January 2019

January is a miserable month for gardening and I doubt you have many jobs in your own garden that can’t wait for some nicer weather. It’s much more fun to spend this time of year planning a head with ideas from plant catalogues and garden magazines.

But for Paul and I it’s a different story. Rain or shine we keep going. There is always something to be done at Loftus and we are kept busy all year round.

Most plants go dormant through the winter to rest and recuperate for the spring but weeds just keep on coming, so long as the temperature is above a few degrees, weeds will grow and seed themselves all over the place. It’s a never ending job dealing with them.

Pruning of shrubs and trees will take place over the next couple of months. You may have noticed that we have removed the lower branches on some of the trees. This crown lifting is done as the trees grow to improve the appearance and lift the canopy to a safe height.

It’s still work in progress regarding the landscaping on phase 3&4. The trees and shrubs we lost with last summer’s drought will be replaced over the next few weeks and any of the herbaceous plants that have grown large enough to spit will be dug up and divided to make more plants. These will be replanted to fill gaps.

Loftus should really fill out this year especially phase 1 &2 as it has had a good head start on the rest.  We wait with anticipation to see how beautiful it will all look again this summer. Hopefully better than last year, as constant improvement is our goal.

We also hope that each year more wildlife will be encouraged to set up home at Loftus. Along with the establishment of plants comes the creation of more habitat for birds, insects and small mammals. Our Pond is doing well at attracting such wildlife with the annual return of ducks. It was lovely to see them the other day, even if it was just a fleeting visit and it’s a sure reminder that despite this freezing weather, spring the is not that far away.