Readers’ gardens
Igot acquainted with an old friend this week – the greenhouse. I had a day off and as if luck would have it the sun was shining, compelling me to start my spring clean and undertake some seed sowing. The chillies are finally in! I’d forgotten how therapeutic it was to potter around the greenhouse, sowing seeds and feeling satisfied with the anticipation of what's to come.
We've a rather exciting addition to our garden, a glorious Belfast sink, a gift from a dear friend who’s moved to the Lake District. This sink travelled in the back of her car to North Somerset from her Irish smallholding at County Mayo and has been in her garden for the past 19 years.
I feel honoured to be given this precious sink – it’s a sink with a history and a host of memories! I'll be putting lots of thought into creating something beautiful to do it justice. Container pond? Rockery? Herb garden?
I'm open to suggestions…
I was also given two hanging baskets of spring bulbs. They're my first ever hanging baskets and what a joy they are, adding some much needed luminous colour under our apple tree. Spring bulbs are popping up all over the place. Crocus in the front and back garden are appearing, as well as the sumptuous, richlycoloured Iris reticulata and hellebores. I transplanted some self-seeded hellebore 'babies' a couple of years ago but they were very disappointing last winter. They’re finally shining and it's worth the wait. While moving pots and cutting back old stems I made some fun discoveries. I used to place my son’s dinosaurs around the garden when he was young, I also used to paint pebbles with bright colours, making everything from mini beasts to penguins and pirates. He loved finding them when he was playing in the garden. Finding these blasts from the past was both joyful and sad. Little boys grow up, but I still have a diplodocus living in my strawberry patch!
February provided a mixed bag of weather; many seasons in one day at times. Luckily our garden remained unscathed after the rain and gale-force winds. I’m always amazed at how resilient plants are in the face of adverse weather. The seemingly delicate ‘Tête-à-tête’ daffodils just bounced back, their flexible stems unperturbed.