But not me. I’ve tried to maintain a sense of optimism for May but it is failing. Only one week to go and the weather is still unseasonably cold, wet and windy. I have barely been in the garden lately, fortunately last weekend I staked the majority of plants that need support. This week was a week for watching the garden through the rain and wind and hoping I had done a good enough job.
One
The hosta ‘Francee’ is unfurling beautifully. This one seems to survive slug attacks quite successfully. It’s in a pot on a raised bed away from any lush foliage that might be harbouring the little vandals.
Two
I am amazed that the heat loving aganpanthus has opened out a first flower, fully a month earlier than expected. It’s small but it’s a promise of things to come.
Three
Safely wrapped up in the warm the one cucumber that I kept on the kitchen windowsill is putting out tendrils. Night time temperatures in the greenhouse are still only around seven degrees but I think the time is coming for the cucumber to be moved.
Four
Last weekend the lemon tree came out of the greenhouse to make way for the tomatoes. Poor thing. What a shock it must have been. Cold winds, rain and then blustery gales. Amazingly there are three lemons that are nearly ripe. I wonder, if after a long time on the tree, they will be edible.
Five
The scented leaf pellies and the dahlias had a few days outside this week but went back inside as the high winds arrived. The pellies did not have a good winter but they have had a cut back and are sending out new growth and one or two flower buds were spotted. A trailing geranium looks quite good too. Strange to think that normally I would be thinking about moving these outside for the summer soon. Let’s hope they can have a few more days outside to become acclimatised.
Six
I was certain my allium ‘Mount Everest’ would succumb to the high winds but they held their ground and stood tall. Well done!
A quick note on the tomatoes. My first sown seeds for the greenhouse looked pretty feeble so only half the San Marzano went to the greenhouse. My second sowing of the free seed ‘Red Choice’, intended for outside planting, looked so much stronger so they have been promoted to the greenhouse. The second half of the ‘San Marzano’ and the ‘Tigerellas’ have been potted on again and will stay in the potting shed until things warm up a little more outside. I don’t know if these changes will make any difference to the plants but I felt better for doing it!
I’m not one of those who enjoyed this week’s weather but in general the garden is greening up well, spaces are being filled and flowers buds are waiting to burst open. Six on Saturday, as hosted by The Propagator, will be buzzing with excitement so if your garden is suffering from soggy patches drop by and be cheered up.
n20gardener 
You’re lucky with hostas that are not yet attacked by slugs. Maybe those little pieces of slate repel slugs? Concerning the cucumber, mine are in the greenhouse and one of them was planted too early in the ground: it was too cold. I prefer to wait a little longer, maybe a week or two.
For your lemon, water it regularly, feed it every two weeks with the appropriate fertilizer, and maybe it will be ready next winter but in my opinion not before.
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I hope the slate pieces are a deterrent! Cucumber going into greenhouse this weekend. We had four degrees in the gh house recently so I am very happy to wait another week before things go outside. What a Spring. I am fully stocked up with Lemon feed! So glad I persevered after the Beast from the East winter.
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I find that growing hostas in pots is much better/easier than in the ground, and I also add a circle of copper tape around the pot as an extra precaution, which really seems to work. I like your Mount Everest allium combo with the zingy euphorbia. Sounds like you are taking good care of your tomatoes, I’m afraid I’ve thrown caution to the winds and all of mine are outside, either in pots, in the veg bed or in any available border space – sink or swim!
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I believe there was some copper tape originally – I think it may have wasted away or I have selective sight! I am holding out for this weekend on the tomato front – a promise of warmer weather. It was four degrees in gh on Sunday night! Pots in container are coming along – I think I should have used a much bigger container.
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Wow, agapanthus? Now that you mention it though, even though it is too early for bloom, buds should be visible down in the foliage by now. They take a while to grow and bloom.
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I usually have these ones (evergreen) in flower by end of June/early July. I’d like to feed them but there has been so much rain they don’t need anymore liquid!
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In our climate, all of them are evergreen. They bloom just in time for Independence Day, but probably start the process later because they grow faster.
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I just popped out this morning to get some milk and I can tell you: it’s pretty bracing out there! Almost in June and the wind still feels like it’s coming in from Siberia!
So surprised to see an Agapanthus flower, but a nice surprise I’m sure. Your Dahlias are looking in pretty good nick all things considered.
The Alliums are looking great too – almost there!
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Reading your comments has been a good start to the day. The weather here yesterday was miserable but I hold onto the progress that is being made. Once we have some warmth everything will pop!
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Nor me! The slugs and snails aren’t even bothering to hide any more. I must check my one surviving Agapanthus – when the rain stops 😂 The Alliums will look stunning with the Euphorbia, good combination
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Rained all day here on Sunday. More gardening from the window – often leads to new purchases!!
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My pellies don’t overwinter well in the conservatory, and the scented ones were left outside, but the regals get attacked by whitefly so I have cut them down. I’m getting tired of mollycoddling plants and I think they will all remain outdoors next winter – the survival of the fittest! Some I thought were dead are growing from the base so perhaps they are tough enough. Of course we rarely get frost down here, which helps in one respect, but doesn’t kill off the bugs and slugs 😟
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I left one pellie out but it does look very dead now. I’ve cut it down so we shall see …if you don’t get a frost maybe they will survive outside. They seem to like to go dormant here, no watering until, it warms up a little. They get cut back as they go in to the gh and then again as they start to grow just before they come out again.
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Might be my fault then as I don’t cut them back when I bring them inside as most are still flowering. I have read that the regals should be cut back after flowering so those that are alive will get cut back in late summer this year!
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Always hard to cut off flowers! I don’t think mine were in flower.
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