Easter Break

I am finally catching up in the garden thanks to the Easter break and good weather! The allotment has been dug over and I have been to Notcutts to buy some vegetable plants as well as planting my onion sets and second early potatoes. My first sowing of salad leaves have germinated and are growing away in the greenhouse. As soon as they are big enough, I will plant them out under cloches until the weather is warmer.

The last of the Daffodils in the garden have finished flowering – the warm weather has sent the blooms over early - and I have removed the seed heads. I like to give the clumps of leaves a feed of bone meal as they die back to build up the bulbs for future years and never tie them up or cut them back until they have died away completely. The best way to deal with unsightly leaves as they die back is to plant plenty of perennials nearby. As the Daffodils finish, the perennials take over with their fresh foliage and your eye is distracted from the browning leaves. The Wallflowers and Tulips are a picture at the moment and a great view from the dining room where I write!

Thoughts now turn to summer color and I have purchased some new planters from Notcutts to give the patio a makeover. I was so pleased with the show of half hardy plants that we chose last year that I have been inspired to try even more varieties this year.

As I have said, this year we are going for hot colours instead of our usual safe pastels and I am very taken with the Calibrachoa which have a trailing habit and small flowers that are like miniature Surfinia Petunias. There is a deep red variety along with bright yellow and orange ones, so these are a good place to begin. I think they will team up well with a lime green leaf of some sorts to show off the searing colours and may go for some chunky Heucheras to give the containers some year round interest. There are so many varieties of these useful perennials available now. As well as the rich deep purple leaves of ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ there are ‘Marmalade’ with russet leaves that have a beautiful red underside and ‘Lime Marmalade’ which has vivid lime yellow leaves.

The Verbenas are a particular favorite of mine as long as I remember to use slug pellets! Too many times I have come out the day after planting to the tell tale signs of slug and snail damage! Silver trails are the giveaway that these annoying pests have paid the plants a visit and I then check the undersides of the pots to remove them from their cool, damp daytime residence! The organic pellets work really well and the active ingredient does not harm other wildlife that feed on slugs and snails.

It is early for Dahlia plants but these too are on my shopping list for our next visit to Notcutts along with a fresh supply of organic slug pellets!