Spring; the season of re-awakening. A time of new beginnings, a sense of change hangs in the air. Daylight lengthens, the first buds spring into life and birds herald the joy of a season of promise and endless possibilities. The harsh weather is coming to an end and it’s time for us gardeners to start playing in the muck, once again!
The stormy, wet winter has curtailed our antics a little, but it hasn’t completely stopped all the work. Our first task at RSPB Fairburn Ings has been to construct a new potting bench; re-purposing wood and decking boards. Plans are also in place for two other raised beds. Along with our original cold frame, creating the “nursery” beds will enable us to grow more from seed and propagate further. Having gathered seeds and split perennials in late autumn, we’re off to a good start for the growing season. Visiting garden centres at the end of autumn, we also bought plants from the bargain/reduced sections, Yorkshire folk love a bargain! It’s a cheap and satisfying way to expand your stock. Plants looking a little sorry for themselves at the time will soon bounce back with a little TLC.
It’s not just practical things we’ve been working on. With the help of the warden team we tapped into our creative side and have installed a fabulous willow tunnel. Making use of willow saplings thinned out from wetland areas on site; a fascinating project and one that most of us hadn’t attempted before. It’s amazing seeing the structure slowly take shape and getting hands on with the weaving process was really enjoyable. Over time this will create a lovely natural structure for visitors to enjoy and explore.
Over at RSPB St Aidan’s, thoughts have now turned to further developing the Welcome Garden. In only its second year we’re looking forward to expanding the variety of plants and tempting even more wildlife to pay us a visit. For me, this is one of the most exciting parts of the project. Revisiting last year’s ideas, those that worked, those that didn’t and those we completely forgot about !
Finally, a key part of early spring gardening is to try not to get too excited too soon. Not easy, I know. The ground is still very cold, and whilst some of nature is dipping its toes in the outside world others are staying firmly tucked up in bed. Hedgehogs don’t emerge until late March so please take care. Try to avoid tidying too much; leave the fallen leaves just a little longer and if you’re cutting seed heads, pop them to one side before disposing of them. This will allow the creatures within a little time to emerge.
Enjoy what is my favourite time of year.