Life became busy last week and the balance tipped away from things gardening focused. These times come along and all will pass – soon I hope! It was good to feel the warmth of the sun again but the sunny days were followed by cold nights and the greenhouse temperatures were down to -1. The garden is straining at the leash, the March surge is coming and I still have winter jobs to do.
One
The grapevine over the pergola must be pruned this weekend. It’s a job I normally do in November. What was I doing then? Or in December or January?
Two
The tulips and bluebells are coming through well. I spotted this bulb strangely lying on the surface. I bent to pick it up, cursing squirrels, but no. It was well rooted into the ground. I don’t have an explanation. Could it be an allium bulb that didn’t get planted deeply enough and has wriggled its way upwards? I decided to bury it rather than dig it up and plant it deeper as I didn’t have the time to sort it out. Maybe a job for the weekend.
Three
The onion sets are in their modules in the greenhouse. I am hoping to have the time to plant the shallots out this weekend. That ‘to do’ list is getting longer.
Four
The garden doesn’t have a single crocus or iris reticulata in it, something to be rectified in the next bulb buying session but the primroses look cheerful enough for now.
Five
And the first flowers of pulmonaria officinalis planted in a north facing border are coming out. It’s also good to see their spotted leaves. The common pulmonaria doesn’t seem to fall prey to attack by slugs.
Six
The lovely leaves of aquilegia are unfurling.
I have some final preparation of a bed on the north facing border to finish off ready for the March plant out. Plants have to be ordered and I know I will be tempted to add in a few extras for elsewhere in the garden. I’m getting ready but need to be steady for a while longer before it’s all go in March.
I hope your garden preparations are going well. Mr P is, as usual, hosting this group and all the links to gardens around the world can be found on his site.
n20gardener 
Aren’t aquilegia leaves a welcome sight? I finally started doing some clearing in the garden this week and spotted these. I was lazy and got tree surgeons to prune our grapevine. Good luck with yours.
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But you had the tree surgeons in for a good tidy up – I would have done the same!
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Young leaves unfurling are one of my favorite things to spy in the garden. My lupine is a favorite right now.
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They are so full of optimism. 🙂
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I’m now really looking forward to seeing what you mystery bulb becomes!
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It’s got quite a following. Last year I saw tulip bulbs growing in glass bowls that looked as though they had been surface planted, so I’m hoping it will survive.
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The new leaves of aquilegia are rather pleasing. I noticed a few in the garden this afternoon. I think the native primrose is my favourite of all the primulas.
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Native primroses are my favourites. I’m encouraging them to spread and will be collecting the seeds this year.
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Love Primula vulgaris!
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Life has a habit of getting in the way at times but the garden always waits (the plants get a bit impatient though!). I noticed a few flowers showing on my Pulmonaria this afternoon.
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Yes. And this is not a bad time of the year for the garden to wait a bit!
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Our weeks don’t always turn out as we planned, sometimes things have to wait. But we are generally forgiven. Love the bulb planting itself, looking forward to seeing how it turns out. 🙂
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Wise words. The progress of the bulb will be fun to follow.
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I hope you post about the mystery bulb. It looks most intriguing. I am interested in what you said about Allium bulbs. My Alliums always fall over. Is this because I didn’t plant them deeply enough?
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I looked up planting depth and advice is to plant deep, guide is at least two times height of bulb or four times the diameter. Could it be watering? Mine come through quite early in the year when there is generally enough rainfall.
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Mine have colonised and I’ve just left them to do their thing. I suspect they’re not deep enough, so this winter, I’ll dig them up and replant. It’s worth a try!
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Nice to see the new aquilegia leaves covered with raindrops… it’s one of my best places to take closeups ( with euphorbias and lupins)
About the grape vine, hurry up… it’s still time if I look at the pic. Do it before the new buds appear. ( I always prune mine in January)
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I was definitely going to do it on Sunday but built the compost bins instead. I hope I am free this afternoon….
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Keep us informed on the mystery plant!
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Why are onions in modules rather than planted directly? Once they root, what happens to them? Do they all get planted near the surface for big onions, or can you still plant them deep for green onions?
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Booker T and the MGs came to mind! So planting deep is how you get green onions. More knowledge gained. I usually plant directly but am trying modules this year, suggestion is that getting them going early in modules gives them a ahead start ready to be planted out when soil warms up. They are planted out as plugs near the surface. Hoping to see big onions.
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Oh duh; of course. I do not consider early planting much.
Why Booker T. Washington? I do not know much about him, but I really wanted to go to his former home in Tuskeegee to inspect and catalogue the trees before landscape was renovated. It is the same historic home that Lionel Ritchie grew up in. His sister still owns the home. My colleague Brent landscaped Mr. Ritchie’s home in Beverly Hills (in the Los Angeles Region of Southern California), so Mr. Ritchie sent him to Tuskeegee to renovate the landscape properly for the historic home. However, Brent found that he did not need my assistance with the trees.
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An old sixties record – instrumental. What a shame you didn’t get the chance to go to Tuskegee.
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Okay, I had to look that one up.
I intend to get to Tuskegee. It just has not happened yet. The home of George Washington Carver is in the same neighborhood, although it is not a home where I would be working.
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Must get some onion sets. I don’t seem to be having much luck with onions from seed, very few have germinated.
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I might try some from seed next year. Do they need heat? I don’t have any heat in greenhouse so I’m not too optimistic. I hope Jim gives an update on his. He’s the one who has presume to grow sets in modules this year.
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Oh dear lord. Auto correct! Jim persuaded me not ‘presume’
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