Thawing

Bursting out all over

Last week’s thaw gave us a bit more than beautiful winter colours back to the hillsides. We woke up on Boxing Day morning to find that the hot water pipe in the garage had sprung a leak, covering the floor with four inches of water (yes I did measure it) Water was gushing out from behind the sink. As Julie swept waves out of the door, I unscrewed the cupboards from the wall to inspect the damage. The last few inches of the pipe is a metal flexible end to bend towards the taps. You would think that this type of pipe was immune to freezing conditions, but it’s just as susceptible as copper piping as it has a rubber tube running through it which must have expanded with the ice and cracked. Doubting anywhere was open, and that plumbers mobile phones would be engaged until spring; I decided to do a quick fix. I bent the pipe over to stop the flow of water and got out the trusty Duck Tape to keep the pipe in place. We were lucky, If the burst had been in the attic it would have been a costly fix, or if we had gone away for the week....

After the freeze

Looking at the garden after the freeze is always interesting. Some plants and shrubs thrive on the covering and the insulation that snow brings. Think about how alpine plants cope up on their native mountain screes. They love the snow and could happily live under it until spring. It’s the constant wet and poor drainage conditions that kill these plants off. Grass soon picks up; it looks very sorry for itself but bounces back. Our cordyline seems a bit flattened too as do the broccoli and kale plants, although I don’t think there’s any serious damage as the snow acted as an insulator.

Furniture

Our decking and garden furniture are not doing too well. Although I coated them with preservative earlier in the year they are still deteriorating fast. We have a slippery layer of green algae outside of the patio doors and the frost has got into the table and chairs from cracks in the varnish. In hindsight it would be advisable to put the furniture indoors in winter. It’s not as handy to move the decking into the shed so I have put a vinegar solution with salt onto the planks to kill off the slippery substance. Bleach works just as well, but I was thinking of the puppy’s paws, he tends to help me with everything when I’m outside. Bleach is handy if you have plastic furniture. Plastic furniture is pretty weather resistant but it does build up a layer of gunge and can get discoloured. Try mixing a couple of tablespoons of washing up liquid into four spoons of bleach. Wear rubber gloves and wipe all of the affected surfaces with a cloth. Leave it for half an hour then rinse off. The colour will be restored and the chairs will be ready for the sunshine.

Water for the birds

We had a lot or response about caring for the birds in winter. Here are a few replies.
“There is always water available in guttering. Except in the most severe weather, the south facing roof will always thaw during the day providing water for the birds. What birds need most is cover from the weather and predators. So every garden should have at least one evergreen shrub. Also the leaf litter below shrubs is usually free of frost so iI put a chopped apple there for the robin and his fellow thrushes.

“I have put a pot saucer on some bricks and put a candle underneath; this helps to keep water free from ice.”


“I come from Estonia where temperatures below zero are normal. I have never heard anyone here trying to give water to birds in winter; it is pointless, as it will freeze in a moment. There is, however, one important thing to remember, do not give anything salted to birds: no ham or minced meat (because there is salt in it). If you give fat or sunflower seeds or something else to birds, make sure that it is not salted, otherwise the birds will die of thirst.”

“I have watched birds in my garden eating snow to avoid thirst, and this must bring their body temperatures down, when I do melt and top up the bird bath it is quickly used by sparrows, blue tits, robins and many others, so I do think it’s worthwhile to keep doing this in cold snaps, especially if they have already come to rely on you.”

“It’s a full time job keeping the birds fed at this time of the year up here in Inishowen. Robins, blue tits, starlings, pigeons, jackdaws, sparrows and blackbirds all appreciate seeds, unsalted peanuts, fat balls, seeded bread, corn, mince. This year they are very keen to bathe which surprised us given how chilly snow-covered everything is at present. I expect their plumage needs particular attention in order to help with insulation.”