I thought that it would never come but now, mid May, it’s that time of year when there really aren’t enough hours in the day. The tulips are over, the alliums and irises are the big players in the garden and I can’t seem to get on top of all the jobs to do.
On top of the usual morning tasks, lunches, breakfasts, school uniform and letting the chickens out, I now have additional chores. I open up the polytunnel, say good morning to Mr Frog and check the watering. Then to the cold frame and repeat the process, yes there is frog in there too! I also peer very closely at the dahlias for signs of life and despair slightly at the number of plants to be pricked out, potted on and still some seeds to sow. They’ll catch up right?
I planted a load of courgettes right on time but something ate the seeds and left the husks on top so the next lot are in a propagator with the lid on. Oh and something else ate the top off my one and only pumpkin, I may have to buy a plant.
I have had success with my lettuces and these are some of the seedlings waiting to be pricked out. It’s a bit of a faff, I know, but I have a little stall by the road to keep topped up and I have promised to produce something for an upcoming plant sale in the village. With Iceberg, salad bowl and rocket, I have created a selection of salad leaves in a tray so let’s hope that they are popular. I’ve sold my first lot of runner beans so another lot needs to be done ready for the sale. I have also sold the first lot of cosmos so the next batch need to get a move on. Always a good seller and helping to cover my seed and compost bill. With last year’s profit I bought a new sign board.
In the gardens, after rain at last, there is staking of delphiniums and floppy herbaceous and tying in aka a face full of wet rose. I’ve decided that it’s safe to plant out the greenhouse grown crops so in the ground now are beans, peas and one courgette.
The next job will be new planting to revitalise an old border. My choice of plants, although being given the brief – whatever you think will look nice is harder than it sounds.
So this weekend I just need to dig the veg garden, sow those last seeds, prick out dozens of seedlings, cut the grass, take part in a charity walk, do the washing etc At least the evenings are light now.
I took the family to visit the 
The garden covers 7 acres comprising of lawns, beds and ponds in the bottom of the valley and woodland and dry areas further up the slopes. There are lots of different paths suitable for a bit of perambulating and exploring and the different age groups visiting were doing what suited them best. With bright spring foliage, the mature trees created a cohesive link throughout the garden.
A series of ponds, linked by bridges and streams, are generously planted with damp loving species. Ferns, irises, Persicaria and bergenia. Lots of grasses and phormiums on the banks, all beautifully reflected in the water.
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