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Garden Diary – A week of surprises, not all good!
As I was walking down the garden, I just noticed some little pink flowers almost buried under the heucheras, I bent to take a look and it was a bunch of cyclamen flowers. I always forget about them, then get a lovely surprise. Last week was full of surprises. I was so lucky to spot a strawberry, in September! It’s been a funny year in the garden with the multiple heatwaves, how many? Who’d have thought that we would loose track of how many heatwaves we’ve had in one uk summer. The world’s gone mad! Talking of going mad, why can’t I grow Aubergines? My niece grows so many she…
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Garden Diary – I’d rather be in the garden!
We’ve reached that time of year where I spend as much time in the kitchen as I do in the garden, turning all the produce into ready meals for the freezer. Don’t get me wrong I do really enjoy cooking, but when the weather is lovely outside, I’d rather be in the garden! But with more ripe raspberries on a daily basis and a basket full of pears that ripen so quickly once they are picked. There is lots of baking to be done! When out picking yet more fruit the ‘gardeners mate’ shouted me over to see a butterfly he thought looked smaller than usual. I said, “oh it’s…
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Garden Diary – Bees, Cats, Frogs, Friends & Flowers
The first week of June has brought, Busy bees and sleepy cats, berries for breakfast and raindrop covered flowers. New plants and old ones and some spread accidentally between friends. I’m over the moon with the first peony in the garden, although it’s not strictly the first. I bought one a couple of years ago but as it resembled a stick, I accidentally trod on it and that was the end of that! So I made sure I bought this one at the right time of year. I was very impressed with this one from Crocus, both the size and the fact that it already had two buds on. Good…
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Garden Diary – Roses, Rescues & Wildlife
Last week saw more roses blooming, me rescuing a plant and a bee, and lots of wildlife viewings. Two more roses opened up their beautiful flowers after their buds have been promising loveliness for some time. One is a newish bush planted in a pot so that I can enjoy it on the patio, whilst the other is getting on a bit now, but still looking very healthy despite being bought when we were at our last house and so dug up to move here. Roses are resilient shrubs. Talking of resilient plants, I accidentally bought a new one. I popped into a shop and there was this pathetic looking…
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Garden Diary – Goldilocks weather didn’t last
Last week started with perfect Goldilocks gardening weather, sunny but not too hot, it meant I could get some well needed greenhouse jobs done. Mainly potting plants on into bigger pots. Because we’ve had such an amazing spring everything’s been growing like mad, and it’s hard to get the timing of potting on just right, even a week too late and the plants can suffer. Understandably so, as being in the greenhouse on a hot day makes me suffer too! As the week progressed it gradually got hotter and I tried my hardest (in vain) not to moan. I do struggle in the heat, it just zaps my energy. And…
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Garden Diary – I thought the tulips were over, then 2 princess’s came along
It’s been an amazing tulip year, thanks to the weather playing ball for a change. But all good things come to an end, at least I thought. Just as I was feeling a bit sad the season was nearly over I found a pot hidden behind some larger pots and it was full of little orange tulips called ‘Little Princess’, what a lovely surprise! Then in the woodland border I found a couple of ‘Princess Irene’ tulips had popped up. So the princess’s were making a fashionably late arrival. The garden continues to produce sentimental blooms, coming from the dicentra which I took a cutting from an elderly friend donkeys…
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Garden Diary – Another bizarre weather week
Well, yet another bizarre weather week, starting with the most beautiful day on Monday, so nice that I sat with my elderly mother by a village duck pond. You almost needed sun-cream! This of course was followed shortly by, yet more rain. I’ve scarcely seen the pond so full of water. And when I opened a new bag of compost, that had stood outside for weeks, it was saturated. By Thursday it was rather chilly, but gloriously clear again, so clear in fact that most of the country were treated to an extraordinary view of the Northern lights (photo provided by my nephew), except for me! I was blissfully unaware…
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Garden Diary – Rain, rain go away, we must be due a sunny day?
Well, and then they wonder why us Brit’s talk about the weather all of the time! I think we’d all like the rain to go away for at least a while now. It really does feel like it’s rained on and off all year. Luckily here, we are in no danger from flooding being on top of an ice-age sand and gravel deposit. All that cursing when we first moved in and we initially tried to dig the garden with a spade, then a fork, finally settling on a pick! Now feels like a worthwhile sacrifice for the excellent drainage. I have dashed out in between the showers to pick…
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Garden Diary – Alfresco cooking with aliens lurking
With the beans up to full production now, the ‘acting head-gardener’ has been making lots of bean curry (half a freezer full!). And as the weathers been reasonable he’s taken the portable hob outside for some alfresco cooking. I’ll bet the neighbours thought it was an interesting smelling barbeque lol. At this time of year the garden can provide breakfast, lunch and dinner, and quite often does. With various fruits starting the day, tomatoes and cucumbers or soup at lunchtime, then plenty of veg to make dinner. The plums were finally ripe this week, and despite not being that many they were incredibly delicious and as you can imagine, didn’t…
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Garden Diary – Insects and harvests
So just like in lockdown the garden and the weather are helping to keep my sanity as I struggle doing nothing whilst my back fractures heal themselves.Ironically I have spent rather a lot of time sitting and lying on the hammock I tripped backwards over, that put me in this situation! As the pain has lessened and I’ve been able to concentrate again, I’ve rediscovered the joy of reading. So catching up with the last three Brunetti books by Donna Leon, I’m transported to Venice where her books are set, whilst sitting in the sunshine with bees, butterflies and mating ladybirds – finally more numerous – flying around me. Trying…
