With the key to the garden door now in my possession, I made my first proper foray into the garden this week. For some time before taking on this garden, I’d had my eye on the big compost heap against the north facing wall. Whilst it is hidden from the big house, I can see it from the kitchen window and have wondered for many months what it contains, so it was with a sense of both satisfaction and anticipation that I approached it, fork at the ready. The top layer was made up of grass cuttings and I dreaded finding a heap of smelly, anaerobic sludge, but underneath this top layer was a mix of grass cuttings and the prunings of perennial border plants and, much to my pleasure, a great many worms.
These are compost worms, of the Eisenia species, and they are busy breaking down the heap into usable compost, so their presence is very welcome; I hope to find some ready to use compost further down. On putting my fork to soil in the borders, I have my fingers crossed that I’ll find plenty of worms there too (these will be Lumbricus rubellus, which prefer to live in soil rather than compost heaps, pulling plant debris beneath the soil). There is certainly enough organic matter on the surface to keep them happy!
Walking along the long border and looking at the rather bedraggled remains of last year’s perennials, I spotted the first ladybirds of spring, warming themselves in the sun; they are very welcome too as they and their larvae will help to keep the garden clear of aphids.
Further down the garden, at the other end to our house, is a small weeping willow and this has been beautifully under-planted with winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) which are now in full flower. As I knelt to admire them, an early foraging honey bee landed in an open bloom to feed on the nectar and pollen. There are also many Primulas flowering in the garden now and they will add to the food stores of the bees.
So far, I’ve cut back the shrubs that birds might choose for nesting in the coming weeks, raked the magnolia leaves off the lawn and made a start on renovating the sad looking winter-damaged Ceanothus. The next job will be to get my fork in the soil and see what’s under it. I’m looking forward to finding out.