Little Lotte is finally beginning to fill out. The potatoes are up and the broad beans, onions and garlic are romping away. Lettuce is potted up and beetroot and brassicas have been planted out. The seeds have been painfully slow germinating this year, I can’t recall such a slow start to the growing season. I’d …
Red, pink and white blossom are exploding right now. This clematis montana, growing through the honeysuckle, is just beginning to open. The scent of vanilla is delicious. It’s been a strange old winter this year, I’ve lost several clematis and even a potato vine, all of which have previously been indestructible. It hasn’t even been …
Another big job I’m always glad to get out of the way is a thorough brushing of the courtyard. It takes forever as there are pots and containers simply everywhere that all need pulling out. It sure is backbreaking stuff! Again though, when it’s done it’s just wonderful and I can now enjoy the space …
There has been an explosion of blossom and new growth, a little later than usual, but so welcome. The apricot has finished flowering and fingers are crossed for fruit. Now the plum and damson are flowering and the cherry and apple are close behind. It’s surprising the blossom has survived the sudden change in the …
Last year, as an experiment, I sowed supermarket fruit stones and pips; apple, plum, peach, lemon and orange. It was hard work getting a lemon pip as the majority of lemons were pip free. I was surprised to see the apple and peach germinating, I would’ve thought the apple and plum would have been up …
Each year I leave most of my Armageddon taters in the ground to re-grow, but now there are far too many of them crowding each other out, so hubs is kindly digging them up for me. A third of the taters will be replanted as they’re ready to romp away having grown strong shoots, the …
The first sunny-ish weekend had me sowing seeds, not that it lasted long, the temperatures have plummeted again. I was astonished to see lettuce, rocket and broad beans all germinating within three days! It’s always such a pleasure seeing those first little miracles of the season. Throughout the winter I’ve been harvesting spring onions and …
The sun finally came out and literally dazzled me. The tightly budded crocus rushed to open for the early bees. The entire garden lit up. Seeing the sunlit leaves and grass made me realise that I haven’t seen the sun for months. Even the trees seemed to enjoy basking in the warmth with the sun …
Most of the UK has been swaddled beneath a blanket of snow, yet here barely a flake has fallen, much to my disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, it gets old fast when it lingers and turns to ice, but one deep, transforming fall would be fun. It’s been bitterly cold here of late, as I …
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Another delightful house plant has arrived. This little beauty is a Schefflera hybrid and it’s bare roots grow through and over the black lava rock. All it needs is plenty of water. How fascinating eh? It’s really thrilling watching my living stones opening up and pushing through new leaves. Apparently the old leaves die back …
