Six on Saturday - 28 March 2020

Its been another strange week in the World of Humans.  I keep wanting to check on what the situation is, but then I go and put my head in the sand immerse myself in the garden, and all my tension is dissipated.  Mr Prop who heralds us all together in this weekly gardenfest has been working from home and has a interesting post which is well worth going to read.

After a winter of rain and very poor light this week has brought the most glorious light and sunshine.  It has been cool but warm in the sun, plants and wildlife appreciate the change.  Yellow Brimstone, and Peacocks have been flitting around the garden.  Each season I find I have to 'revise' the names and found The Butterfly  Identification site has excellent photographs and other information.  Yes I have books too!!!!

(1) The insects are waking up...no well fed greenfly yet, but ladybirds are emerging from their winter dormancy

Bee flies are numerous, but I have just read up about them, and they are probably around due to the large number of solitary bees, on whose larvae they lay their eggs.

(2) The state of the soil is dreadful.  Although I had lain compost in what I thought was plentiful amounts the heavy winter rains have damaged the soil, and now that we have had just a few days of sun there are large cracks opening up.  We have clay here and it will take a few years to improve it.  In better times I would have gone out and bought more compost, soil improver etc but instead have hoed the top of the veggie area to try to get some sort of a tilth for seed sowing...and found large 'tubers' where the runner beans had been growing.  These are pretty large and have not rotted down at all.  If I did these out now all I shall have are large clods of clay.

Trawling through the internet I found that runner beans are perrenials...I may leave the rest in and see what happens, but will start sowing seed mid April.

(3) Getting the jobs at the bottom of the list done has been my aim this week all around the place.  These may be last of the lists, small and easy, but the weight removed from ones shoulders when they are done is a relief.  Of course I have more time and am not able to go out and chase the next fix of excitement such as a visit to the HPS Sale and Rare Plant Fair at the Palace, all of which have been cancelled.  One example is this.....

Please note blue table made by Steve out of old pallets, it will be getting a lick of paint as will the old bench, now over 20 years old!

All winter  this little cream bonsai pots was languishing on the side getting mustier as it filled with rain and dead leaf debris.  Each day for weeks this had been an eyesore.  It took only five minutes to mix the compost, pick off side rosettes and  given a few weeks shelter on the side wall it will go out and join the others....

(4) Rose Munstead Wood being planted  in honour of my mother.

Only last Saturday the world was a different place: Rocky Mountain Nursery was still open, and we were permitted to travel..it is 5 miles away.  I had popped up get provisions from Wells Fruit and Veg:  best supplier for miles around, and they are in the car park of an excellent Nursery.    It was Mother's day the following day, and people were around in family groups.  It was hard to keep one's distance.  .  I was thinking about my mother, who died several year ago.   I used to have this Munstead Wood in my last garden, and I had been missing it.  A Fuchsia had to be moved, it was one of the young plants I had propagated from Fuchsia Upright Delta's Sarah.

(5) The small gravel garden is doing well and new plant Phlox bifida Ralph Haywood is showing its salver shaped flowers with notched petals to full advantage, though photographing it in the sun  was tricky.  

(6) Thalictrum delavayi in the conservatory border is jetting ahead. With the back of the border very close to the conservatory, I have been admiring it as it emerged around the Corydalis  Malkensis which is now waning.

It has a interesting glaucous wavy green leaf with a tinge of purple on the leaf stems and around the leaflet edges.  I have two sets of three along the same border and this set is far stronger and ahead.  That just shows what 2 meters difference makes...even in the world of plants!

6 Bonus picture

View of some of the Amelanchiers this morning