That cotoneaster and those breeze blocks

With a little help from Toadlet, I got this far with That Cotoneaster. Whenever I say or think that word I think of my dad, who died in April 1993: he always, deliberately, said Cotton Easter.

Some roots got left in the ground as simply too difficult to get out. If they resprout, I'll mow them down. Out of the old and partly dying rhododendron next to the Cotton Easter bank, I got quite a pile of firewood, mostly just snapped off with a little help from my boot.

So then I had a neat slope and clarty boots.

As I rolled the breeze blocks to the Rattletrap to take to the dump, one of the whole ones broke into pieces. This made it much easier to lift.

off to the dump we go

Gardening Boggy Brae style

It began by with just some serious pruning of a cotoneaster that was getting far too big, that was producing far too many seedling cotoneasters elsewhere, and that was blocking access to steps and the side of a hedge I need to get at. Then I decided to try and hoik the whole thing out, along with the dead heather, ferns various, and two small holly trees that were growing in the three breeze blocks on the north-west terrace. Cotoneasters, hollies, and ferns grow with cheerful abandon all over the Boggy Brae and would soon turn into a forest, along with the birches, beeches, oaks and rowans that do the same. When they appear in the right places I encourage them. That is, I leave them to get on with their lives in peace. This cotoneaster and the hollies have outlived their welcome.

I don't know how long the breeze blocks have been there, certainly as long as we have and they, or rather the plants in them, already looked well established ten years ago. A heather plant that was alive then has since died. It was time for a change.

The soil inside the blocks was nice crumbly stuff and, just beyond, towards the rhododendron hedge, I found a fair bit of fireplace clinker. I guess people used to empty the ash pan down there once upon a time.

The first two blocks were relatively easy to shift and to empty of soil and roots. I'd left some of the cotoneaster and holly trunks to use as levers but the third block was rather more challenging.

block 3

The force of Nature helped with half of it because the cotoneaster trunk had split the block in half in its expansive Boggy Brae takeover bid for dominance so, with a bit of shoving, the holly half could be pushed over and the holly roots grubbed out and cut.

holly root ball from inside breeze block

A black tom cat sat in the drive and watched my toings and froings for more tools out of the shed. I've no idea whose cat it is. Last year it was a black and white cat that used to supervise happenings.

I ran out of energy at this point so I'm still left with a cotoneaster stump. Later I remembered my Darlac pocket chain saw. If the rain holds off today, I'll see if I can saw off the trunk at ground level with this.

Otherwise it'll be a case of recruiting some more brute force in the shape of Toad.

A spot of pruning

In spite of heavy showers at night and now again, it was dry this afternoon, so I decided to prune a cotoneaster and to shove the dry branches into the Rattletrap to be taken to the dump as and when.





I kept the thick, trunky branches to use as firewood in due course. Plonked them on top of a stump to season.

The place where the cotoneaster was, along with a couple of small holly trees that I also don't want, looks a bit bare now. The plan is to get rid of the breeze blocks and the roots of the trees so I can mow over the edge and get at the rhododendron hedge with a hedge cutter more easily.
There were several cotoneaster seedlings. In a way it's a pity to cut it down as bees like the flowers, but there is more: see the golden cotoneaster at the corner of the terrace behind the stump in the last picture. There's plenty of that.

better view down to the loch too!

A soggy morning on the Boggy Brae

Rain hammering on the porch roof as I took this shot >>>
straight across the loch from there. Gotta love the maroon spring shoots of downy birch.

this one through the front room window

Bright colour in flowers...

...and doorknobs

More roe deer depradations

This morning I went out with an old knife to cut through the bulbous lower stems of some rushes on the front primrose and daffodil bank (there are plenty elsewhere!). Above me at the bottom of the dry stone wall I noticed some clumps of lichen and a place on top of the wall where some had been pulled off.

I put back in place one clump that had not fallen to the ground and then realised that the largest of the three bits on the ground had taken root, at least it couldn't be lifted up. If you enlarge the first pic by clicking on it you can see that there is some moss growing through it. The other two bits were just lying around loosely, so to speak.













While on the bank looking up at the dry stone wall I noticed two more lichen patterns on stones.



Down below me on a slighty raised part of the boggy lawn I fenced off an area that contains fifteen new, self-seeded primrose plants. Toad can be a bit indiscriminate with the mower but he understands my keep off signs.

Elsewhere we have dandelion number two and the first sign this year of a violet flower.

Floppy daffs

Most of the daffodils on the Boggy Brae are wild ones. They look more delicate than many cultivated varieties but in fact they withstand the normal blusteriness and raininess of a typical west of Scotland spring far better than the few cultivated ones. These had fallen over because of what we call "a bit of wind and rain" so I brought them in.

The cheek of roe deer

A couple of days ago I noticed how well the Irrepressible Rose that grows by the front porch was doing. It was well leaved and the main shoot had wound a little into the support trellis. This morning my jaw dropped when I opened the storm doors and noticed most of the leaves had gone!

The culprits are roe deer. They browse. They nibble. Nothing is sacred. Blighters! ;)

They (or it) had stripped the two lesser shoots as well.

The mosses underneath one of the rose shoots are looking good though. These three are Atrichum undulatum (Common Smoothcap–the one with capsules), Thuidium tamariscum (Common Tamarisk-moss–the 'lacy', pale one), and Calliergonella cuspidata (Pointed Spear-moss–the feathery one with sharp points). All three are very common on the Boggy Brae but no less lovely for all that.

Young Hart's-tongue ferns near the porch rose had also been visited by the nibbler.

Oh to have been there, invisible, scentless, and with night vision, when the deer came so close!

Turning around to look at the dry stone wall behind me, I enjoyed the lichen patterns on some of the rocks. You can see pics here

And here's a closer look at tile and moss patterns on the old porch floor