Just as the garden is waking up from its winter slumber…

It’s typical really, just as the garden’s waking up from its winter slumber, with all the plants pushing up and the lovely flowers bursting out everywhere I look.

The weather forecaster tells us that for the next week or so we’re going to be having, snow, sleet, rain and temperatures dropping below zero! So no doubt they’ll be taking a quite a bashing!

Just as we’re all desperate to believe that spring has sprung, it reminds us that we’re not past the bad weather yet. In all fairness though we have had another incredibly mild winter taken as a whole, just that one very cold snap in mid-December.

Seed Sowing

The garden season is well under way despite what may happen in the coming weeks. Seed sowing is in full swing now, reaching that point where I’m nearly running out of space.

I would normally be transferring some seedlings to the greenhouse, as soon as we’re into March. I can’t tell you how many older gardeners have warned me about this over the years, but I’ve always been lucky so far. Although even I’m not daft enough to move them this week!

My seed sowing started in late January with various chillies. I had mixed results, with some germinating really well and others not at all. On the second sowing of the failed varieties I’ve have some success.

The best have been my old favourites, ‘Jalapeños’ and ‘Habaneros’, which have already been pricked out and are doing well.

Unlike most things I grow, chillies have to be started early as they take months to fruit. Most other seeds I sow in late February into March, otherwise the seedlings get really leggy.

I did sow a few cosmos seeds early on and to my surprise they all germinated. When I pricked them out last weekend I realised that I’ll be giving quite a few away!

Winter Tidy-up

There’s been a lot of tidying up gone on in the garden, which started with the holly cutting a few weeks ago.

Nearly everywhere that needed re-mulching with bark is done now. We both love the borders when they’re freshly barked, it smells really good and looks so tidy.

I’ve still left the area bare where we took the totem pole out a couple of weeks ago, whilst I decide what’s going there. I do have one contender.

Trip to the Garden Centre

I had a little trip to the garden centre with my mum last week. Mainly for coffee and cake, but of course came away with a plant. Yes just one! Very restrained if I do say so myself. It’s a purple Tree Peony, the first one I’ve ever had.

I did have a herbaceous Peony in my last garden that was given to me by a friend.

So I’m pretty sure where my new peony is going, but I think I’ll leave it until the worst of this weather front has pasted.

Appreciate What’s Already Out

So after a bit more tidying up this weekend, I made sure I appreciated the flowers that are brave enough to be out in flower and hope they survive what’s to come.

As for me, I’ll be retreating indoors for a bit more seed sowing.