Sunil This is an unashamedly procrastination post. I’m currently in the middle of several large jobs:
- Completing the border edging
- Pruning the roses
- Cleaning the patio
- Pruning the hedges
- Mulching the borders
On top of this, there is still the winter clean-up to do as well. I have all of these jobs on the go and flit like a bird between them all, not managing to complete one before starting the next, because they all need to be done by kind-of-now.
Instead, I’ve got my gardening clothes in the washing machine, preventing me from going outside (it’s not World Naked Gardening Day until early May) and so instead I quickly popped outside to take a few photos while in my dressing gown.
We always end up picking our rhubarb at the wrong time of year and wonder why it’s tough and tastes awful. I spotted these juicy pink stems on aforementioned walk-about and am already looking up recipes (something a bit more exciting that just the usual crumble).
We have another two rhubarb plants and while they see OK, they haven’t thrived in the heavy wet soil as much as I thought they would – perhaps it’s too wet..?
The aubretia is flowering in purple cascades down the patio wall. This one is an original recovered from the rampant ivy way back when we first moved in and the wall stone wasn’t actually visible. I love the aubretia as it’s just so cheery and flowers so early, it is a joy to come across. We tried Aubretia in other areas but it becomes shaded out by other plants and eventually dies. There’s no chance of that happening for the ones growing in the wall though.
This bijou pot of white tulips was actually a freebie. I can’t remember from what – probably an online bulb order back in Autumn. You had to order over a certain amount (which is pretty effortless for me) and you’d receive free tulip bulbs. Usually I find the freebies a bit of a pain as it means I then have to deal with planting additional bulbs beyond the ones I’d already ordered. In this case, it worked out well as it’s a lovely display.
While my OCD runs rampant throughout many aspects of my life. I oddly prefer a bit of mischievousness in the garden. For this pot of pristine white tulips, if there was a single tulip that was any other bright colour, like a purple or yellow/red-flame, that would have been fantastic.
The Camellias are in mid-flower now and they look great. We have four large shrubs in the back garden with a further two large shrubs in the front. A couple of them have large open-centered flowers that the bees like too.
As the shrubs are large, they’re getting a bit leggy and need a tip prune just to take them back a little and make them bush out more so they look fuller. I hope I manage to get round to this job after they’ve flowered and not leave it too late (like I did last year).
One job that’s been on hold is the winter clean-up together with the border edging. The ground has been too wet, with water collecting in the channels. It’s made working with the heavy clay impossible. In the picture, you can just about see a water line where it pooled in the corner. I hope to be able to get back to the border edging as the garden dries out, but it’s not as important as other time-critical work just as that list at the top of the page.
Speaking of which, I should probably stop here and pick a gardening job to get back to for the afternoon.
8 comments
….. and breathe! It will all get done, eventually! My last cat died last week, so full funeral honours and into the garden (along with another two over the years). Now has loads of miniature daffs in flower on the soil above her, and that’s so cheery as I pass the spot. Lots of jobs to do here too, and as everone is on “lock-down” shortly, I will spend a lot of time in the garden this year, changing a few things and of course, stuffing ever more stuff into the spaces. (What’s new?!!)
Hello Mrs Mac, I’m sorry to hear about your cat. We have the same but with Crocosmia. I’ve been bulk-buying manure and compost (literally) and very soon the patio will be ready to sit out on as well, if the weather ever brightens up past “heavily overcast”. In the mean time, I’m not short of things to be getting on with!
You camellias and aubretia are gorgeous. Always wish I could grow aubretia here. The forsythia is blooming so I need to prune but it is raining every day. With the virus situation here, I could use a cheery day in the garden.
Thanks, Lynn, the forsythia is blooming here too. I managed to prune another two roses yesterday so that leaves five left to do and I might be able able to relax a bit more. Here the rain has finally eased but, but the sky remains overcast and uniform grey, it makes it dark and dingy. I’m trying to hang on for the weekend when its meant to turn brighter. I hope some Spring sunshine comes your way soon too!
Nice tulips. And those Camelias – wow! Have you ever tried strawberry-rhubarb pie?
Thanks, Jason, we’re quite taken by the white tulips and we like them more than we thought they would – perhaps because they actually look like the Garden Centre catalogue photo. We haven’t tried strawberry and rhubarb pie! That’s an odd/interesting combination. I’ll have to look up some recipes.
I love the color of that aubretia. Breathtaking!
Thanks Jean, it’s very arresting when in the sun in full flower. It flowers early too which is an added bonus. I just wish we had more wall space to grow it!