I finally feel as though the cobwebs of winter have been dusted off as there’s lush green growth all around and I have seeds bursting out all over the place, with many more still to sow (everything is late!). Little is in its final position however and progress has been slow both in the garden and at the plot what with the increasingly long working hours; running your own business is actually a lot harder than I thought previously! The past few weeks have been refreshing somewhat though as with the longer evenings and the temporary uplift in the typically dreary Welsh weather, we’re back to rain now, I have been able to get a lot more done.The garden is looking full and green interspersed with the reds and pinks of apple blossom, peachy/orange of Quince, the blues and purples of bluebells and pulmonaria and sprinklings of white with alpine strawberries and Viburnum. The Alliums are standing proud and tall and it looks as though we’re in for quite a treat! That’s if the slugs and snails don’t eat everything first!
When tidying up the garden a few weeks ago I noticed that my large clumps of Miscanthus ‘Yakushima Dwarf’ were harbouring slugs, snails and bugs abound. Many writers and bloggers have noted how the cold and wet may have knocked population but in this garden I don’t think there has been much of an impact at all. As anyone who has read this blog over the years may have noticed, the battle with slugs and snails is never ending, as I'm sure most are familiar with in their own gardens, and I’m always open to new suggestions on how to battle them effectively. I recently came across an article from The Telegraph written by Toby Buckland, which shows his somewhat gruesome way of farming nematodes. I’m not entirely convinced on this method but I’d be willing to hear if anyone has tried this or if there is any evidence to prove this right. I may just stick with my current methods though.
In other news:
- Tulips have now replaced Daffodils on the hall table as the "in-season" bouquet.
- I’m very impressed with my new Fiskars secateurs – very sexy, comfortable to use and possibly a rival to my Felcos.
Competition news:
- Ryan’s Garden Spring Competition has launched and please do feel free to enter - some great prizes on offer to a potential 10 lucky winners!.
