...is not the hellebore border, as there are no buds showing yet. Actually, hellebore border sounds rather grand. We have a border that has quite a few hellebores in it, but lots of other bits and pieces too, to hide the untidy leaves after the hellebores have done their thing.
...is not the snowdrops bravely flowering despite the cold, wet weather. We don't have any snowdrops (see previous post for reasons why).
...is not the lawn. After a month under heavy frost and/or snow, and a couple of months without mowing prior to that (due to more or less permanent wet weather), it looks a little bit under the weather.
...is not the front garden, which needs a very good tidy up, as I didn't get round to it before Christmas, due to the weather.
...is a dead stick.
I should explain. It was a Ricinus, until the frosts put paid to it. But now it’s a launch pad for a plethora of garden birds flying in to take advantage of the food we put out for them. Before they land on the feeders or on the ground, robins, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, dunnocks, the odd chaffinch and occasionally the nuthatch will alight to survey the scene. I’m glad I didn’t get round to tidying it up.
8 comments:
Hi,
Dead twigs are most underrated, don't you think?
Excellent, who needs to tidy anyway? Let nature do it! :D
Hooray for dead sticks.
Life would be easier if we planted more of them
Happy New Year
You mean it wasn't a deliberate lifestyle choice to leave it there?!!
Happy New Year.
Ha!
Love this! I need to sing the praises of dead sticks in my garden, too. :))
Happy New Gardening Year!
The yuchiest bit of my garden is half an apple on a pole which I gave the birds when the ground was covered in snow. They preferred rose hips. There's not one single peck out of it. How lucky you are to have such a variety of birds visiting. I get excited if there's a sparrow!
Esther
I applaud your foresight in leaving the birds the perfect platform for surveying the rest of your garden! Glad I am not alone in having failed to tidy all the bits I swore I would tidy before Christmas.
Happy new year to you all.
Liz - my thoughts exactly. Although I think some of the plants which will be trying to come through the carpet of dead vegetation will be a little peeved if I don't tidy up soon.
James - I have a way with planting live sticks which become dead ones.
NG - I should have kept quiet. Yes, indeed - a deliberate lifestyle choice. That's exactly what it was.
Kate - long live the dead stick! So to speak.
Esther - I would love a sparrow to visit. We never have them, and I do like a cheeky sparrow about the place.
Janet - Ah yes - foresight, Of course. Congrats on getting an allotment!
You have my sympathy - not only do I have mummified tree ferns - (mine aren't as elegant as yours - they are covered with cardboard and towels and soemtimes old thermal picnic bags)- i also have a dead ricina in the bed near the bird food - we don't have snow still though so maybe i'm just a bit luckier
Post a Comment