My gardening DIARY

MONDAY

Because we had a dry spring, slugs weren’t in evidence as much as usual – but they seem to be making up for it now. Runner beans, which were quite sturdy plants when they went out, have had most of their lower leaves decimated. Neil has been doing a slug hunt every evening. Isn’t he lovely?

TUESDAY

When planting a spindle in a small bed close to our native hedge, we took out everything, including the ground elder (we hope) and several clumps of aster, Eurybia divaricata. We split the aster and potted up the pieces. They looked woe-begone at first but have now made healthy plants.

WEDNESDAY

There were so many bees around when our two apples and one crab apple were in flower, the trees seem to have made a good set of fruit. If so we must remember to thin out the apples later. In some years we’ve neglected to do this, resulting in a huge crop of small apples – devil of a job to peel.

THURSDAY

The only trouble with growing annuals from seed is that you have to find homes for scores of plants. Three kinds of cosmos have yielded trays and trays and though there were gaps where soil could be seen, most have disappeared under the copious foliage of perennials. Nonetheless, where each weed comes out, an annual can go in.

FRIDAY

Planting out the big egg pots on the front terrace. It’s so tempting to gather loads of plants you want to include, all of which have been grown here. When they’re all gathered, you realise you’re being a bit over optimistic.

SATURDAY

It’s been impossible to eradicate Acanthus spinosus from our younger daughter Alice’s garden. I didn’t plant it in the first place, it just arrived. Whenever you take it out, it resurfaces, regenerating from roots!

SUNDAY

Ginger lilies (hedychiums) are always slow to get going; at least their new shoots aren’t smitten by frost. Those in pots are really going for it!