Busy few days

I've spent every spare moment I've had in the garden over the last few days yet the more I do the more there seems to do! Such is gardening.

Odd jobs

I weeded the driveway leaving behind the wild flowers I like such as Viola odorata and a few thistles for the bees/butterflies. I assembled a new garden hose - the sort that's on a wheel - because my old one wasn't long enough to reach the area next to the shed which I'm now using as a wildflower area. I'm very pleased with this hose but the instructions took some working out! And I put some vine eyes in one of the fence panels to train the Trachelospernum up strings in a fan shape. So that was my DIY for the weekend.

Edibles

I'm sorry to say that the Potato crop was rather disappointing, turning out about four portions all told. They tasted good - although not exceptional - so I doubt I'll bother growing first earlies again. The other disappointment this season so far has been the Peas. I had three pods, one of which got eaten by the snails, so ended up with just two fully formed pods which hardly touched the sides! I will not be growing Peas again - the snails just devour them. On a brighter note my Broad Beans are flowering and I've picked two ripe Strawberries so far with lots more to come. I'm also harvesting salad leaves and lovely crisp Radishes so all these little triumphs make up for the failures.

Having harvested the Potatoes it was time to reorganise the veg plot and and I potted up and planted out Chilli Trifetti, Tomatoes Whippersnapper (which have their first trusses), Tomato Tumbling Tom and Pineapple Physallis. The only edibles yet to go out (they are currently in the greenhouse) are Courgettes and Cucumbers. I'll keep these under cover until they outgrow the space in the hope the slugs/snails will be less tempted by tougher leaves.

Ornamentals

I've got a few new things in bloom including this lovely Tradescantia in the photo. Also out this week are Dutch Iris, Alchemilla Mollis, Elder and Trachelospernum. And tantalisingly in bud are Tagetes, Lonicera, Poppy and Digitalis.

Finally it's been six weeks since my early Narcissus and Tulips stopped flowering so I've been emptying their containers and storing the bulbs in dry compost in seed trays ready for planting out next autumn. This means I've got some spare pots for all the annuals still in the greenhouse waiting to go out. The question is where on earth I'll put them all?

Georgie

Ups and downs

The garden is filling up nicely now - I think May/June are my favourite months - but why oh why haven't we had any of the rain we were promised? There was a five minute shower and that was it and the skies are clear again. Needless to say I've spent a lot of time watering again.

I've done a fair bit of potting on over the last two days and started the tedious job of giving the container plants a feed. The upside of this task is that I noticed that several of the hardy Fuchsias, Lilies and even the Raspberries have flower buds on them. The down side is noticing the leaf damage on several plants, such as powdery mildew on the Ajuga and Monarda and what I suspect is the work of caterpillars on the Photinia. The strangest thing is that the Rosemary beetles are feasting on the Sage and totally ignoring their name sake plant. Strange eh?

As I have a seed glut I decided to broadcast some in the 'wild area' next to the shed and in the containers at the end of my driveway. I used Poppy, Knautia, Sunflower, Calendula, Scabiosa and Nasturtiums. And to my delight I saw that Borage, Honesty and Lychnis (Rose Campion) have also self-seeded in these areas - one less lot of seeds to worry about!

Georgie

Trying to catch up

Apart from watering the container plants indoors and out, today was the first day I've done any real gardening for a while so I've packed a lot in. Fortunately the weather was glorious - sunny but not too hot - and I was out there pretty much all day until my back told me it was time to stop!

Wildlife

I've heard it said that a garden with spiders is a healthy garden. I don't know if it's true but I do hope so as mine is teeming with them. And look what I saw today. The tent web in the photo - at least I think that's what it's called - was on an Ivy leaf and contained too many baby spiders to count. I'd like to learn more about spiders as I find them fascinating creatures. But I think it'll have to go on the ever-growing list of things to do when I retire!

I am so chuffed with my eldest granddaughter. She was two years old in March and already has a keen interest in the garden. She was out there yesterday pottering around whilst I was in the kitchen and suddenly I heard her shouting: what's that? I looked over and saw her looking up into the Buddleia. I assumed she'd seen a bird or butterfly but when I reached her she was staring intensely at a 14-spot ladybird. I think it's amazing that she'd spotted something so small and was prepared to just stand and watch until I got to her side. Then when she came today for a brief visit she wanted to go straight in the garden. When we reached the Buddleia she pointed and said: that's the ladybird bush! Bless her.

At long last my bird feeder is attracting more species. Today I saw sparrows and blue tits enjoying the fat balls and possibly a great tit but I can't be certain. It made a nice change from the wood pigeons.

I spent a while watching the pond and now I know I have at least two very fat tadpoles. No sign of their back legs yet but I don't think they can be far off. There are lots of other tiny creatures in there too but I have no idea what they are. I really must get a book about pond life.

The bees are delighted that the Chives are now in flower although they still love the Aquilegias and the Pulmonaria. And there was a Hornet on the Brooklime but sadly I didn't have my camera at the time.

Ornamentals

I cut and edged the grass for only the second time this year - it's been so dry - sowed Ipomoea direct in the sunny border, potted on a Passiflora, noticed I have flower buds on one of my other Passifloras (and a flower spike on Hosta Tokudama), potted on Fuchsia Ant and Dec and pricked out Knautia and Aquilegia Clementine White seedlings. I also moved around some of the containers on the patio - dispatching two Lily Beetles as I did so - and had to remove one of Honesty plants which was top-heavy with seed pods as it had been virtually flattened by the recent winds and was in a sorry state.

Edibles

I had a fruitless firkle for my Potatoes. I couldn't get my hand down the compost bag sufficiently so I cut a little 'door' in the side instead. But after a bit of careful scraping away of compost all I 'hit' was a stem and no sign of any tubers. Worried I might cause damage I gave up and parcel-taped the 'door' shut again. I'll leave it a week or so then empty the whole lot out instead.

I pricked out the Courgettes and Cucumbers and put some in the greenhouse and left one of each in the kitchen 'just in case'. I sowed some more Watercress as only one seedling from the previous sowing has escaped the slugs/snails. The snails are also feasting on my Broad Beans which I am very cross about but there's nothing I can do about it. As I was looking over the plants I discovered that my trailing Rosemary has set seed. I've never noticed it do this before and as some of it was ripe I gathered it and sowed it in a small pot. I also potted on the Mustard plants - these are great for attracting Hoverflies - so that meant reorganising the containers in the veg plot in order to squeeze them in. No wonder my back aches!

Georgie

Short and sweet

Family matters have kept me away from the garden this week so there is not a great deal to report.

The picture is of Arum Italicum which opened a couple of days ago in the shady corner. Also in bloom this week were more Alliums and Aquilegias and I have buds on Bluebells and Tradescantia.

The Sweet Basil, three types of Cucumber and Courgette seeds sown last weekend have all germinated and there are buds on Chilli Trifetti and Pineapple Physallis. I have pricked out Coriander and Pansy seedlings and potted on the Tomato Micro plants which I've moved to the greenhouse.

And now for a word about my hanging baskets. The winter ones which each contained a Carex, three Ivy-type plants and three Cyclamen are all still thriving apart from the Cyclamen which got too wet and rotted. So I've decided to replace the Cyclamen with things I've grown from seed. As a result two now contain Dianthus, two trailing Sweet Peas and two Birds Foot Trefoil. Yes, I know that sounds like a designer's nightmare but it will either work or it won't. Time will tell.

Georgie

Tadpoles and other pond life

I spotted a couple of my tadpoles today - they are hard to see now the pond plants have established - and managed to get this close up shot. It is eating algae around one of the plant baskets but I also noticed it seemed to be chasing the small brown things you can see in the picture which I believe are mosquito/midge larvae. I hadn't noticed the white things when I took the photo but they also appear to be some form of wildlife. The roots on the right of the picture are escaping from the pot of Brooklime which is growing like Topsy and has tiny blue star-like flowers. It's very popular with the hoverflies and ground spiders.

Georgie

Spent all day in the garden

It's been a perfect day for gardening here today - sunny and not too hot - so I have taken full advantage of it.

Flowers

The photo is of Aquilegia Clementine White which has come out this week. It's one of the shorter Aquilegias at only about 40cm tall but I love the flowers, particularly the green colouring on the tips of the petals. I grow it in front of Rue which, with its blue/green leaves, makes a lovely backdrop.

The scented Pelargoniums I grew from cuttings were taking over the greenhouse (they are in full flower) so I bit the bullet, potted some of them on, and put them outside on the patio. I think they should be okay but I've left some in the greenhouse in case I'm unlucky and we get a late frost.

Herbs

I'm no fan of garden centre chains as a rule but I must give credit when it's due. A month or two back I picked up good sized pots of Sage, Tricolour Sage, Mint and Thyme which were priced at £2.99 each or four for £10 at Wyvale. I normally grow my herbs from seeds or cuttings but at the time I was looking for for a bit of instant colour. Anyway I'm delighted to say that all the plants are thriving and have pretty much doubled in size already.

Having completely ruined my Par-cel plant, the slugs/snails have now started munching on my Parsely and Hyssop. Thankfully the plants aren't ruined but I am not best pleased. On a brighter note, the Chives I potted on earlier in the year are a mass of buds so I'm looking forward to the delicate flowers any day now.

I have no idea why, but my self-saved Sweet Basil seeds failed to germinate this year. Thankfully a kind poster on A4A was able to let me have some spare seeds and she also kindly sent me some Sweet Cicely seeds to try. This plant is said to attract bees and butterflies and is happy in semi-shade which is a bonus.

Edibles

I've had yet another reorganisation! I've moved my new pot stand - which houses six Strawberry plants - away from the veg plot and sited it on the patio next to the kitchen door. This is for two reasons: I'm concerned about the birds/slugs/snails eating the fruit in the veg plot area and also having the plants just outside the kitchen door means I'll be able to spot the ripe fruits more quickly and it doesn't take up much room.

The Peas have been a failure! I've sown seeds in succession but every one - save two - have been eaten by the snails. I didn't plan to grow any this year because I always have this problem (not to mention powdery mildew and never being able to grow enough) but someone sent me some seeds to try. I've had three flowers so far and two have now formed little pods so I'll savour what I get!

The Potatoes are triffids! They are over 90cm tall now and I'm told they will be ready to havest in two weeks - I can't wait. The Onions and Broad Beans are also doing well and I'm harvesting Oriental salad leaves for sandwiches. But I still haven't sown my Cucumber and Courgette seeds!

Georgie

Comparision to this time last year

This blog is proving a useful tool. Earlier in the year the spring bulbs were about four weeks late blooming compared to last year but after such a warm April, and reading back over my entries for early May 2008, I see that everything has caught up.

The photo is of the first of the Alliums almost fully open. This particular one is growing through white Honesty which makes a pleasing combination. There were a few more Aquilegia flowers open today and I was delighted to see that the first of the Eucomis are peeping above the soil - including those I over-wintered in their pot in the greenhouse.

I sowed a second container of Beetroot today and potted on two Tomato Whippersnappers before moving them to the greenhouse. I didn't get around to sowing any seeds though, so that's a job for tomorrow. It's time to start the Cucumbers and Courgettes I think.

I was sent some Fuchsia Magellanica cuttings recently by a kind chap on A4A. I've got two varieties and so I've decide to try rooting half of each in water and the rest have been planted in compost. There's no sign of any roots yet on the ones in water but they look healthy enough. Fingers crossed.

Finally, a word about my 'slug resistant' Hostas. These bared-rooted specimens were planted last autumn. 'Big Daddy' and 'Tokudama' are doing really well with a good few leaves and no sign of any slug damage. But 'Invincible' is far less healthy at the moment with some definite signs of nibbling. They are all in 10 inch pots topped with gravel but with no special protection. It's fun to experiment.

Georgie

Busy week

The weather has been warm and sunny for most of the week so it's been a busy time in the garden tidying up, cutting the grass, reorganising the containers (now that the Narcissus and Tulips have finished) and sowing seeds, pricking out and potting on.

Ornamentals

The picture shows four of the six plants I bought last weekend now sited in my shady corner. Clockwise from top left they are Polemonium, Cimisifuga, Polygonium and Ajuga. I'm really pleased with how well they look together. Out of the picture and also in bloom now are Lily of the Valley and the Bluebells are just showing signs of flower stems. Meanwhile in the sunny border the Aquilegia vulgaris and Alliums are beginning to open and there are buds on the Cotoneaster.

Edibles

The Potatoes have had their final earthing up, all 10 of the Broad Beans have germinated and I have the second flower out on my Peas. There are lots of flowers on the Strawberries and the autumn Raspberry canes are about 30cm high. In the greenhouse the Chillies, Physallis, Ornamental salad leaves and Radishes have put on good growth and the Tomatoes continue to thrive on the kitchen windowsill.

Wildlife

The wood pigeons continue to visit the bird feeder and I've seen a couple of sparrows in the Jasmine. Apart from the small and large whites it was nice to see a Holly Blue butterfly on the Ivy yesterday. I've had to dispose of two Lily beetles this week and there is still no sign of any native ladybirds. In the pond the Brooklime is growing 'a mile and minute' and is starting to flower and at last I've spotted my first tadpole. The hoverflies and honey bees also enjoy visiting for a drink so it's been a success so far.

Georgie