My front garden which was a barren lawn .
Mints going out in pots – just another 15 to go! together with other herbs and flowers.
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
TREES IN A BUNGALOW!
LAWNS
Why do you have a lawn? If you can answer positively and say you use it for whatever, that is fine. How many people mow a small lawn using electricity or petrol, for no other purpose than to stop the grass growing? I am not advocating concrete or even plastic grass – but what is the point?
COMPLAINTS
Well my rant below has already been nullified with an email stating new delivery date of 11 Ju8ne. This is OK as we have had a very peculiar weather year so far.
I sent Suttons a very polite email regarding plants that they said would be dispatched on 24 May.
**Auto Acknowledgment**
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your email.
Due to an increased demand for Gardening related products, we are receiving a higher volume of emails than expected. We are working extremely hard to reply as quickly as possible and anticipate responding to your message within 9 days.
Thank you for your patience.With best regards,
Customer Care Team
9 Days!And I did not know they did non gardening related products! I do not like being critical, but surely they should look at employing a couple more staff?
But when I looked they have been bought out, firstly by Thompson and Morgan, and then by a private equity group (AKA asset strippers), And then when I ask other questions about their finance I get 20% come up in search box. But I got there eventually. They are owned by BVG Group who own just about everything garden related – but obviously do not employ enough people to answer genuine emails. Must be counting their profits!
MINTED
Lovers of mint look no further. I am just planting out 18 types of mint and hope to have a few more shortly.
I am not sure why, but I have Japanese;l Spanish; Moroccan; Inguano; Curly; Garden; Mojito; Strawberry; White peppermint; Banana; Pineapple; Chocolate; Basil; Berries and cream; Apple; Eau de Cologne; Spearmint; then Lemon balm and Lemon bergamot. And I am on the lookout for a couple more!
I think I might offer a Christmas collection of dried mints, or experiment with a tea mix.
I also have sage, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, sweet basil, greek basil, lemon basil, lemon thyme, thyme, creeping thyme, dill, pot marigold, nasturtium, fennel, parsley, hot and spicy oregano, bay. Donations welcome!
BANK HOLIDAY – GARDENING
Bright and sunny with bit of a breeze. So garden.
Pot out sweet basil, greek basil and lemon basil; lemon bergamot and dill and tarragon in round pots. Flowers to oblong pots or plugged into meadow at the front. Lemon tree into larger pot in conservatory. And some of the other house plants to bigger pots with enough soil! Hanging baskets ready for flowers tomorrow.
HONEYSUCKLE
The scent of honeysuckle and wisteria first light is fantastic – when it is dry enough. I think I will dry some flowers for …. whatever? Maybe just the scent, wine would be good, but I am not sure.
RHS BRIDGEWATER
A new 154 acre garden is opening in Salford. Admission £12.10 or £7.70 if you arrive by bike or on foot. Locals free on Tuesdays and GP’s can prescribe visits instead of anti-depressants. Costing £35 million the site will hopefully generate £13 million for the local economy. The site is a former scrap yard, derelict area. I think this could be replicated in many area. It is sort of a more practical Eden Project?
INSECTS
PLANTS
I went to the garden centre and have bought some nasturtium, nemesia and some Iceland poppies.
I have also ordered a collection of 12 mints (plug plants0 so they will take a while to get established – but then I think 30cm pots in front garden and/or patio. Pots are a couple of quid each for plastic ones, but ideally I will get terra cotta or more interesting ones eventually. A note that the geum have not germinated so far. Just about everything else has.
I need to sort out kitchen window sill for herbs – mainly basil. And I will plant mustard and cress, and maybe get a chilli plant.