Cucurbit troubles: a glimmer on the horizon

Since the really dry spell in April my cucumber plants have been looking less than healthy.
The leaves went all white and papery - a sign that they have had too much sun - and growth was stunted, to say the very least.
My solution - because my garden does not have an ounce of shade in the summer until 6pm - was to place assorted items around the plants to give them some respite from the glaring sunshine.
The patio table, the potted walnut tree and the eastern white pine (also potted) were all enlisted to help. In fact, my patio hasn't been looking quite its normal self lately - it's been a collection of items huddled around the poor beleaguered cucurbits as if they were protecting it and seeing what was wrong.
But I persevered - at every stage, new growth has been apparent. I've fed them, watered them and made sure they don't get baked.
Alas, one by one the little plants perished. I have gone from 10 plants to just four in a matter of recent days.
But just as I was beginning to lose hope, I discovered a tiny little cucumber hiding under one of the crumbling leaves. The plants were recovering!
The moral of this story is that sometimes there is no magic cure when your plants have got poorly, but don't give up on them - they're doing their best.

Threatened hawfinch rescued in garden

A hawfinch had to be rescued after being found in a garden in Etchingham unable to fly.
The birds, which are on the RSPB's Red List of threatened species, are the UK's largest finches.
Trevor Weeks of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (ESWRAS), which rescued the hawfinch, said: "This is the first time we have ever had one to rescue or to treat in 26 years.
"It has a swelling on one wing near to the shoulder but we don't think there is a fracture, but it is being checked by the vet to assess the damage.
"We know they can be difficult in captivity to treat, and hope that it will be able to go outside as soon as possible and released quickly too.
"It has a large and powerful bill and is an amazing colour, and much bigger than I was expecting."
ESWRAS said hawfinches had previously been found in Kent but were "not so common" in East Sussex.
It is estimated that there are between 3,000 and 6,500 breeding pairs in the UK.

A tale of two feeders: the outcome

A while ago I wrote about my bird feeders.
I have spent a considerable amount of time and effort on this topic, partly to encourage the goldfinches into my garden and to discourage the pesky squirrels from destroying my peanut feeder.
Well, the good news is that I seem to have had some success. Not only have the goldfinches at last discovered the £1.99 nyjer seed feeder attached to the shed, I also have a steady stream of greenfinches visiting the garden.
Sadly, the squirrel completely wrecked the peanut feeder but I have already installed another, which seems to be working well so far. I was worried the woodpeckers would be discouraged too but I have just seen one feeding quite happily - despit having to perform some extra acrobatics to reach the peanuts.
I have also purchased the Gardman "guaranteed squirrel proof" peanut feeder but have yet to find a suitable place to install it - it only works if the squirrels are forced to approach from above. I hope to borrow a ladder and fit it to the eaves of the house some time this week to see if it will work.
In the meantime, the lovely wooden peanut feeder given to me at Christmas hangs forlorn on the shed as a testament to the squirrel which systematically ripped all the wire mesh to pieces, removed the stopper on the back, snapped the wire which held it to the shed and chewed all the wood.

Gardens visit: 'My' Italian gardens

After Blogger's critical outage, I am now able to post again.
So, in true Monty Don style, I've got some pictures of Italian gardens from my recent trip to Italy.
Included is the Roman Forum in Rome - while not strictly a garden, it does contain a formal area of hedging and water features. You will also see pictures of Catania's Villa Bellini public park, the Villa Giulia public park in Palermo and the botanic gardens in both of those cities.

World Naked Gardening Day

I note with curiousity and amusement that today is World Naked Gardening Day.
I'm sure neighbours up and down the country are quite relieved that it's been intermittently overcast and, therefore, slightly on the chilly side today.
In any case, it's certainly not something I would advocate after looking at some of the photos on the WNGD website.
Not only was I in danger of bringing up my lunch, I'm also concerned for the health and safety of these people - please stay clear of the holly and just watch what you do with those secateurs!
Anyway, roll on Sunday when I can nosily peer into people's gardens again.

Gardens visit: Borde Hill

While I expect many of the National Trust gardens are full to bursting with visitors over the Easter holiday, privately owned Borde Hill was pleasantly quiet.
Here are some of the photos I took on my visit today.

How to build a budget greenhouse Pt.2

I recently bought a greenhouse - a very cheap one - and decided to document my efforts to build it.
It's a Norfolk Greenhouses New Budget Greenhouse.
You may have already read Part 1 of my greenhouse diary during which I put down a base and built the frame before calling it a day.
The next phase of the task was to attach the plastic sheeting.
The sheeting came in two rolls about 2ft wide and I got hubby to help me drape them over the apex of the frame one by one and tack them into place before stretching them taught and taping them firmly, with the transparent tape provided, onto the metal.
The instructions tells you to bury the "tails" of plastic in the ground to anchor the structure but I decided instead to thread them under the frame and screw the frame to the ground. I'm not sure whether this made construction more complicated or much easier but it seemed to work for us.
The next phase was to cut and tape the plastic sections over the front and back of the frame then seal the whole covering with transparent tape. There were some additional sections to screw onto the outside of the sheeting to strengthen the structure and hold the plastic in place - this would have been impossible without assistance and someone needs to hold the bolt on the outside while someone on the inside attaches the nut.
A small panel was attached over the door and the runners were screwed to the outside of the frame.
The door was built in much the same way as the rest of the greenhouse - bolting together the frame, stretching over the plastic and taping it into place.
Two plastic pieces were screwed onto the top and bottom of the door to fit into the runners. When the door was put in it didn't run particularly smoothly and the fact that it has no handle didn't help.
To open and shut the greenhouse, I now have to hold the door on either side and slide it along with both hands. It's not bad and I'm not sure exactly what I expect from a £69 greenhouse but it's not the best workmanship in the world - perhaps I built it wrong but I'm not sure how.
Anyway, greenhouse complete, now I'm off to fetch my seedlings from my dining table.