One for sorrow, two for joy...

As I walked along the bottom of the acre yesterday I saw a magpie hopping around looking for worms. So this is my bird of the day. We get quite a few magpies on campus and non breeding birds will normally gather in flocks which is why there are always several together.

The magpie (Pica pica) is part of the crow family (Corvidae).

It stands out amongst other members of the crow family with its black and white feathers that have a purple/blue sheen to the wing and a green gloss to the tail.

The magpie is a scavenger, predator and pest destroyer who is an omnivore, which is to say they will eat other animals, plants, seeds and nuts, fruit, insects, and eggs.

They can be found all year round across the UK from lowland farmland to upland moors, but they are absent from the Scottish Highlands.

More information is available from the RSPB website (http://www.rspb.org.uk)

(Photo taken by myself on 11th February 2016)

Queenswood roundabout

Yesterday saw Carl and Paul working at Queenswood to repair the turf on the mini roundabout. A bus went the wrong way and ended up driving over it as the turn isn't quite large enough for a bus.  

They had already made a start by the time I arrived to take pictures but you can see the tyre tracks embedded in the turf. 

The damage was rather extensive this time so it required them to use a turf cutter to put new turf on the area. Normally we are able to just use forks and lift the turf back up to remove the tyre marks.

 

The turf was taken from a side of Queenswood that doesn't get any passers by or visitors on it. So this means we'll be able to re-seed the area and let it grow back without too much worry. If we get mild weather then it doesn't take long at all for grass seed to germinate. 

Here you can see Paul tamping down the turf to make sure there is definite contact between the turf and soil beneath to ensure it has every chance to survive. 

We usually get a bus or lorry going the wrong way and they do end up driving over part of the roundabout so I'm sure we will be back out fixing this patch in the future.

 

 

(Photos taken by myself on 11th February 2016)

February maintenance

What to do in your garden in February

·         Prune your wisteria to two or three buds

·         Near the end of the month, prune summer flowering clematis

·         Cut down winter shrubs grown for their colourful winter stems to the base

·         Cut back old foliage from ornamental grasses to a few centimetres off the ground

·         Prune overwintered fuchsias to one or two buds on each shoot

·         Prune winter flowering jasmine after flowering to encourage new growth for next year

·         Prune winter flowering shrubs once their colourful winter display has finished

·         Cut off old hellebore leaves to remove possible diseases such as leaf spot

·         Trim winter flowering heathers once the flowers disappear

·         Now is the time to move deciduous trees and shrubs, provided the soil isn’t waterlogged or frozen

·         Plant lily and allium bulbs

·         Plant bare root roses for a summer display, but not in the same place as old roses were grown. This can cause the new roses to suffer from replant diseases

·         Plant fragrant winter flowering shrubs ready for next winter

·         Trim deciduous hedges before birds start nesting

·         Vines such as ivy can be cut back now

·         Remove any reverted green shoots on variegated evergreens to prevent reversion taking over

·         If the grass is dry, set the mowers cutting height to its maximum and cut the grass

·         Hang fat balls and keep bird feeders topped up to attract birds

Information taken from the Royal Horticultural Society (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/february/) and Thompson and Morgan (http://www.thompson-morgan.com/what-to-do-in-the-garden-in-february)