Category: Garden

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!

Planted dahlia and gladioli today and lots of smaller bulbs to go in later – not sure where?

Greenhouse sorted for seeds with 120 pots laid out, and 4 trays for the shelves. First in are going to be scabious, 3 poppy types, cornflower and sunflower, salvia, Geum, echinacea and cosmos. Making a shopping list for tomorrows trip to Banwell Garden Centre!

Hopefully they will be ready to go out before tomatoes arrive. Too windy today for outside?

Also thinking about pots on patio – Californian poppies, night scented stock. Maybe Himalayan poppy for the first year? Where to put sweet peas? Maybe a wigwam? Very windy so putting off planting out bulbs for today.

I think also one courgette plant at the back of the garage, and one/two cucumbers for end of greenhouse. And maybe the best red pepper plant and grow like a tomato plant in pot in greenhouse with some chillies which I guess will go in the conservatory?