Gardeners' Question Time last Sunday started with the presenter saying they'd be tackling the question of whether snowdrops are the first flowers of spring, or the last of winter? I couldn't care less, they're just lovely and it was better to get out and look at them than listen to the answer, so I did just that. Today, there are the first muscari pushing through to join the snowdrops and many miniature daffodils along with their full size versions are making a splash of colour on the bank now. Hellebores too are blooming well bringing soft shades of pink, purple, mauve and cream to add to the early colour show.
With the unseasonably warm temperatures it's been a delight to get started on seed planting with old favourite varieties of sweet pea and tomato being the first to go in, along with dahlia tubers being tucked into plenty of compost to keep them warm and encourage them into flower. I intend to leave them in pots this year, hoping to foil the pests and give myself the opportunity to place them in spaces in the borders as and when they are in flower, and there's a gap that needs filling.
Recognising a need for the garden to look at its best in July, ready for the Open Garden Event, I will be planting some new shrub roses along with seedlings of cottage garden favourites such as Nicotiana Sylvestris and cosmos. Inspired also by the meadow planting in Eaton Lands and Sarah Raven's recent programmes about planting to encourage bees and other nectar loving plants, I intend to scatter wild flower seeds on the south facing bank between house and the top garden. With luck, and a sufficient amount of water, we should have a bright and colourful bankside to greet us each morning from late spring through to early autumn and possibly beyond - we just need a bit of rain to get them going, but not too much to wash them away.
No comments:
Post a Comment