WILDLIFE GARDENING

I have been much criticised for the front garden – they should see the back one! Whilst raspberries have made a bid to take over, I have left some stinging nettles and thistles and buddleja for the butterflies and tiday saw a small tortishell on the buddleja flowers. The grape vine looks rather dead – i forgot to water it during a dry spell – I will have another go! the honeysuckle and wisteria are doing their best to take over having done their bit with flowers and scents. The apple tree looks good and the new apricot is ok I think? The olive tree had mites but is outside and seems ok, the surprise is te avocado which had outgrown the conservatory window sill – I put it outside and it seems ok with. new leaves. The jury is out on the lemon which I put out for the same reason. The table is full of plants hardening up – Hungarian Echinops, Chinese Meadow Rue, Sweet Coneflower, Pale-Purple Cone flower and Mexican Feather Grass. I think these will. go in pots when putting out – which means more bags of soil/grow stuff! But hopefully they will thrive and set seeds for next year, and along the street! Chickory and fennel have already escaped! I have not noticed any Evening Primrose yet this year? But hopefully it will magically appear. Mist of mints and thymes have survived and I think I only lost one lavender due to my awful neglect. Roses are looking different! A bush yellow one is 1.5m high and proliferate, whilst the 2 others bought and planted at gthe same time are 50cm with only te occasional flower – maybe they will get going later. Tje Shropsire Boy rose is also looking a bit sad! I will feed it tomorrow with chicken shit – that should do the trick!. Inside mother-on-laws tongue and aloe vera are doing great, others less so! Most are OK but not on steroids!

Chillies looking okay but i might need to spread them out. The tomatoes are looking good with. the bush ones (small cherry?) covered in flowers and the others all having tomatoes growing, but nothing ripe yet. hanging baskets are fantastic.

IDEAL MEAL

I love cook books! And have over 100! After a super birthday meal with the family I was thinking about another one. Everyone gets on well. There is a super park over the road for the girls. What about I give them all £50 to bring up ingredients (thinking fish from Looe! Speciality stuff Bristol. Then everyone mucks in and makes things like Meze and Tapas – BBQ stuff too. maybe put up £??? for accomodation? Everryone has to contribute something?

FLAME LILY

I put the tubers in 20 days ago and they have sprouted and are 10cm high! I hope they will form a bright welcome to my porch! It is cold today – still got the N-E wind which brings the felt temperature down from 12C at present although 20C predicted later.

Elderflowers might be ready for picking on the next hot sunny day!

Lawns at my end of the road – 5 have a profusion of buttercups and have not been cut – will they let them go wild? TBH even this is a victory and hopefully we will see lots more bees – dragonfly yesterday looked a bit like a hornet!

PLANTING

It may be a bit late but I am planting the seeds I have been given from Hauser and Wirth; Carthusian Pink; Pale-purple Coneflower; Hungarian Echinops; Button Snakeroot; Sweet Coneflower; Mexican feather grass; Chinese meadow rue and some Zinnia.

Hanging baskets begining to look good, Californian poppies from last year have appeared, lemon verbena not showing signs of life though. Mulberry trees looking healthy – perhaps this year there will be some fruit. Apricot tree has taken ok. I watered the vine which I keep forgetting about. Elderflowers are nearly ready for picking for cordial or wine! I am not sure how many apples I will get after my big prune last winter? Roses are looking good – loads of yellow ones, Shropshire lad pinks and the old reds and the climbing white by trhe gate all looking good. A couple of the bush ones are slowly growing – I need a trellis for the summer jasmine. Fuschia might be a bit dead? Raspberries are taking over.

It sounds like I have a huge garden but really it is not – just a 1950’s estate with lawns at front and back (except my lawns are no more! Britains lawns = the size of Somerset I read! I wonder how much electricity or fuel it costs to cut them once a fortnight? A lawn that is used is great, and woodpeckers love them too! But when they are just for – actually I do not know what! they do not look particulary nice – the ones opposite with a profusion of buttercups are much prettier, and the dandelion clocks are lovely.

70th BIRTHDAY

Lovely to have children and grandchildren together at the ROTH in Bruton. A lovely setting with nice garden, superb shop and lovely restaurant, although to be honest I was not that impressed with the food. The company however was excellent. Erin and Adam are developing into witty nice adults, I mean nice in rthe nicest way – they interact fantastically with Corinne and Ottilie. These two are just a bundle of fun with smiles never far from their faces. So well behaved despite a long wait for lunch and also in the car on the hour long journey. Felix step son of sorts was also cahtty although I knew nothing about his immense knowledge of gaming and computers and cartoons/films.

The parents, my offspring were lovely as were their partners. It was lovely to see them all interacting so well together. No bitching or point scoring – just genuine friendship. Where to go next year? Or later this summer?

GARDEN 20MAY 2023

First day of real warmth at 9am. Tomatoes in greenhouse begining to flower, chillies looking good and red peppers are coming on. Basils are doing ok. Most mints have survived and some of the thyme I thought was dead is showing signs of life. Apricot and lemon and lime trees are all looking good. Wisteria and honeysuckle are again amazing – scent should be bottled! Last year on this date I picked elderflowers to make a cordial – it will be. few days yet this year.

Making ciabatta and some chocolate ginger cookies later.

PLANTING

I just put in 3 “Flame Lilies” – I hope they will end up in the porch. Tomato plants look to be doing ok – 6 transplanted so far – at least 4 more before I start giving them away. Seeds for latest tomatoes are looking good. Rosemary also planted out, marigolds tomorrow in the long trays. Sage still looks sad, thyme – some are doing ok though so fingers crossed. Basil amnd greek basil moved to kitchen.

Jam strawberries bought and I am just deciding how much lemon to put in! And may be some lemon balm?

TOMATOES

6 potted up and 2 to go when they.get bigger. I might put another 4 in? Chillies looking good. Just planted out 2 rosemary in front of the ailing sage! I might get some more rosemary for along the road – smells good and looks good. I am waiting to see if lemon verbena survived. Left hand bed is – wait and see what comes up! Last year evening primrose and chickory were nice – I will keep the comfrey under control, and the garden mint night have seen off the oregano. I have marigolds to put out – in trays I think, and greek basil and ordinary to bring up to the kitchen window for the summer. Maybe a tray of dill in the greenhouse too?

I think I will plant some parsley and some nasturtium seeds and see what happens.

LAWNS

Some facts -20% British Wildflowers are under threat. There are an estimated 23 million lawns in the UK. Bird’s-foot trefoil is a rich sources of food for 140 insect species. Cutting lawns prodces an estimated 80000 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalence of 10000 households.

So leave the lawn mowers in the garage and enjiy the buttercups, daisies, dandelions, yellow rattle and many others. I had evening primrose and chicory arrive last year. I am planting more herbs with blue and pink rosemary joining te 25 mint, 6 lavender, and 4 sage species.

No Mow May

WEATHER 18 APRIL

A chill wind from the north east before veering to the west on Friday night. But nights are set to be chilly througout the next week so I will leave the heater in the greenhouse on! tomato seeds are growing – I will have to think about potting them up in the next couple of weeks – whilst the chilli plants will need doing this week. Amaranthus seeds are doing well! I will harden them off in a couple of weeks and then put some by the pavement?