March round up

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#gdnbloggers, March

 

Daffodils in the orchard

As March draws to a close, it is still a bit chillier than I would like but things are moving on anyway.  In the borders I am still lifting and dividing perennials, trying to remember what it looks like in full bloom. I know full well that it is all going to grow but I can’t resist filling in gaps.

Peonies doing well

Alliums not so well, pesky rabbits again!

Meanwhile in the veg patch, the kale plants have survived their first week and I can’t see any holes in the fencing! I took the plunge and planted 6 different types of tomato seed in the greenhouse. They have germinated ok in there before but I have brought the chilli seeds home to do on the windowsill.

I am really excited to have some followers and likes so thank-you everyone 💚💚💚

 

Spring – at last!

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#gdnbloggers

 I was so excited when I got to work yesterday and checked in the greenhouse, all my herb seeds are coming up! I am growing these for raised beds outside a pub, together with edible flowers, all for use in the kitchen.

I sowed some in the autumn and the bronze fennel and chervil are thriving although the others haven’t germinated.  I haven’t grown seeds that need a cold spell before (angelica, violet, sweet cicely) so may need a rethink. Two weeks ago it was time for more familiar sowing and today I have thyme, dill, good king Henry,  hyssop and chives all appearing.

 Bronze fennel

Chives

Elsewhere in the veg garden, I have started my war with the rabbits by putting up some new wire where I could see holes. Also put up netting for sweet peas and tried planting out some kale plants which have got too big in the greenhouse. Can’t wait to see what has survived next week!

 

One thing leads to another

I am starting to move things around in my gardens now and plan for the summer ahead. Today it went like this;  Crocosmia needed dividing so I started digging bits up for replanting. Decided it would look good at the back of the border where the lilies always get lost; dug the lilies up. Decided some needed to go in a pot on the patio, emptied the pot of last year’s plants.

Lily bulbs in pot and front of border, Crocosmia at back of border where lilies were oh yes also moved some to another border and dug out a load of golden rod, hooray! I still need to get rid of a lot more golden rod and yellow loostrife and hopefully the garden will be less yellow this year.

Chasing Bees

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March

Considering Monday morning started with snow, today’s spring sunshine was a welcome change in the weather. Although December was unseasonably warm, since Christmas the weather has been persistently cold and, here in Suffolk at least, things seem to be flowering at about the right time now.

At the moment the daffodils are just coming out and today was the first time that I have seen honey bees in such numbers. I spent some time trying to get a photo but they were very busy and not staying in one place for very long. Celandines were popular with the bees too.

So today in the sunshine, in between stripping off the layers and chasing bees, I have been cutting back a berberis and buddleia, doing the lawn edges and thinking about what I can move. I can do whatever I like in my Thursday garden but only with what is there. Also trying a bit of robin taming!

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Doors

 Today I finished work in this garden for good. When I started It was for an elderly couple who had lived in the house for many years raising their family here, and I don’t think a lot had changed over the years. I like this old-fashioned approach with not a whiff of designer about it. I was especially fond of this line of green sheds full of a lifetimes’s detritus.

Last year I arrived one Wednesday, after a week off for half term or something, to find that the old lady was no longer with us. I have continued with the garden, doing it as she would have wanted, but now the house is for sale and I have got it as tidy as possible for the viewings.

My main feeling is that I am glad that I am finishing having said a proper goodbye to Pat as he moves happily to a nursing home. I never had the chance with his wife. I have a few hardy cyclamen and a rose cutting as mementoes, but nobody knows!

The other thing that makes me feel really good is that I have another job lined up to fill that time slot already, so I must be doing something right! As one door closes another one opens, so here’s to the next one!