Just another Gardening Week

Published on by Catherine24 Comments

It was a rainy start to the week, and now it’s a rainy finish. This morning there is a thick mist rolling across the fields behind the garden and soft rain has fallen all night. That’s the type of rain I love – one that waters the plants gently, without crushing the little ones. The garden right now its looking lush and green with pops of colour appearing here and there, and bare areas are filled with a sea of blue by the ever reliable Forget-me-nots, while their summer replacements wait and grow in the wings.

The in-between days were cool and sunny, perfect for working in. New plants were added with the highlight being Rosa ‘Ghislaine de Féligonde’, a short rambler that will hopefully cover a tall obelisk, then right on cue, stop. I’m always optimistic that a plant will grow as instructed!

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Goodbye Summer-Hello Winter

Published on by Catherine25 Comments

The warm and sunny weather we enjoyed during the first half of April ended suddenly last Sunday afternoon when the skies grew dark, thunder roared overhead, and hail came crashing down. My husband went out to close the greenhouse door and brought back two small snowballs! Summer in April was lovely, but now it feels like winter has returned. Let’s hope it’s a brief visit.

Gardens, fields and reservoirs were bone dry during those weeks, and it was a shock to find that we were under wildfire alerts. Yesterday was the wettest day in a long time, but the garden has greened up, and plants are finally starting to do what they should be doing: they’re growing.

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Finally, Real Colour

Published on by Catherine27 Comments

It has taken a while, but the garden is finally embracing the arrival of spring! After a slow start to the season, the sun has awakened the remaining bulbs, and I’m happy to see some vibrant colors emerging. It’s not a grand display, but the colours of the flowers are visible no matter where I am in the garden. They’ve partly compensated for the performance of some other potted bulbs this year, mainly the Iris reticulata and Crocus.

Forget-me-nots are ready to fill gaps in the borders with their green foliage and bright blue flowers. Buds are swelling on the trees and shrubs, and the tulips are beginning to showcase their flower buds.

Don’t you just love Spring!

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Rain Please

Published on by Catherine33 Comments

Heavy rain is forecast for this weekend and although I’ve enjoyed the abundant sunshine recently, the garden has quickly become like a wasteland. I can’t believe I’m complaining from this rainy country about having no rain for a couple of weeks. Frosty mornings, blue skies and loads of sunshine – how can anyone possibly be grumbling about that! The garden soil is like concrete and digging holes to get plants in has been a tough job. The garden hose isn’t enough to give the soil the depth of water it needs.

There is very little growing in the garden, plant growth is way behind and they’re clearly suffering, so I hope that this weekend’s rain works its magic and green shoots will finally produce spring flowers and allow summer-flowering perennials to start growing. Six on Saturday this week has been a challenge, but here’s what has caught my attention this week.

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Spring Gems and Woes

Published on by Catherine36 Comments

This year hasn’t been as successful for my spring bulbs as I had hoped.

Several small pots were knocked over, and the contents spilled out. A couple of others had the gravel topping and compost scooped out. I don’t think that’s the type of damage I can accuse the slugs and snails of carrying out.

The main suspect is the same grey squirrel that has eaten my rhododendron buds for the second year. This garden is possibly the best restaurant for local wildlife in our neighbourhood. But if I see that grey squirrel, I won’t be responsible for what I might be tempted to do.

But there’s another problem – not all bulbs planted in pots have appeared. In some cases, 50% are missing. The tops of the pots are undisturbed, and I’m left wondering if something else has been at work that has entered from beneath the pot. Perhaps covering the pots’ drainage holes with mesh might help? However, let’s get on with this week’s Six on Saturday.

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