Carol Klein explains why it has been a busy week at Glebe Co age
I've been clearing the stream bed so the debris doesn't act as a dam
What an exhilarating feeling it is when you realise that daylight hours are gradually increasing and you can stay out a little longer. There’s so much to do at this time of year and though there’ll be little to see immediately as a result of all the work, later on it'll manifest very visible results.
Here at Glebe Cottage, the idea of winter being a season for quiet contemplation, having put the garden to bed, is laughable. We seem to be busier now than at any time of the year and find those few extra minutes each day are a boon.
There are years when activity in all our gardens is curtailed by the weather; snow, icy conditions and even torrential rain can put paid to the best of intentions. This winter we’ve all had our share of rain, but so far there’s been little biting cold and no snow to speak of.
If you look at an Ordnance Survey map of our area, one of the most striking features is the prevalence of springs. They pop up all over the show, never in exactly the same place. The only running water though is a small stream that enters the garden on the west side and tumbles through the shady part, exiting below the bank of beeches and into next door’s wood.
During the summer it shrinks to a trickle but in midwinter, especially after heavy rain, it’s audible, occasionally becoming a torrent. Two little bridges (small York stone slabs) cross it, both very useful for one of the jobs that needs to be done now, clearing out the bed of the stream so that the debris built up on the north side of these stones doesn’t act as a dam, flooding both sides of the surrounding area.
It’s very satisfying when, having removed lots of the detritus above the stones, you can poke the rest through and, with a satisfying glug, clear the whole thing out as the water rushes forward. Perhaps I missed my vocation and should have been a plumber!
Three alder trees that we planted soon after we got here (there were four but one died) love this area but had suckered all over the show, making it difficult to look after other plants growing in the vicinity. Alder, in common with many leguminous plants, has nitrogen-fixing nodules on its roots. It’s one of the best trees for a waterlogged area; rather than rotting, its wood gets harder. Dean removed the suckers which had made a thicket.
All the special plants in this area stand a real chance of doing their thing now. There are a few marsh marigolds and Erythronium tuolumnense, and the hybrid ‘Pagoda’, which thrive here. The marsh fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris, also loves this spot. Later the sensitive fern, Onoclea sensibilis, will unfurl its fronds but already three plants, Cardamine quinquefolia, a fast-spreading relative of lady’s smock, Chrysosplenium davidianum, a Chinese cousin of our golden saxifrage with deep green leaves on red stems lit up with lime-green flowers, and
C. macrophyllum, with bigger leaves and pale pink flowers, are announcing the onset of spring.