We did have sunshine today, with a couple of sharp showers, and a chilly wind. The bees were busy although I still think the numbers are low. I hope it warms up soon. Ben seemed happy enough although maybe that was nip induced.
Sunday
I spent a chunk of today in the Magic Garden photographing bees and birds before planting out lavender plants from B&Q. It is good to see that there are bees and other pollinators around so hopefully there will be apples and blueberries this year. The potatoes are making an appearance and after slugs have taken out all but one of the purple curly kale plants I’m trying again with some Russian kale instead.
Saturday
Its been a dry and occasionally sunny day today after yet more rain during the week. The Magic Garden is looking lovely and green and it was lovely to sit there this evening and listen to the birds. Today was about checking on progress of what I think must be frilly tulips, finding what I think is Glandora diffusa (Lithodora) on the far side of the pond under the broom. The broom is currently spectacular and its scent is lovely. I potted up dahlia (Bishop’s Children) seedlings today and I’ve put them in the summerhouse as the next stage of hardening off. The apple blossom may all yet be out in the same time period as the Bramley seedling has just started to come out.
Monday
It is wet again here today. I am a bit concerned that the weather may be putting off my usual pollinators for the blueberries and other soft fruit although the gooseberries & blackcurrants look as if they are setting ok.
Sunday
It wasn’t particularly warm but we had a bit more sun today and the wind is less of a feature. It still rained though! I planted out a pair of nip plants in the back border today to try and replace the ones that didn’t survive Ben’s attentions. I also bit the bullet and planted out about 2/3s of my sweetpeas. They have been sat in the cold frame for weeks so are very leggy.
Saturday
Another day of gusty wind and sharp showers but definitely feels of spring now with more apple blossom out & the garden is greening up. I added in another pulmonaria today - ‘opal’ and planted a Geum Tosai Orange along the path. Ben dodged the showers with me and we filled up the bird feeders too
Friday
I have had to be away this week so it was a relief to have a few moments this evening in the Magic Garden when it wasn’t raining or blowing a gale. The wind spinners were still working hard. Its a bit milder today so the bees are beginning to venture out. My apple blossom isn’t quite in sync so I hope the sun will bring out more. The catnip plants are doing well despite Ben’s administrations.
Monday
I have a new camera which means I’ve spent a wee bit of time appreciating how the Magic Garden is growing with apple blossom coming out, the continuing hellebores are blooming still, stray wee violets coming out having self seeded around the garden & the glorious marsh marigold in the pond. Ben I think was just delighted to have me home and be in the garden without it raining!
I’m really pleased with the images I have obtained without an awful lot of effort! The flower buds on both the yellow dogwood & the rowan tree are crisp on a non-specialist lens and it seems to capture Ben’s spotty stripes perfectly too
Saturday
A definite feel of warmth today. It is pretty windy and more rain is expected again.
The wee rhubarb I rescued is doing well in its pot while the rhubarb I bought in the autumn is growing well. It is called Goliath is growing well.
Tuesday
I’ve had a busy few days both in and out the Magic Garden. I have cleaned out the cold frame and washed its glass clean so that Ben can get it all smeary again. The seed growing is so far going well this year with the first lot of broad beans planted out into the vegetable troughs. I have taken cuttings from the white buddlea
My lovely cat twitter friends have given me a Edgeworthia chrysanthemums Red Dragon in memory of my Mum.
Saturday
Another day filled with sunny intervals and time in the Magic Garden for both Ben and me profitably spent. I cleared some more sludge out of the pond, thinned the rushes & irises at one end and reconfigured the boulders again. I then set up the solar fountain to try and aerate the water a little. I filled it up a bit too and added some antisludge treatment.
Good Friday
We have had a lovely afternoon only briefly interrupted by showers. Ben spent some of it supervising my efforts and seemed to enjoy the sunshine by the pond. Today was mainly about maintenance with some weeding & deadheading of daffodils together with clearing the finished vege from the troughs and replanting with fresh red curly kale. The green variety is still going strong but has started to go to seed so will get a bit bitter now. I potted up a blackcurrant bush which hopefully will rapidly get its feet down. The gooseberry & blueberries are already flowering but there are not a lot of pollinators in evidence. At the end of the afternoon it suddenly darkened with much heavier rain but by the time I was putting the hedgehog food out it had passed over.
Monday
We have had a few interludes of dry today but we seem to be back to cold and wet even if the wind has gone down. There is more bloom every day. The rose I was given in the autumn is making a promising start
Sunday
We’ve had a beautiful sunny day. The long tailed tits have been particularly busy at the fat balls. The hedgehog is back at night so I am putting food out for it each evening. The yellow daffodils appear to be being shredded although it may well be the wind.
I am pleased to have an increasing number of snakehead fritillaries
Friday
We had some sunshine today but the wind is bitterly cold. Ben stayed out in the Magic Garden for a short time while I pruned back the two climbing roses and tied them into the fences. I planted out anemone blanda in the gap in front of the red dogwood.
After a long gap...
After a few days away I came home to a garden full of daffodils. It of course rained again today. I’m pleased to see the gooseberry is making promising signs of life.
Saturday
Its been grey & cold here today with a bitter east wind off the sea. I probably chose a bad day to clear / clean out the pond. I cleared bucket fulls of accumulated silt and leaves from it and re filled with fresh water. I need to get a new solar fountain now although sunshine seems unlikely and to get some anti-mud water clearing stuff in.
I treated myself to some snakehead fritillaria today and planted out a couple of foxgloves and another dogwood.
Ben meantime has continued loving the catnip plants I put in the back winter border while he ignores the birds & they him.
Tuesday
We had an unusually bright day today and it has felt like spring with leaves beginning to unfurl. The daffodils are beginning to make a show back and front. I’ve put a little bit of a barrier over Ben’s favourite nip plant but I think I may need to protect it more from his love.
Sunday
The ground is horrendously soggy at the moment although at least everything is greening up as spring arrives. Ben is loving his catnip plants but I think I will have to protect the ones I planted this year. A little bit of sun was welcome today but it is very chilly. Inside I at lat got round to sowing sweetpeas, broad beans and Dahlia Bishop's Children
Tuesday
For Ben today was all about the catnip. I suspect my latest wee plants are going to be hatched out of existence so its as well that the others are all sprouting away. It isn’t just the catnip that looks a bit battered - quite a few blooms look a bit past their best.
