Blog

Today as I looked out the window when I drew the curtains back I saw the beginnings of a Spring that seems a long time in coming. There is so much to do at this time of the year, well I guess the same really throughout the year but the start of March is special to me. After a few months of dark dreary, wet and cold nights the garden is starting to reveal itself for another year. The Snowdrops. Crocus and Daffodils are in full bloom and the are the signs of other plants beginning to show themselves, Primulas and Wallflowers. So today what was I going to do in the long list of tasks that are already beginning to mount up. The first seeds are in the greenhouse so I can put a tick next to that one. After all the wet weather there is plenty of dead material to be cleared up and cut back. With all the bits of branches collected and put into the green bin, a quick whip around the garden to remove any dead foliage that was missed from the last year.
I would like to get the grass cut but the ground is still to damp and I would end up cutting the soil and not the grass....  I spent the next 30 minutes or so checking the plants I have over wintered along the side of the house. Overall I would say there is in excess of 200 plants waiting to be used, Helenium, Primula, Iris, Aquilegia, Buddleia, Lily Of The Valley, Sedum to name but a few. So I cleared any dead bits and removed any weeds from the pots and made sure any dead ones are removed. Also checked for signs of any bugs, as any plants stored together in shelter tend to attract some kind of pest eventually. Most commonly Whitefly. With that complete its time to have a look at the pots around the garden. Again removing any dead material or plants that have died over the winter, removing the weeds and turning the soil over in the pots. Now is also a good time to add some feed to the pots to get them started well. 
I was also looking at the patio and the colour of the stones, I will have to get the washer out and clean them up, but first I will need to get the weeds out of the gaps. That is the job I less look forward to.