Salvia x 6 arrived – repotted and hardening up.
Seeds from Jekka arrived – and planted except for garlic chives whichI might put in grow bags with sunflowers, or ???
Domestic bits
Dry again, cold but no frost. Washing on line. Pineapple, rum, coconut thing made. Greek Basil seeds ordered from Jekka with pot marigold, anise hyssop, lemon balm and garlic chives. I think basil, marigold balm and chives need to go into 50cm long trays? Marigold maybe in pots for patio. When the seeds arrive I will have a new planting session as the night scented stock and sunflowers should be big enough to plant out.
Plan to label all spices and herbs has not worked as I have lots of others and like harissa, and do not have some of the more common ones in dried form as I have fresh (Thyme, rosemary, sage). So I am having a plan B! Not sure what this is yet!
I must lend the yogurt maker out to Kate.
Choose 2 more shirts for hanging baskets! I think I have ordered plants for them, but might get a couple to start them off next time I go to Banwell Garden Centre. I will also look out for salvia plants as they attract the bees, but really I do not need anything! Holly is going to help me decide what to transplant and what to sell?
I need to put ginger mint in a pot and the lemon balm – not sure where to stick them – front or back? I think ginger mint in reasonably big pot in front somewhere, then maybe the same with the lemon balm (I think it is a mint anyway)? I had better check to see I have enough plant pots after the fire!
HOUSE AND GARDEN
Some bits and bobs bought, a chilli, ginger mint, lemon balm, cucumber and a squirty thing! Labels for spices – well 36 of them, I will need about another dozen I think. And then Aaron is printing labels for flour and sugar and larger jars. maybe use 2 shelves, one for savoury and one for sweet?
GARDEN
Mid-April and still a touch of frost at night. Plants in the greenhouse have slowed down despite me lighting a candle every night! Put in some more tomatoes and some sweet peppers today. So I think that is a dozen tomatoes and 3 peppers. Just another cucumber and some hot chillies to go. Then plant some more herb seeds and hopefully put some of the herbs and flowers out in the garden.
A dozen or so bulbs are now flowering in the front, diffs, tulips and a couple of others.
GREENHOUSE
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.
TOMATOES
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.
SOME OF MY HOUSE PLANTS
SEEDS
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?
SEEDS
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.
MONTY DON
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?!