The midden

There's a small patch round the back and the side of ThisOldHouse that is quite different to any other part of the garden. At this time of year (or usually earlier) the snowdrops and a few crocuses appear, followed by daffodils, then bluebells. When you dig there, all you find is slag and stones, old bits of glass and crockery with the merest of earth covering - it was probably once the midden.

Standing proudly over the patch are three large sycamores and, until recently a very old ash, which cast a deep shade in summer. It's a wonder anything grows here at all, but the bulbs do and a few ferns besides. And by May the grass is a foot high, left until the strappy foliage of the bulbs has died down. There's a little path that meanders through the grass up to a few steps that lead to a gate to the field. We'll keep an eye on this wee patch to see how it develops.