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Our garden is getting a makeover this spring. We want it to be a place that gives nourishment to the senses as well as the body, which is a lot to ask of a small space.
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We lifted some slabs from the patio, edged the exposed rectangle with timber from a diy store, filled it with compost from the bins and hey presto! A new raised bed in the no-dig tradition.
Because it is just outside the back door we wanted it to be neat and pleasing to the eyes. It will have peas and salad and maybe a courgette or two.
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But of course this meant we had nowhere to sit.
We didn't use the patio much anyway. Even though it was behind the house, the traffic noise reverberated along the walls between our house and our neighbours'. We have grown climbing plants along our walls to dampen the noise (clematis and jasmine: plants that do not dig into the brickwork) but the neighbours haven't.
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So we moved the greenhouse to the bottom of the garden and laid the new patio where the greenhouse used to be. The olive tree Jane grew from seed has pride of place, in front of the warm south-facing wall.
The wooden frame to the left of the image gives a sense of seclusion. We were amazed at how effective it is.
Work in progress ...
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New tool
Introducing the Chara Hand Hoe.
Chara is a scaled-down version of the Sabik hoe, with a small, sharp blade and elegant swan neck. Adept for reaching into the border and hoeing between established plants.
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New colours for the apron
The Japanese crossover apron has been a success. It is designed and made by our tool pouch maker, Anne. She has now expanded from one to five colour combinations.
Each apron is reversible, with one colour visible. Here it is in burnt orange and black, showing the burnt orange on the outside.
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The 2016 Christmas Gift
As you may know, each year we ask our customers to nominate a charitable or community venture that they feel would benefit from a gift of our tools.
The name drawn out of the hat just before Christmas was Majical Youth, a project in south-west Wales. They have only just taken delivery of their chosen tools, so we have no images to display - yet. We'll update our blog and Facebook page as soon as they arrive.
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IWONE 2017
The eighth international workshop on natural energies will take place in Sweden on August 4th to 6th at Höör near Malmö in Sweden. Its inspiration comes from the work of Viktor Schauberger, the man behind the idea of our tools too.
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And finally ...
we wish you a satisfying and productive gardening season.
Now that we have stopped doing shows we don't get to talk to our customers very often, so please contact us if you have any feedback or suggestions or if you just want to say hello!
Spring greetings from Jane and Nigel
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