Category: Garden

I love changing plans, Di has just given me a couple of toms and a cucumber, and change of plan I have ordered a sweet chilli plant which I am going to put into a pot usually having toms and see if I can get it to be big and productive.

Most seeds are germinating nicely – so thinking about pots for the patio. I am not sure if lemon verbena survived, so might have to replace. Wow, cold again, I have watered the greenhouse this morning but not planting latest tomato plants until Wednesday when it should be a little warmer.

4 planted this morning; a plum, a fat one, a cherry and an ordinary one. Hopefully Di will let me have 4 more like last year – if not I will see if I~ can get a yellow one. Most of my other seeds are. coming up so it will be time to give some away, repot some and harden some up too go into the garden.

More seeds planted, sunflower, night scented stock, field poppies, wild bird mix, Himalayan Poppy (which will need to go in the fridge!), just cornflower to go (not sure how I missed them), and then a second sowing of herbs like basil. I need to get some more greek basil and at some stage go to a garden centre to get extra tomato plants, 2 cucumbers, some peppers and some chilli – or maybe I will get seeds for the latter 2?

Pots prepped ready for seeds tomorrow – I am writing labels out for each pot this year! Long pots will be field flowers, night scented stock, Californian poppy. Sweet peas I have not decided yet, or the sunflowers – I think individual pots – maybe right under the kitchen window – once they are 10cm big? If they came up between the hanging baskets that would be great!

Ok so I have planted 5 pots of each type of seed, then I can either split them and pot them individually, or plant some more if they do not germinate. Sunflowers need to go straight into pot to be used so I need to think about that? Maybe a green trough would do for 4 plants.

I seem a bit addicted as I rather fancy some Peruvian lilies and some phlox? But I guess it is best to wait and see what comes up? Patio can have a pot of night scented stock and some Californian Poppies.

I just checked and I seem to have enough plants for night-time moths – I will check later.

Has joined me in trying to put the closely cropped lawn in its place! The squealing has already started with the National Trust leading the way. I have no problem with a lawn that serves a purpose like sport or even picnics, or even as part of a heritage house/garden.Hopefully my patch will have a variety of flowers and attract insects.

Whether it looks good is not something I am concerned with. To my mind it is like comparing a piece of all with uniform white paint with a painting by Constable, Turner, Breugel, da Vinci or thousands of others, right uptown Banksie (his walls are much more interesting than a magnolia wall). And whilst one could argue that my method is a lack of method and design, I believe that nature will sort out the ultimate design, with maybe a little help from me next autumn?!

The trouble;e with ordering plants is that they do not come for weeks and I forget! So I had a surprise delivery this morning. I think I will put them in pots for now, see what grows in the garden and then use them to fill gaps. Double begonias can be the start of hanging baskets. Pots can be by side of kitchen for now. Free gift of 50 gladioli! I think most will end up as a free gift from me!

Lemon and lime have babies beginning to form – could be as many as 18 in porch. Avocado is still going and orchid still in flower – 5th year. Dwarf daffodils appearing, and some snowdrops still around. I guess the slugs will have a feast, but hopefully a hedgehog will wander along and maybe a song thrush. Anchusa royalist planted.

I am still holding fire on the greenhouse until the 20th March when operation plant seeds begins! All pots in position.

Thank you Di for confirming that is still a tad early to be putting in seeds. I did it about the 10th Feb last year and half did not germinate or struggled. So I will wait, maybe to the spring equinox, for 50% daylight and warmer nights (and days!). Cold this morning with slight frost before the fog came down at about 7.30am.

So pots and soil ready for action and seeds (although I could get some more!