In the garden - Janna Schreier Garden Design Garden Design

It was really obvious. Daryl and Darylena behaved the worst. We had seen the two of them together all winter and chewed happily through my plants in the morning, at noon and in the evening. But one day Daryl was missing. It was a little worrying to see Darylena alone.

He was there a few days later. But wait, where had Darylena gone? Did they have an argument? And why were they both suddenly so fleeting? They seemed pretty used to having me with them.

And then everything became clear. When I turned the corner on the walnut tree, it was there. Mom and two tiny baby fawns. Everything shaky, lanky and spotty coated; the most delightful things. They were gone before I knew it; I almost wondered if I had imagined it.

But no, now everything made sense. Mom and dad took turns taking care of the new twins until they were big enough to take their first steps. The big gaps in my garden beds may be due to the fact that she ate three times in the cooler months.

It was a few days before I saw her again. I hope I didn’t scare mom too much. And I’ve still only seen her through the window since the first time. But what a highlight of my day is seeing the kids jumping around and enjoying the pond.

Of course, newborns do not come without increased nerves for everyone. And Freddy seems to have been around a lot lately. But I did my homework and the first month is her most vulnerable time. I think we almost have to do that now.

We had other births in the garden this month. One of my best finds was a great tit nest in the aspen tree. I had sorted out a few piles of wood that ignited in our wood shop when I noticed a great tit above my head. It had a worm in my mouth and I wondered if it was going to its nest.

Then a second great tit appeared. This one with a slightly thinner black tie on the front was the woman; She had also brought food for the table. I sat down as deep and still as possible and waited and watched.

I had noticed earlier that the ash grew out of the aspen. I love these strange achievements of nature. But I hadn’t properly assessed the formation of the aspen that allowed the ashes to take root. Was it two aspens fused together? However it developed, there was clearly a cavernous home inside. Mr Great Tit suddenly jumped from his ash look and disappeared into it.

I must have been sitting for at least an hour. Completely spellbound by Mr. and Mrs. GT. It was incredible how many insects they brought for the chicks. I’m not sure it’s true, but I’ve been told that every chick eats 100 maggots a day. Where on earth did you find them all? And how exhausted they must have been.

It was the same routine every time. Back in the canopy of the aspen. Look around. Then, when everything is safe, on the ashes. Stop for another look. Then into the nest at lightning speed. It was quite a lot to see her maneuvering in and out through the narrow gap in the trunk.

Too fast to follow the eye, the camera showed them pinning their wings before quickly unpacking them to fly. And in the meantime, some annoying people were sitting around and were probably pushing them off a bit.

But I hope you understand. I will take care of the trees and plants that house their insects and they will also share their little world with me.

We also had our first brood of newt pigs in the pond. Tiny little things, maybe an inch long. Of all the millions and millions of “toad sticks” we have had, we have never seen a mini toad. Oddly enough, I saw a little frog, although no frog spawn was visible.

The other very exciting find this month was a small, lonely, pink flower in the orchard. It doesn’t sound much – it’s not much – but on closer inspection, it turned out that this small, lonely, pink flower is a native orchid. The first one we have ever seen.

I had previously thought about dropping some orchid seeds. However, flowering can take seven years and they only germinate if there is a particular fungus in your soil. I hadn’t passed the real dedication test, but let’s hope that it does better than me in that regard and comes back with friends next year!

I also looked around the garden with fresh eyes this month. A friend recently introduced me to a brand new concept: that something is “tasty”. Not in the sense of a good taste, but in the sense of a good appearance. Is this a friend’s specialty or just something that has happened to me in the past too many years?

I had sent her some photos of curtain fabrics that I had looked at and that were shown alongside the carpet and wall paints. Apparently they were “tasty”. And when she said it, I realized that she was right. Of course they were delicious together. In a similar but different way, compost looks delicious.

And now I’m diligently reassessing the garden and finding out which parts are tasty and which aren’t. Which need a little more happiness? What does something need to be taken out to bring the treat back? And how do I make every corner of the garden delicious?