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Winter Gardening Tips with Papillon Garden Design and Landscaping

Winter Gardening Tips with Papillon Garden Design and Landscaping

We’ve teamed up with Papillon Garden Design and Landscaping to bring you some tips on making the most of your garden throughout winter. So if you still want to get green fingered but you’re unsure how during the colder months, read the tips below.

As winter sets in, many gardeners feel they have to say goodbye to their flowerbeds and vegetable patches as the weather starts to cool. But it doesn’t have to be like this – you can prolong your season by growing winter vegetables.  Not only will it keep you busy during those short winter days, but it will also provide you with produce for wholesome dishes, for you to enjoy through the winter months.

There’s lots of choice with winter vegetables, but what you can grow will depend on your resources. 

Growing vegetables outside in the ground

If you’re thinking of growing outside in the North-east of Scotland you will need to plant hardy winter vegetables that will withstand the cold such as:   

Broad beans;
Garlic;
Onion setts;
Perpetual spinach.

Although these plants will fight the cold, frost can be damaging, so it’s important to protect against it.  Cloches act as a great defence; not only will they keep frost out, but they will let light in and protect against hail and wind too.  

If you don’t have a cloche, a cover or fleece can be used overnight instead, although this is likely to lead to more work, so a cloche might be a good investment. 

Window boxes
If your garden isn’t ready for growing vegetables yet, you can use window boxes to sow seeds for next season.  Consider sowing Spinach, Green Onions and Herbs. 

Use the winter downtime to plan ahead

Winter is a great time to think about what you want from your garden and how you can better use your space to achieve this. Environmental factors come into play and can limit choice, especially when it comes to growing not just veg, but plants too.  Seeking professional advice on this could help save time and money in the long run. 

Gardens are there to be appreciated, so make the most of yours and enjoy it!

Papillon is a garden design and landscaping company based in Aberdeen.  For more information on garden design, visit Papillon’s website:  www.papillonlandscape.co.uk. 

Ends

Wildlife Spotting In and Around Chapelton

With spring well and truly here and summer on its way, now is the perfect time to get outdoors and make the most of the good weather.

Chapelton may be home to over 250 people but the community is also a hub of local and fascinating wildlife which can be seen whilst in the town itself, along the Chapelton Trail or in neighbouring areas.

From wild flowers to minibeasts, here is some of the wildlife that you can spot in and around Chapelton this season.

Minibeasts

The perfect wildlife for small children to look for, minibeasts can be found at the edge of Chapelton in the community woodland area.

Slaters, slugs, beetles and bugs are all tiny residents that hide amongst the long grass, gorse bushes and dry stane dyke and can be easily spotted whilst carefully moving stones or plants.

Skylarks

Along the Chapelton trail, walkers can relax and listen to the birds that soar above. A gentle stroll equipped with binoculars provides the perfect opportunity to see skylarks which can often be seen across the fields in the distance.

Small and brown, this bird is slightly larger than a sparrow yet smaller than a starling, with a small crest that is raised when the bird is excited or alarmed, and a white-sided tail. The white rear edge of the bird is visible whilst it is in flight.

Pollinators

As the flowers become brighter throughout the warmer summer months, a variety of pollinators can be spotted in the flowers surrounding Chapelton. Colourful rhododendrons and certain tree species are havens for bumblebees and other pollinators including butterflies.

For a taste of local honey head along to one of the nearby farmer’s markets in Stonehaven or Aberdeen.

Dolphins

Those keen to travel a little further can spot dolphins at Torry Battery in Aberdeen.

The city’s Harbour remains one of the best places in the UK to view dolphins, with the RSPB’s Dolphin Watch Project reporting that visitors to Torry Battery have a nine in ten chance of seeing the marine animals feeding.

Bottlenose, white beaked and risso dolphins can often be seen at the city centre location with porpoises, minke whale and basking sharks also sighted in recent years.

Those interested in finding out more about wildlife local to Chapelton can join the Walking with Wildlife event on Sunday 20th May. For more details, visit http://chapeltonnewtown.co.uk/event/walking-with-wildlife

Embrace the beauty of a Chapelton winter

There are few things more refreshing than a crisp, cold Scottish winter morning. Aberdeenshire is rich in natural beauty as well as well as offering a host of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy. Chapelton and its surrounding area is no exception to the rule.

Our guide to winter in Chapelton and the local area highlights five of the community’s favourite activities and attractions.

Stroll through a natural wonder

Less than five miles away from Chapelton is the Red Moss of Netherley. Located next to the small village of Netherley, the raised bog is a varied habitat with marsh and woodland. A variety of wildlife flourishes in this environment including heather and bog-land plants including Sphagnum moss and carnivorous sundews. Perfect for kids and adults alike, visitors may spot inhabitants as diverse as the toad and dragonfly depending on when they visit.

The walk is easy going over an access path – but do ensure that you stick to it, as deep pools and ditches within the bog can be dangerous if walked upon.

Learn more about the Red Moss by visiting https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserve/red-moss-of-netherley/

Go winter wildlife spotting

With a favourable climate and plenty of food to enjoy, the skies above Chapelton are the perfect place to spot a diverse range of migrating birds. Recent sightings have included the Snow Goose, the diminutive Siberian Chiffchaff and distinctive American Wigeon.

Arboriculturalists will also appreciate the wide variety of tree species available throughout Chapelton and its surroundings, including Silver Birch, Gorse, various willows and the large beech hedge which can be found on the Chapelton Trail.

Learn more about wildlife in Aberdeenshire on VisitABDN (https://www.visitabdn.com/what-to-do/aberdeen/nature-and-wildlife/).

Indulge yourself at Teacake

Come in from the cold by relaxing with a hot drink or warming bowl of soup in the town’s very own café, Teacake. Located within the popular focal point of Hume Square, the family-run business uses choice ingredients from local suppliers.  Keep an eye on their Facebook page to keep up with its regularly-updated menu. You can also reserve a table or request a gift voucher to share with a loved one.

Explore the market town of Stonehaven

With a fine range of independent shops to explore, Stonehaven is an alluring town less than ten miles from Chapelton. It’s also home to the acclaimed Gallery at Fifty Five, which stocks an array of artwork from up-and-coming Scottish artists and is the perfect location to obtain a stylish piece with which to personalise your new home.

The town is also home to HIP Life; an independent clothing store which stocks handmade, Fairtrade clothing from Nepal, India and Mexico.

You can learn more about Gallery at Fifty Five at http://www.galleryatfiftyfive.co.uk/.

 

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