Hello, Yasmin! Such an enjoyable post! I'm in NY, but regularly listen to BBC podcasts and am therefore familiar with all the terms. It is fascinating to learn that magnolia leaves are edible and slugs are deaf. May I give you a tip on keeping the moles away? Buy some strong castor oil, not the kind sold in drug stores. Soak cotton balls with the oil and tuck them into the molehills. Moles hate the smell of it so they will hopefully turn around and not come back. I love moles (since reading The Wind and the Willows) but not in my garden. Perhaps give this a try, All the best to you.
Hello Marian. I like the idea of castor oil. We have plenty of other routes the moles can take in the garden. It would certainly be good if they avoided my vegetables!
Oooh I wish I had the energy and knowledge to garden. Maybe I will take time to learn it once I’ve moved. In the meantime, I’m curious. I assume a poly tunnel is what we call a greenhouse? How lovely to have one in the yard, particularly in blustery cold Scotland
Yes, a polytunnel is a type of greenhouse, the difference being that usually polytunnels have polythene coverings over the frame and greenhouses have glass. It’s very useful here in Scotland because we have a shorter summer than the rest of England with slightly lower temperatures. The polytunnel gives us a useful head start in the spring and allows us to grow things like tomatoes under cover.
I love this writing. Perhaps it’s like having a wild patch in the garden, where thoughts and sentences riff. Not everything needs to be pruned. There’s certainly a different energy in the piece.
In our old garden, we had a little troop of ducks that would come down on the stream. They were the best slug removerers. They either ate them (natural way of the world and all that) or the slugs moved on!
I have the basics of British English down, but I had never seen the term "secateur." It's the same word in French, but in American English they're called pruning shears. I like secateur -- it's more compact.
Love this article Yasmin. You have been very industrious in the garden. I wondered about the beer trick for the slugs. They still die, don't they, but maybe in a sloomy state compared to gorging on pellets 😆
Hello, Yasmin! Such an enjoyable post! I'm in NY, but regularly listen to BBC podcasts and am therefore familiar with all the terms. It is fascinating to learn that magnolia leaves are edible and slugs are deaf. May I give you a tip on keeping the moles away? Buy some strong castor oil, not the kind sold in drug stores. Soak cotton balls with the oil and tuck them into the molehills. Moles hate the smell of it so they will hopefully turn around and not come back. I love moles (since reading The Wind and the Willows) but not in my garden. Perhaps give this a try, All the best to you.
Hello Marian. I like the idea of castor oil. We have plenty of other routes the moles can take in the garden. It would certainly be good if they avoided my vegetables!
Oooh I wish I had the energy and knowledge to garden. Maybe I will take time to learn it once I’ve moved. In the meantime, I’m curious. I assume a poly tunnel is what we call a greenhouse? How lovely to have one in the yard, particularly in blustery cold Scotland
Yes, a polytunnel is a type of greenhouse, the difference being that usually polytunnels have polythene coverings over the frame and greenhouses have glass. It’s very useful here in Scotland because we have a shorter summer than the rest of England with slightly lower temperatures. The polytunnel gives us a useful head start in the spring and allows us to grow things like tomatoes under cover.
I love this writing. Perhaps it’s like having a wild patch in the garden, where thoughts and sentences riff. Not everything needs to be pruned. There’s certainly a different energy in the piece.
In our old garden, we had a little troop of ducks that would come down on the stream. They were the best slug removerers. They either ate them (natural way of the world and all that) or the slugs moved on!
Thanks Julia, I like the idea of thoughts and sentences riffing. And the ducks…
Such a beautiful, relaxed, and natural garden it is too. Right up my street. Really nice article, Yasmin.
Thank you Bee, I’d love to spend time with you wandering around and talking plant talk.
Well, I’ve a research trip planned nearby sometime soon… Will let you know when obviously.
👍
I have the basics of British English down, but I had never seen the term "secateur." It's the same word in French, but in American English they're called pruning shears. I like secateur -- it's more compact.
Lovely word. Often referred to as pruning shears here in the UK as well.
Love this article Yasmin. You have been very industrious in the garden. I wondered about the beer trick for the slugs. They still die, don't they, but maybe in a sloomy state compared to gorging on pellets 😆
Ha, yes. Although I catch many of them from underneath pots where they hide and throw them into the hedgerow.