Working in all weathers!
I’ve really committed to organising the garden by moving plants into better positions and dividing herbaceous perennials before replanting or sharing. I can already imagine the positive difference this will make! Furthermore, after each day of home schooling, I’ve benefitted from half an hour of gardening before it got too dark – and I was out, whatever the weather!
In drizzle I cleared Michaelmas daisy ‘Algar’s Pride’ and planted all the foxgloves and teasels, which had seeded randomly through the borders. During brief sunny spells I moved red cactus dahlia ‘Indian Summer’, crocosmias, rudbeckias, red hot pokers, salvia ‘Hot Lips’ and orange roses into the new ‘hot’ border, while taking any pastels away. A new Acer griseum has gone in as well. It’s small, but I’ll really enjoy watching it grow!
I split primrose ‘Heritage Cream’, various daisies, perennial geraniums, centranthus and cornflower through hailstorms! Then I shared any spares, plus Hebe andersonii ‘Variegata’ cuttings and Helleborus argutifolius seedlings, with friends and neighbours, as well as donating to the school garden.
By the time the snow came I’d made space for some great value bare-root plants. I brought chocolate cosmos, peony, phlox, echinacea and three different clematis, some pompom dahlia tubers and anemone ‘The Bride’ corms, which were all tucked into gaps after the thaw and heavy rain ceased. I made sure to make a new garden plan, listing plant names and locations.
The garden’s now flourishing with the signs of spring. Forget-menots and buds from golden, orange and rich purple crocus, tulip ‘Red Riding Hood’ and sunny daffodil ‘Tête-à- tête’ are all preparing to bring cheer along the border edges.
We get such pleasure from the visits of furry and feathered friends and have kept up with supplies of food and fresh waters. We happily recorded a greater number and wider variety of bird species for the RSPB Garden Birdwatch than last year.
After my daily dose of gardening, I feel like I’m on the brink of my best gardening year. If only I could say I was now going to sit back, but
I need to focus on regular trips to the allotment next, if I can manage to fit it in!