It is looking a bit like Spring!

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February 13, 2018

Feeling a bit ‘Chilli’

The New Year has quickly rushed by and we are now in February. So much has been happening in the greenhouse since early January. We have been sowing chillies and placed them carefully in our propagator, thank you Gardening for the Disabled! Chillies are now happily germinating and potting on is the current task. We have some new varieties this year thanks to generous donations from the Facebook UK Chilli Growers. Such evocative names too… Black Scorpion Tongue, Komodo Dragon, Yellow Mushroom etc. We are really looking forward to seeing them fruit. The plan is to grow them this year in large pots so they can easily be transported to the new facility, DNRC Stanford Hall to capture a new audience and bring them into the ‘Chilli Gang’!

Although we have new heaters in the greenhouse it is still quite cold. The poor fledgling chilli plants would perish if not kept cosy and warm. So as inventive as ever, we have made long tent like structures with hazel branches and covered them with several layers of bubblewrap and so far so good…

Early bulbs

In our second greenhouse we have the beginning of a lovely display of potted bulbs kindly donated last Autumn by Hortus Loci. The first to flower are crocus ‘Cream Beauty’. They are the colour of clotted cream and I discovered today they have a lovely sweet fragrance. They have opened fully in the sunshine and their scent is filling the greenhouse, a real treasure and a sign of hope. The hyacinths are showing buds with a little colour and the promise of more fragrance to delight us. We also have several pots of narcissus which are looking very good too. The impact of early colour and scent cannot be underestimated. Patients can enjoy seeing them at close quarters and have a few moments to forget it all.

Henhouse ‘shenanigans’

The Chicken and Bantam gang provide much entertainment as ever. Thankfully all are fully feathered again after the ‘Moult’. It is so funny to see them jostling for every ray of sunshine to get the best position and then fall gracefully on one side and spread out a wing like a fan! Dust bathing provides another comedy moment too. They find a lovely dry, shallow area of soil and start rolling around almost upside down. Then a leg starts going as if on the peddle of an imaginary bike, scuffing up the soil. More twisting and rolling around as if in a hypnotic state! Suddenly they will get to their feet, shake and wonder off as if nothing has occurred possibly slightly embarrassed!

Trooper our feisty cockerel was offered a new home with a patient recently who has a lonely bantam lady. Photographs were first sent to the prospective new Family (humans not feathered!) and they fell in love with him, he is after all very handsome. Then came the dilemma, Trooper has a very devoted wife called Quail, who cannot bear to away from him. We hatched her some 18^th months ago and when Trooper arrived for her it was love at first sight. We could not part them. So very kindly, new Family agreed for Quail to accompany Trooper. Phew…..

The remaining Ladies have begun to lay again as the days have now lengthened and all is well in the Henhouse.

Although ‘Great Change’ is on it’s way, it will be business as usual in the sanctuary of the Horticultural Therapy department. Patient referrals are increasing every week which is lovely, more people to brainwash regarding chillies…

Time to put the kettle on.

Carol

Chilli seeds

Chilli tents

Chilli seedlings in January

Chilli seeds in their tents

Hardening off chillies

1st Chilli sowing of 2018

Thai orange chillies

Carol with Trooper

Lovely Crocus

Hyancinth budding