Snippets of Spring 19.05.2015

The weather has been crazy these past couple of weeks!

Things are finally growing on in the garden! I have some snaps to show. However, geez with the weeds!! Most of the time I've been out there I have ended up getting distracted because I "just need to get rid of this one". And "this one" became all of the patch really. Anyway, here we go!

A few months ago, I made this teepee (officially called a wigwam). The sweet peas have started growing big and strong and I am excited to see them in bloom.

Last weekend, I decided it was time to plant out some sweet peas I had been hardening off for a couple of weeks. I didn't have as much germination success as I had before, and I don't really have space to build another teepee. So I put together some bamboo canes I had lying about and made some sort of trellis contraption.I spotted a slug while I was tying everything together, so I decided to scatter some gravel to make it a little difficult for them to nom on my beautiful seedling. 

 I tackled the back of the garden as well. It's difficult because the more you take out, the more it erodes. However, I don't want to spray it all with weed killer. If you have any suggestions let me know!

The of the best things about planting things from seed is not only to watch them grow and plant them out but to give plants to people. I grew some rudbeckia and dianthus from seed. Some friends of mine moved house recently and have been asked to assist in the design of it! (I might ask if I can document the progress). In any case, I thought adding some colour would look nice while they decide what to do with it. I've also got some strawberry plants to one side. In the meantime though, here are the rudbeckia I am keeping.

My spinach and salad leaves are growing so fast! I give some spinach to our guinea pigs and they gobble it all up. The carrots are also showing signs of their "top".

I've been collecting alpines these last couple of months. This area of the garden is a bit awkward to grow anything because it has some shrubs etc. and I have noticed cats like going to the toilet there. Also, given it was so barren, weeds popped up like crazy. So I weeded, and I am slowly filling it with alpines. I'm thinking of putting some ferns in the more shady areas. With these alpines it already looks so much better and I have been weeding a lot less. I chose alpines because they are low maintenance. However, you can't see it in this photo, but further up I have planted some thyme and a couple of onion.

On the other side, my father-in-law gave me a bunch of chives, and the kale and spinach seems happy where it is! The next photo is an update on my flower patch. You can see seedlings in neat rows. However, I'm sure seeds scattered around, so I don't want to weed anything that I don't recognise!

Finally a sneaky peak in the greenhouse. After watching the Great British Garden Revival, I got obsessed with getting "native British lavender", so I ordered a plant of hidcote lavender. It arrived last week and has been living in the greenhouse to aclimatise.

















 The greenhouse is slowly getting emptier now that the temperatures seem to be keeping at a decent level. I've still got my peppers growing, and my sunflowers. I also have 2 courgette plants for my mother-in-law.

Lastly, I'm trying to get these sage cutting to root. I have kept them in a sandwich bag for about a week now, making sure they have enough water. I obviously don't want to pull them out to see if they have rooted, so I don't know how they are doing, really. However, they haven't dried out and they still look pretty green! I hope they continue to remain alive.

Filling the garden little by little and update on direct sowing

The key to not lose your battle with the weeds is patience and tackling one area of the garden at a time. At least that is what has worked for me. We are lucky have a really big garden, but it did look rather sparse when we first moved in. I have been slowly filling it with plants that I like. I see it as a trial run for the garden at our forever home, whenever that may be. I buy things I like the look of; if they survive, great. If not, on to something else it is.

Up until now I had been concentrating on the parts of the garden that were closer to the house. I moved my way upwards, taking out weeds etc. Last weekend, my father-in-law took me to an old-school nursery some 30 minutes away. It's called Marbury Hall Nursery and it was a dream to walk through the rows and rows of plants. I bought a small collection of mostly alpines to plant on the opposite bed where my flower patch is growing. They look rather at home there now and it has inspired me to keep on adding to it. Also, I have to add that I got the plants, two ceramic pots and a carnivorous plant for the boyfriend for under £30. That gave me enough reason to make the decision that I will return.

While I was outside I decided to pay a visit to the different areas in the garden where I have sowed directly. One pea plant has showed it's head, and there is movement in the courgette+marigold area. The spinach and the kale are also growing nicely and the carrot has started to show too. We had a frost the other day that made me worry about them but they seem to be ok!