Preparing for the Spring

November 2 2019

The autumn downpour at first distracts me with its noise and hurtle, then I remember to check some old fashioned soakaways for flooding along the side path.

Swathed in waterproofs I glance uphill towards our red willow project. Like everything else on my landscape its branches are being thrashed around in storm wind.

In my mind I tell the graceful saplings,

feeling it's respectful to communicate ahead of time, that when their sap is at rest midwinter, I'll be along to prune and shape them into the new hedge.

Their roots will network into a sponge fit to contend with climate change, and there'll be pretty red bark to look at against black clouds

The spontaneous wildflower carpet we've got,

instead of barren gravel and artificial mesh,

allows several other little trees to shine.

Topsoil taking on its own life raft of things the insects

and then the birds will love.

A sharp eyed debate about bricks and mortar has to be reckoned with.

However, all these newcomers seem to be sprouting in just the right spots.

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