Storm Damage to Greenhouse, Pruning

Sunday night the winds were gusting to over 60mph. Thanks to the Met Office we knew it was coming and thought we were ready for it. The plastic chairs on the patio were stacked and laid down so they, hopefully, wouldn’t end up learning to fly. Checked the greenhouses. Panes of glass secure, vents closed and doors secured. All checked and ready.

The sight I dread – broken glass by the greenhouse.

Well it was a one doozy of a night. The wind howled and who knows what crashed and banged. I was tempted to check on things at 4am but I know there’s nothing to be done when the wind is blowing that strongly.

Usually our strong winds hit from the north and west, sometimes from the south west but this time it was coming from the south east. Down the hill behind us. Normally the rear of the house is sheltered and fairly calm but not on Sunday night (OK technically Monday morning).

This unusual wind direction turned out to be the main problem for me. When I looked out on Monday morning and saw broken glass on the path my heart sank. However it wasn’t as bad as I feared. The main greenhouse was intact and it was just one of the doors that was hanging loose and missing two panes of glass.

Repairs

Gap sealed with duct tape, greenhouse bodged,

The wind had caught it and twisted the door half off. Under the strain of the door flexing, the panes had broken. The top pane is 610mm x 610mm (2 feet square) and I’d a piece to fit. The middle pane is 610mm x 540mm and here I wasn’t in luck. I’d a piece that was 610mm x 545mm and no way would it fit. You can’t cut tempered glass, so that was out.

Then I found a piece that was 535mm so could slot in but left a gap. Still it could be clipped in and then we sealed the gap with duct tape. Just in time as the sky darkened and the rain came down heavily as we packed away.

Mowing

Most of the garden time this week has been spent on maintenance tasks like mowing. The big problem with keeping the grass down here is weather. When it’s wet the grass just snags on the mower blades and clogs the machine.

Not a problem in the fields where the sheep are singularly unbothered by the weather. They’d do a great job when the mower fails due to weather except they seem to prefer eating anything and everything other than grass. Oh well, it is what it is.

Pruning

The little grassed area behind the Vitavia got a cut and a bramble that had thrown out very long shoots was duly trimmed which leads to the next job.

I decided to shred the bramble shoots but it hardly seems worthwhile getting the shredder out for just that. So decide to start pruning the bushes in the back border behind the house.

Ruthless Pruning to Half Wanted Height

When we moved here fourteen years ago it was just sloping soil slipping onto the path so a retaining wall was made and it leveled. It’s very shaded, a passage about 2.5/ 3m wide with the house on one side and a stone wall on the other.

After it had been terraced we stuck in a selection of shrubs and some flowers, wild daffodils and primrose. Since then it’s basically been given a haircut each year and left to its own devices. Well usually but the last couple of years it’s got out of control.

Once I started it just carried on. Pruning is a really satisfying task as the results are immediately visible. I’ve been very ruthless, taking things to half the height I want them to be. It looks devasted now but come the spring it’ll bounce back. Worse case, I pop another shrub in.

Chop and Drop

Piles of Prunings Awaiting Shredding

There’s a permaculture concept called chop and drop where prunings are just left below the tree or bush to naturally rot down. However, larger and thicker sticks will take years to go which is OK if you’re dealing with a food forest or suchlike. This is, in essence, a decorative border and quite small, so I don’t think the right move.

The shreddings just go under the plants they came from. Their nutrients will return to the plants as the soil texture and quality is improved.

Unfortunately I forgot that shredding takes longer than pruning. I’ve massive piles on the lawn and blocking the back passage behind the house. Only problem with my Stihl shredder is that it often blows fuses. If it gets blocked and strains, fuse goes. Run for an hour and the fuse goes. Still, I’ve lots of 13amp fuses and it only takes a minute to change a fuse. Good day’s work ahead.

Bird’s Nest

Old Bird’s Nest in the Bush

One nice discovery was an old bird’s nest. Looks to have been successful as there was a lot of bird poo below it. I’m not an eco-warrior, but I do try to improve things and we’ve certainly increased the local bird population.