Motherhen's Warm and Sunny garden

This is quite a sheltered spot, it faces south and is directly in front of the house wall. It is also protected from the worst of the south west wind as it is set back from the front gable wall. The main problem is, because it is so sheltered, the Chucks enjoy it too, so everything growing here has to be chicken proof!

The last few years I have settled on lavender, my favourite ‘Hidcote’. In order to give it a sporting chance, it has been protected for the past three years by some chicken wire. This summer I took the chicken wire down but just left a few uncomfortable looking bamboo sticks, positioned strategically to discourage dust baths. The chickens have many other places around the garden to take dust baths; so it is just to remind them to nip round the corner to their ablutions at ‘Spiky Bush’! The lavender has survived and has flowered well this year.

The large clematis is planted here too. It came with the house and must be as old as this extension, as it has a massive trunk. When we bought the house the clematis was larger than it is today; as about five years ago it seemed to die. It did not start to grow in the spring and withered before it was able to flower. I’m not sure what caused this, but since the dead branches were trimmed back, it has revived itself and climbed back up the walls

This summer, I added a Jasmine to climb through the clematis and I’m really pleased with this. It seems very happy with its spot and it has flowered well. I hope it manages its first winter in this sheltered part of the garden. To help the clematis and the jasmine I have replaced part of the soil with compost and added some water retaining gel crystals.

Adjacent to the ‘Warm and Sunny corner is ’The Trough’. This was here when we bought the house but after planting it up for many summers since we moved in (with and without chicken wire and sticks, dynamite and pecking guided missiles), I have failed to exclude the chickens assaults into the warm sandy soil. So it has been empty the last three years. The chicken, of course think it is their bath but I am hopeful of discovering a way to keep them out. I will be having another go next spring and returning the hanging basket to the bracket on the house wall.(no, the Chucks have not learned to sit in this yet although they did understand how to tip the window boxes off the windowsill so they could continue to preen and sunbathe at a height!) However, at the moment The Trough is a bit of an eyesore and half full of spent compost and old chicken feathers!