all creatures...

Some good garden visitors and some bad

SQUELCHING through long, wet grass in my wellies a few days ago, I accidentally trod on a baby frog.

There are so many around at the moment that they are becoming increasingly hard to avoid and I’m going to have to rake the grass before we strim it to prevent wholesale slaughter.

Wildlife abounds just now, from the roe deer that float around in the early mornings and the hedgehog that occasionally ambles across the patio to the chorus of birds that fill the air with their song.

Some visitors are more welcome than others.

The clothes moths that demolished a cardboard box filled with forgotten tulip bulbs in the garage before infiltrating the entire house, we could have done without and I could say the same about the slugs and snails that have feasted on the dahlias, but without these treats to tempt them, I doubt we’d enjoy the birds, hedgehogs or frogs.

It’s at this time of the year that you realise the garden is home to more than just veg and flowers, but is a whole ecosystem in its own right.

It’s where everything, including the ants that throw up the sand between the paving slabs, the field mice that occasionally find their way into the house, and the starlings that sit on the fence, have their own unique place.

Nobody would ever accuse me of being a perfectionist and my attempts at pest control could best be described as haphazard, but maybe that’s why the garden is now filled with so much life.

There’s always plenty for the next creature up the food chain to feast on.

I’m looking forward to feasting on artichokes, just not yet. The plants that went in last month have romped away and their handsome, grey leaves are already making an impressive show amongst the flowers.

Soon they will start to produce flower buds, but instead of letting these grow until they are ready to be cooked in salted water and dipped in melted butter, I’m going to nip them off.

It sounds harsh, but do this and you’ll get much stronger plants in the long run.

It’s just the same as with rhubarb.

Once planted this should be left unpicked in its first year and only lightly harvested the second.

Crumbles and custard have to wait until year three, when the crown has reached full strength and it’s at this point that you can start picking stems properly, although always allow some stems to remain standing so that they can provide energy to the plant.

Artichokes have a short lifespan, but the plants produce off-sets which can be removed and grown on to ensure a continuous supply of decorative foliage and delicious buds for many years.

Phormiums are another handsome foliage plant and I have several different kinds, from the plain New Zealand flax to variegated forms with yellow leaves and red stripes.

All of mine have now outgrown their containers and June is the perfect month to divide them, splitting them into several pieces and replanting them in fresh compost.