Life in a Brittany Garden

This is a beautifully healthy gooseberry bushThis is evidence of Gooseberry Sawfly caterpillars emerging. If you turn the leaf over you can see the eggs and the very hungry caterpillars. And they can reduce the bush to no more than sticks in a couple of days.I’ve been squishing them for a week now….Literally, 3 times…

The grey water from the kitchen sink and the washing machine normally leaves the house via these pipes and a soak away to end up amongst the gooseberries and other soft fruits. This is an arrangement that has pleased them all (and me) up until recently, when the water started spreading over the basement floor…

I am feeling that the season is ‘early’ this year. I mean that, for some reason, the soil seems warm enough to plant/sow into now.  Looking back at my sowing journals for the past four years I’ve done nothing until the end of March/beginning of April…  but this year feels different. I am going to…

Narcissus ‘Jetfire’: Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’ and unknown Snowdrop variety: Crocus ‘Pickwick’: Daphne odora aureomarginata: The Breton drizzle and low cloud that has been dampening both my spirits and the garden, finally stopped. The storms and high winds of the other day are almost forgotten and Spring flowers take centre stage. And today has been…

Hellebores have never been a particular favourite of mine, but this one was -50% last year, so I bought it just because…and I rather like it.  So, this is the beginning of Balanou Gardener. I had to start somewhere!