Finally a glorious spring weekend which has seen me bumbling around the garden just like the big lumbering bumble bees that have been visiting the hellebores and primulas. My head has been spinning with ideas and plans over the last few weeks so it was a real relief to start putting some of them into action. I have one of those long mental lists with one thing dependent on another and I am sure I will forget the sequence so I must write it all down when I write up my garden journal later.
My first task was to round up the various coloured primulas from around the garden. I love coloured primulas. I know a lot of people can be quite snobby about them but I think they have a lovely old fashioned charm to them. I had been using them along the paths but they were dotted around, one here and one there, and really made no impact whatsoever. So I collected all the pink ones up and have planted them in the shade of an Abelia by some deep pink/mauve hellabores. The hellebores leaves will eventually cover this area so will mask the primulas’ leaves when they are looking tatty during the summer. I see this view from my living room window and I am amazed how much just planting a handful of same primulas has lifted this area with the pink of the hellebores intensified. I have done the same with the purples which are planted with the Crocus ‘Pickwick’ and the yellow/orange primulas which are under the Hammelias.
Next on the list was the Big Border. I have decided to move the asters and some of the grasses to the new borders in the front garden – yet to be dug. I want to use this space for sweet peas and dahlias this year so I wanted to clear everything that needed moving so I could see the space left and to start thinking about the layout and how I can fit in the plants I want to include. The asters have been divided and potted up and are now cluttering up the patio so hopefully they will start to irritate me which will push me onwards with the front garden. The bright fresh green leaves you can see are Camassias which should look great in about a month. I like the little Narciussus Tete a Tete as well and I think I will add to these for next year. I am also thinking that I might risk tulips again and hope the badger doesn’t appear and dig them all up. I would love to fill the gaps between the plants in this border with bright tulips in the Venetian colours I love at the moment.
The other job crossed off the list was the replacement of the shambolic bamboo supports for the step over apples with a more organised pots and wire system. I painted the posts the same color as the highlight on the shed to give a more cohesive look and my eldest son wired them up. It was amazing how much difference it has made, without the bamboo canes with the branches tied to them you can actually see the structure of the step-overs. Whilst we haven’t had a lot of apples off the trees I am hugely proud of the apple step-overs as I know little about pruning fruit trees and started with 3 apple whips and some limited instructions from the nursery.
The sweet peas sown last week are starting to germinate in the garden and today I sowed a batch of Cerinthe retorta which I prefer to Cerinthe major. Cannas and Agapanthus are also showing signs of life in the greenhouse and the Dahlias have been potted up with hugh expectations.
Wherever my gardening mojo has been lurking for the last few years it seems it has decided to come home – thank goodness.