I’ve been reading some Thomas Hardy of late and I was very much in sympathy with his portrayal of nature always throwing something unexpected at us poor humans. His wilful nature was solely the weather, mine is the weather, although rain is not so unexpected these days, weeds and slugs. It’s a gardener’s lot I suppose and as such acceptance must be learnt. Here’s my six for this week.
One
Now is the time for tête-à-tête daffodils, much loved here by me and the slugs. No sooner do they flower then out come the munchers. I am in despair!
Two
Crocuses – tommasinianus I think and possibly ‘Ruby Giant’. Did I make a note? Not that I can find and will they too be eaten, probably.
Three
The viburnum is flowering giving me some encouragement.
Four
A few weeks back I confessed that the bellis daisies bought as winter bedding had not been planted out. That job has been done now and bless them, the daisies have responded well to being released into a more generous growing space and have thrived after a few balmy days.
Five
Way back when we arrived at this house, coming up to eight years ago, I planted out symmetrically four euphorbia wulfenii. Each year one of them took a turn to die off. Only one of the original four survived but generously it seeds itself everywhere. I now have self seeded versions in six other corners of the garden. This one is doing superbly well in the path edge. What can I say?
Six
And sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and nature’s designs on the garden. For a few weeks now I have been admiring, from the kitchen window, new growth in the pot of mint on the terrace. I’ve been out and about in the garden a few times lately but only today did I stop by the pot and look more closely. Yes, I have a flourishing crop of bittercress that is now flowering. I will have to be out there asap to rid myself of those beauties!
Nature is sending more rain this weekend but temperatures are rising and there have been some good gardening days so jobs must be done. I’m down to my last few grasses to cut back and ever the optimist I am dropping pot grown tête-à-têtes in to gaps in the borders. Raspberry canes have been cut back and blackcurrants pruned. My seed potatoes are not available until end of February but I do have sort out my seeds for the year. Jim, our host, shares his garden ruminations and hosts the links to other SOS posts. Enjoy the chat and the gardening!
So this is the path looking shockingly new but I will soon get that sorted out with a few trips up and down with the wheelbarrow!
The clematis pruned before the last batch of cold weather has survived and is surging onward. It will soon be covering the trellis again.
A sure sign that everything is growing. This is most likely an ash tree seedling. Neighbouring gardens are well forested and every year I have to be super vigilant to pull up all the seedlings that come my way. Ash and sycamore are the most common and then the odd oak courtesy of the squirrels.
The tulips are coming through. This beautiful pink edged leaf could be from China Girl or Angelique. These two were planted along with Spring Green in a mixed clump in November. They should be in flower come April/May.
Right plant, right place I think. I planted half a dozen cowslips in a very wet border last year and this year there is a great crop of seedlings. I shall gently separate them and spread them around this border and elsewhere. Lovely free plants!
Don’t they look tempting. The first lush shoots of the delphiniums. I can just hear the slugs smacking their lips. More vigilance required.
My old path was broken, uneven and collected water. The new path will be well drained, carefully sloped and smooth. But I am already missing the patina and idiosyncrasies of the old path’s age. The builders are taking great care to keep the new path clean but I will be out there soon rubbing in the mud and possibly some yoghurt!
The laying of the paths sadly means that some things in the garden get trampled on or have been dug up to allow for the base to be laid. I don’t think I will see any fritillaries this year and I know that one or two tulips have been snapped off. As I always say ‘you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs’. And of course I will have the chance to add something new to omelette! On the upside I will lose the ugly concrete edges and gain a precious couple of inches of border.
I managed to get out the greenhouse this morning and was very pleased to see that the rocket seed sown on 16 February has germinated. The sweet peas sown at the same time are only just breaking the surface but they too are on their way.
My daffodils are still in bud, the pheasant eye narcissus are coming along but the pulmonaria is definitely in flower. The clump was planted last year from divisions given to me by a friend. I think I’m going to divide this up again this year and use it to soften the edges of that new path.
And here’s a couple of new ingredients for that omelette. Some nerines – bowdenii Ostara, and dahlias. The dahlias are a combination of greeny whites and are destined for pots. The path should be finished by Wednesday, whereupon I will become a gardener again.
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