My Garden

Well, this changeable weather has got us all in a tiz - one moment it's hot and sunny and the next it's lashing it down with rain! We've let it go to our heads a bit and gone and put lots of plants in our summer sale.

If you fancy a bargain at Harlow Carr's Plant Centre, come along and check out our savings on selected shrubs and herbaceous perennials with a whopping 75% off. Yes - that's right - selected plants at only 25% of their original price - what were we thinking

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Well, today has been a happy day and a sad day too. It has been a happy day because our five remaining chicks fledged this morning (sadly two were not strong enough to make it into the outside world).They had been flexing their muscles and testing their wings for a few days and this morning mum and dad Great-Tit coaxed the youngsters out of the nest box by feeding the chicks through the nest box hole rather than going in to feed. This had the desired effect and all five popped out, albeit some more tentatively than others, within the space of about twenty minutes

One of the young ones got separated from the others and we were a bit concerned that he or she may not have been missed, but thankfully mum and dad located the wayward youngster and brought food to the fledgling, who eventually flew off and caught up with the others

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Sadly, despite the advances made by mankind in the fields of science, understanding and the training of birds, it is unlikely we will ever have an answer to the above question.

However, on our very own Plant Centre nest-cam here at Harlow Carr, we have been able to watch and listen to the behaviour of our chicks and the parent Great-Tits and as such we have transcribed what our Great-Tit family members may be saying to each other if they were able to speak a human language, such as English. Here is our transcription

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Well what a week we've had. Since our last news reporting that we had four chicks, don't you just know it? - the remaining three hatched. We now have a very full house with all seven eggs hatching. The latter three hatched a day after the first four and even after just one day the difference in size between the two clutches was noticeable. Now, several days later on we are pleased to see that all seven seem to be thriving, with all of them feeding well, even the small ones. All of the babes are developing the characteristic whispy feathers on their heads, whilst the older chicks have now clearly defined wing feathers coming on a treat.

 After a somewhat slow and hesitant start both mum and dad have definitely got to grips with the feeding regime, bring a steady stream of grubs and caterpillars every few seconds. The result is a nest fairly bursting at its seams with hungry, and lively, chicks. Watch this space for further developments or come along and see the family grow before your very eyes on our Plant Centre glasshouse nest-cam

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We arrived at work this morning and were delighted to discover that we had become a grandmother. Not really of course, but our Great-Tit couple are now a family! Three hatchlings were seen once we turned our nest-cam on and number four followed at about 9:20am.

There was a bit of concern as mum seemed to be having problems with the feeding routine - Mr G-T was bringing grubs into the nest, passing them to mum, who dangled these over the gaping gapes of the chicks without actually popping the food in the chicks' mouths, preferring to eat it herself. All very good for her but not for the babies. Anyway, as of this afternoon she seems to have got the hang of it and she is now relinquishing the food to her hungry charges. Why not come along the the Plant Centre glasshouse and watch the chicks grow

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Magnificent! We now have seven eggs in our Camera Nest Box in the Plant Centre. After laying six eggs last week, Mrs Great-Tit followed this up with a seventh. As anyone who works in horticulture knows, you should always work with odd numbers and it seems our nesting pair have heeded this advice! Mrs G-T has been sitting on the eggs quite a bit, turning them regularly, but she has also been getting out and about a bit to stretch her wings. When she feels like being a stay-at-home mom-to-be, Mr G-T has been bringing her some tasty titbits. If you are visiting Harlow Carr over the holiday weekend, come and catch up on the latest in the Plant centre glasshouse

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Egg-cellent news! After a couple of days of increased activity from our resident Great-Tit couple, Mrs G-T laid a clutch of 6 eggs this morning. These were squeezed out in less than half an hour and are now being incubated by Mrs G-T whilst Mr G-T stands sentry outside - we can hear his reassuring call from all corners of the Plant Centre. All this action is being caught on our Nest-cam so if you fancy watching how things are going, why not pay a visit to the Plant Centre glasshouse?

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For the third spring in succession the Plant Centre at Harlow Carr has a nest box with camera in operation to enable staff and visitors alike to watch the nesting of some of our feathered residents.

For the last two years Bluetits have made their home and raised chicks in the nest box, watched with interest on the TV monitor set up in the Plant Centre glasshouse. This year, however, Great-tits have started to build a nest. The pair made a slow start but in the last few days have increased their activity, bringing plenty of nesting material into the box, and the place looks comfy-cosy

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Cold days, mild days, windy days, still days - but best of all sunny days. Spring has most certainly sprung at Harlow Carr and the Rhododendrons are putting on their customary display with a fine flourish of seasonal colour. In and around the woodland areas of the garden the Rhodos really do provide such interest and turn visitors' and staff heads alike.

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A good selection of citrus trees are now available in the Harlow Carr Plant Centre. Lemons, Limes, Oranges and Kumquats with a range of sizes and prices. Makes a great gift.

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 Buddleja

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