Pig Sty Avenue

Abeliophyllum distichum in winter This is the tree I took the cuttings from, assuming it was a willow, and planted as willow whips a month or so ago. I can only assume, now, that I thought it was a willow because its structure resembles, (but not that closely, when you look with an uncluttered mind), a weeping willow. It's said here , that Abeliophyllum distichum " can be cut and brought inside in early spring for forcing in vases", and I can attest to that, because this plant is indeed A. distichum, also known as white forsythia, (it's closely related, but not a true forsythia).  And during Xmas week, as I was planting the "willow whips" I had a Proust like recollection of willow in vases in my primary school, growing catkins. So I brought half a dozen home, and put them in a vase. Sure enough, they were successfully forced thereby, and began to grow leaves and buds, now flowering.  Except that, it hit me a couple of days ago, these aren...

Done, now, with yesterday's flooded allotment blues . Here's what a bit of thought and a good night's sleep suggests: a lot of the spoil I've got, (from the pond and under the path) is either heavy clay soil (path), or actual boulder clay from the pond excavations. I'm going to use that as the first line of defence along the NW boundary, build up a wee bank with it. I'll need at least part of the path relaid first, and the scaffold boards I've been garnering, so I can get about with the barrow on the waterlogged ground. The Predecessor had a bank there, with some success. But here's the best bit: when I was talking to the bee-lady at the allotments, she was very interested to hear of my hedgerow plans, and told me the allotments had a huge amount of willow whips... So I'll plant out the clay bank with willow, which will hold the fort this year and next whilst the hawthorn and alder are growing. In the longer term, the combination of clay and hedg...