

#Kneelo pads

Let me tell you I am a very happy promoter of fine tools and products which I use, stock, review & trust to get the job done. As you know I am working with some of the best in the business, I want a product to be durable, comfortable to use and enhance my work in the field so to speak. It has been very easy for me to take on most tasks as I know I have the tool for the job. I want to share a few finds with you, what are you using and is it time to get the right tool?

As Christmas is approaching you may want to browse through the Burgon & Ball, Gold Leaf gloves or Felco website, let us know how you got on.

Winter Touch

Nr 2

Dry Touch

To round up, try and plant as much as you can. It will become a real crowd-pleaser, try it in your garden today.

Again thank you for joining me & happy horting

#hagebrukspesialisten #theenglishgardener #goprogardener

#felco #burgonandball #goldleafgloves

My name is the English Gardener & I’m a composter, “there I said it”. I’m ready to get you all outside & yes even in winter to give it a go. Especially in winter, it is possible!! the added bonus of seeing the steam generated by the organisms will give you goosebumps I’m sure. It’s healthy, exciting, super for our wellbeing & helps the planet. 

#Composting is trending 

I really believe that #composting is becoming trendy again, the increased awareness of #mentalhealth problems is greater than ever and gardening is the go-to aid to recovery. Its common knowledge that #gardening can heal, physically strengthen us & mentally repair us. Our gardens are our connection to growing & our closest physical playground, so let’s use a bit & #compost!

REALLY!!! Are you not composting?

Modern wormery

I find its one of the most therapeutic tasks in the garden, I get a serious kick out of recycling the most materials I can from my family’s waste. The vision can be obscure, I assure you it can be organised, not messy or smelly. The minimum you need is a 1m2 frame though, to get the temperatures going enough. Don’t be to put off if you only have an apartment with only a small balcony. Of course, space is an issue but there are some great alternatives like a #wormery or a wall-mounted #tumbler to save space.

Tumbler

There is an enormous amount of watchable or written material on “how to compost” but it is as simple as digging a hole where you are planning to plant & drop some waste in for added nutrients. I find that usually, we produce daily far too much to drop in holes on a regular basis but you get my point, it’s only a soil conditioner.

Whats worked for me

1. I control the amount of water going into the pile with a lid, this helps the pile by not being too wet. Secondly, I use it to stop airborne seeds dropping into the pile through the seasons, I try not to spread weed seeds throughout the garden. And thirdly to keep the heat in once those microbes have started the party, a very useful item.
2. I use a #compost thermometer, it lets me know the temperature ranges in the pile, telling me if the microbes are liking what I am doing. It is great to indicate whether or not I need to add water or aerate the pile.
3. I aerate the pile as oxygen will rapidly speed up the process & I do this with my trusty  #burgonandball Flexi compost aerator 

My story

Surprisingly, my love for #composting came about 2 years after I started my first home composting with my first house. Though an amateur gardener at the time, I loved trying, pottering and making some fun mistakes. I enjoyed the idea of making compost as part of my yearly tasks, I attempted 3 large barrels with holes in. It wasn’t a bad start but I now can clearly see my errors. A spark occurred in that moment & it wasn’t until I started my horticultural courses with the #RHS that I discovered a new improved love for #composting. The course that I took explained all about the subject & cleared up some important things I was doing wrong. After this, I was off like a racehorse with a new system & I haven’t looked back so to this I thank The Royal Horticultural Society for igniting the flame.

Book lovers will enjoy

A thought to finish..

A quick message from our friends in the garden, whichever method you choose, try to take care of checking your pile for wildlife. You will be making that area extremely comfy & warm so it may attract some small friends. If you have an open pile up against a wall, before you turn it give it a quick check.

Hoping you will give it a go & do get back to me with your updates

Thanks to #RHS #YOLO #SUPERWURM #FELCO  & #BURGONANDBALL

From

#hagebrukspesialisten #theenglishgardener #goprogardener

 So its that time again, wow how that year has flown. It is October and time to get those grease bands out the shed and get protecting your fruit trees from the Winter moth (Operophtera brumata). The weather here in Norway is already 1c, the seasons change rather quickly here, temperatures have a tendency to plummet so better to be ready to jump into action. The grease bands are only a physical control of the first wave of pests, other precautions shall also need to be in place but we will cover that a little later.

Firstly, the culprit is the female winter moth. She is wingless, lives in the soil and emerges to climb the trunks in Autumn to lay eggs, hence the sticky guard around the base of the tree.

Usually the male is to blame, both are beautiful & quite striking. Those pesky caterpillars can cause a lot of damage. By using grease bands, we disrupt their life cycle. Their biting & munching characteristics can harm the tree’s health by transferring viruses,  can stress & weaken trees further over time.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE JAM!

I love #nature, but in this case, I love jam more. I want a fruitful harvest or at least a jar of jam. For me I am trying to do all I can for my little plum tree, its all alone & it deserves fruit. It’s fabulous for the family & my children love it, there is something special about growing something every year that gets you excited & we can enjoy it together.   

NEW TO GREASE BANDS? Check out my video..

“Limring” is just grease band in Scandinavian, if you maybe wondering about the name. This seems to be the only brand on offer here that I have found, there are other brands to check out like Glue Bands by Agralan or Boltac Grease Band by Bayer Garden

Let’s get stuck in

Are you new to this? If so, then there are three things i think will help you. Get some throwaway gloves for the actual job, I thought as a man, I’ve got this!. But it didn’t go so good, as they are really sticky devils, from holding it & changing tools it becomes a mess. Be gentle with unfolding the sticky paper as it is likely to tear. The smoother the trunk the easier the job, rougher trunks with larger furrowed bark could use some tree glue to make a tighter seal. You may through the winter want to keep an eye on it, as storms can blow debris onto the band bridging the gap for insects to cross but other than that you did it! Good job!!

In the spring as the light levels return, the bark will become active again as the sun’s heat will wake it from dormancy. The bands need to be removed by this time & we can move on to the next step.

ALL THAT WORK FOR NOTHING! BUT THERE IS HOPE

(SPRING TIME) Like my scout leader always said, “Be prepared”. Around the beautiful blossom time, before the flowers open, be ready with Pheromone traps to attract and capture the next little army of pests.

(Hoplocampus flava) The sawfly

Check fruits in spring for little black spots on the early stage of the fruit. Markings like these will indicate the presents of the pest, check by opening one to see inside. Fruits effected usually fall early, it can really put you off. But the beautiful blooms are also a blessing so enjoy those.

If like me you thought, it wont happen to me, its already too late. Some years are good, for many years its amazing & then that year when it all went wrong. So trust me & always come prepared and start checking out some great new products out there. Agralan comes in handy once again.

Thanks for reading & Happy fruiting all

Thanks to #GoldLeafGloves #Felco #NelsonGarden & #Agralan from #hagebrukspesialisten #theenglishgardener #goprogardener

What is your experience with making leaf mould? is it a little confusing, a pointless excercise or are you a recycling king or queen. I seriously dig #composting but I’ve also a little love for the lonely leaf mould pile and I feel it deserves a little limelight.

WHY LEAF MOULD?

For me it is a necessity, I have 11, 25 metre tall (Acer pseudoplatanus) trees & a 30 metre long deciduous (Crataegus) hedge on my property line. This has tested my patience & stress levels over the years, I came to the conclusion that I need to turn this frustration into a positive benefit for my garden. I turned to making Leaf mould.

WHY BOTHER! Whats it good for!

• Mulching trees & hedges
• Protection for roots over winter
• Retains moisture
• Soil conditioner
• Helps wildlife

We will run through the process of making it very soon, and i will share my personal TIPS for a short cut to a ready product in under 11 months

Small gardens “Say No to bin bags”

So you have a small garden, not a crazy amount of leaves but it is still a hassle for you every year.  Have you seen Jute, Biodegradable leaf bags? Amazing & natural. Natural fibres from the plant, woven together to make the perfect leaf mould bag.

We need to start saying NO to all plastic products in the #garden, don’t you think?. If I were to use black bags every year for my leaves, I would use around 80 black plastic bags which in my mind isn’t a great solution. Looks terrible, uses a lot of time to prepare & is harmful to the planet. Jute is natural, comes usually in a pack of 10. Can be costly but it pushes you to think about better ways of using this fabulous & free material.

Uses of Leaves

1. You can #compost them
2. Can #burn them & add the nutrients to the soil but do check if this is ok in your area.
3. You can use it to build #Hedgehog houses throughout the garden

Large gardens 

I myself use a 1m2 leaf mould cage, simply the best buy for around £20 or under. Its a hard worker & we work wonderful together, year round. Leaf mould can take up to 2 years to become a ready product but I need it under a year, as it needs to be refilled by next years fall. I have discovered a very useful TIP to get this party started but first!

“Did you know that tree leaves are all different in the rate that they decompose” Check which sort you have first and this next part could help you a lot! 

SHREDDING IS THE KEY

Without a doubt the key to rapid success is shredding the leaves before  you add them to the pile, like #composting we are growing a community of microbes to breakdown the material. By shredding we increase the surface area for the bacterias to get to work faster. The leaves from my 500m2 garden fits into this cage which is amazing really, it has been a game changer & I enjoy watching it consolidate as the process occurs.

BEFORE WINTER ARRIVES

I make leaf mould from November to november each year, this is excellent timing for my #conifer hedges as their roots need a little help from the harsh long temperatures in Norway through the winter months. Evergreens will very slowly grow through the winter, unlike the rest of most hedges & trees. We protect the soil around the root area with a good mulch of leaf mould to help retain that moisture deep down over the winter. We use it mainly around trees, hedges & in #compost to improve soil. The benefits of maintaining the health of our garden hedges & native ones will improve wildlife like nesting birds & hedgehogs so our work goes a long way.

I hope you have gained something from this little chat of ours & I ask you to return for more soon.

#hagebrukspesialisten #theenglishgardener #goprogardener

Thanks to #stihl, #burgonandball & #goldleafgloves for your help!