At last, the signs of Spring!

Hi Rose! I hadn't realised just how much of a nuisance Foxes can be! Still...plenty of lovely spring in your garden there now. My garden looks lovely from here in my seat...but its freezing!

Blooming foxes we have the same problem....so annoying.
The garden is looking good, lots of lovely colour....Amelanchier is a beautiful tree. I love ours...it’s not a brilliant specimen unfortunately....glad you found a special place for it....

Rose, in spite of that very annoying fox, I think your garden is such a pretty one. It now has your touch in every corner and the special plants you brought with you look very healthy and happy. Your clematis is going to be lovely.

It is such a shame that the fox destroyed so many bulbs though, I bet you were just a little bit cross!!

Just a little bit...and the rest! You didn't mention the smell, which is pretty whiffy. It's infuriating to have your good bulbs just dug up and presumably eaten. I lost most of my tulips overnight one year but blamed a badger. I did lose some newly planted tulips this year to a fox though. I read somewhere that to deter them you need lion poo, but it seems to be in rather short supply...
It was nice to see your Doronicums.They just don't want to grow in my garden so it was nice share yours!

Your garden is very colourful and it is a relief to know that the spring weather is here at last. It has been a long miserable, cold wet winter. Between Brexit, the awful flooding and the coronavirus it is good to know something is going the way we expect. I did not know foxes would do so much damage. I do like your mushrooms.

Just been back to look for them - aren't they great!

Lots of lovely colour in your garden Rose,despite the Fox ! how frustrating it must be for you..I didn't know they went for Tulip bulbs either ! I remember Willow Cottage garden very well,and your Amelanchier seems as though it was determined to survive the moves :o) I've just about got my garden ready for the coming season,with having this lovely weather this week,and just in time ,as we have had sunshine and snow showers,combined with a very cold wind this morning ! Hope you and Rick are well,take care xx

I didn't know either Karen. Even in Willow Cottage when we had two families of foxes visiting, we never had the damage to the gardens that we are having here.

Thanks Dotty ! We had six Amelanchiers at Willow Cottage down the path. Its still on here with all the pictures.

Yes Chris ..I was more than a little bit cross !! Next year I will be prepared ! You can buy a net online with small spikes which you put under the soil and the bulbs will grow through it.

I have never noticed a smell Stera, but the holes are at least a foot and a half deep and the width the same. I was sending for the lion poo which is called Silent Roar every few weeks which worked for a while but at £7.99 a bag would be an expensive way to do it. Now it seems the fox is used to that too !

Thank you Scotsgran. It feels like winter again now as the wind has changed to the north ! But the worst is over I hope ! I couldn't think what you meant about the mushrooms , then I realised you meant the red artificial ones !

Thank you Stera ! I bought them from a little village in Suffolk last year.

We are both well at the moment, thanks Sandra. I hope you both are too ! Hopefully in a few months time we will be sat in our garden in the sun and not self isolating!! xxx

Hi Rose....
you've done magical things with your garden.
Well done. x x x

Rose, your garden is looking really lovely, I think you are well ahead of me - over this side of the Humber!
Your camellias are looking fresh and pretty too. Beautiful coloured hellebores- I can see why they are a favourite. I’ve tried growing euphorbias, but they just died off, maybe I planted them in a not so suitable area of the garden? I do love rosemary, it seems to go on for ever.. just wish it had a really, really long flowering season.

Thank you Terra, but this is just the start! Watch this space!

Thank you Kate. I would love to have these camelias in the border but unfortunately the soil is clay ! Euphorbias like most soils and do tolerate clay like mine. A lot of them like full sun but there are some that like to be in the shade as long as they are not too dry.

Its looking good Rose ,you've worked hard on it , talking about foxes one sneaked into my neighbours garage and took of with one of his shoes he wasn't quick enough to stop it and then the cheeky thing came back looking for the other one .... .

I had to smile at that Amy ! They are funny, but its a shame they are so destructive !

I hope the fox decides to leave your garden alone soon Rose, it must be annoying to find holes where he's been digging. I've had the same problem and have put wire shelves up temporarily, to keep him out.
I like your Pieris in a pot. I think I may try mine, it doesn't like where it is at the moment. The rest of your garden is coming along nicely.

Does your Pieris have ericacious compost Hywel ? I always keep them in pots because the soil isn't right for them.
I have also used wire shelves from the greenhouse to put over bare ground and put tent pegs in to secure them.
Thank you Hywel ! Take care and stay safe !

Rose, you are working so hard in your garden, with great results as far as I can see from your photos!

Foxes can be destructive animals, as you have found out. Ever thought of using a Fox deterrent, cost about £15 I think. I just looked at one on-line but it has very mixed reviews!

Despite the darn fox your doing a great job the garden is maturing nicely and looking so good. I can imagine how your feeling about the Ameliancer its such an accomplishment to have moved it so many times and to see it looking so good.

Thank you Stroller ! The fox doesn't seem to be coming quite so often, probably because of all the different deterants I have put down, although we did see it in the front garden cocking his leg up on one of plants, so went out and chased it off .

Which product was it Shirley as I have used most of them, the dearest being £7.99 for the Silent Roar which is from lion poo. I will try anything once , but would only pay that price if it worked 100% ! The only problem with most products is that if it rains, it doesn't work.
Thank you Shirley.

PM on the way to you Rose .....

My Pieris is in the ground Rose but maybe it should be in a pot with ericaceous soil. I may try to do that this year.

That's a good idea Hywel ! As long as it is in ericacious compost. Let me know if it improves.

I will :)

Both mine are in the ground Rose .my soil isn't the right type,but I put lots of Ericaceous compost in the planting holes and I top dress every year.I did the same with a Camelia ..all doing well.,hope this helps..x

Your garden looks really nice, love the seat and the barometer, some of the garden art that you can pick up now is very good and looks even better when you get the first specks of rust on it.
We have a cat problem, my next door neighbour has four of them and I am sure every single one of them comes in our garden to deposit their droppings, little blighters seem to love a bit of ground that I have just dug over and planted and now they are stalking a pair of blackbirds that are building a nest in the hedge. Our stupid newfoundland dog just looks at them, cant even be bothered to bark never mind chase them, so even though I am a bit loathe to do it I think will have to start putting down some repellent, see if that works

There is cat repellant that isn't harmful to cats Davey and I have used it for the fox but only worked for so long as when it rains, it doesn't work so well and have to keep applying it !
Thanks for your comments. The barometer was a birthday present from a friend but the little basket is too small for a plant.

I have always had mine in pots Sandra as one of my garden areas is just concrete .

Rose, at 2am today we heard a dreadful noise from outside, looked out to see a huge cat cowering by our car on the drive and 2 Foxes staring at it! We tapped on the window and they all ran off. This morning I found a heap of what I believe was Fox poo on the lawn in the back garden ... :o(

Ooer! not good ! When we lived in Willow Cottage , we had two cats and they would follow me everywhere even to the allotment. The allotment was next door to the house and very often a fox would chase them away.
I hope it isn't going to happen again !

Think positive Rose! :o))