The weather is again cool & grey but it is at least dry so as I’m off work, I got on, very slowly, with painting the fence. I have now got 2/3s of the way down the back fence and am pleased with the ‘city slate’ grey that I chose. I’ve been listening to an audiobook version “The Plant-hunter’s Atlas - A World tour of Botanical Adventures, Chance Discoveries & Strange Specimens” by Ambra Edwards from Kew Gardens while painting the fence and am amazed at the history of so many of the plants in my garden.
Tuesday 19th April
Today was gloriously sunny but still chilly. I spent a lot of it outside sitting in the Magic Garden but I did some practical things too .I rearranged the patio, moving the cold frame on to it and tidying up. I inspected the progress of my broccoli and with a few signs of slug damage I have added copper collars.
I spent quite a while just sitting & watching the birds on the feeders before planting out three more meconopsis poppies under the old star jasmine.
I’m rather proud of my photograph of a bee in a hellebore flower even if it doesn’t get the whole bee in focus.
Easter Monday
My painting continued today with the old rocking chair getting a makeover and a large part of the arbour seat. Unfortunately I have now run out of this darker grey paint too. I am really pleased though with the colours. I think I will probably paint the summerhouse once I’ve completed the fences and furniture.
Ben spent most of the afternoon loading around and watching me from a safe distance. I’ve left the blue plastic on the arbour seat as I know he won’t be able to stay off it for long.. He was a bit disapproving as I had the watering can out as I needed to water the potato bags that I belatedly started off yesterday. The seed potatoes have been on the kitchen window sill chatting for a long time & were probably ready to plant well before now.
The amount of blossom in the Magic Garden is rapidly increasing & most of the apples are coming into bloom now. I’m hoping there is more around to pollinate them than evidenced so far. The blueberries are also just coming into flower while the raspberries are sprouting beautiful fresh leaves.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday has been dry with sunny intervals but cool down here by the coast. I have painted one entire side of fence but have now run out of paint. Ben watched for a bit then snoozed under the little blackcurrant bush, fortunately avoiding the violets.
To my pleasure the wee Epimedium grandiflora ‘Bandit’ with its lovely heart shaped leaves has started to flower. The small white flowers are dainty and star-shaped. They remind me of aquilegia flowers.
I have been noticing the bees coming into the Magic Garden but my impression is that there are fewer than this time last year - perhaps just because its been cooler. Its a little worrying but another reason to grow a variety of flowers.
Saturday 16th April
I’m slightly disorientated in time by having the bank holiday yesterday and working today - if I work at weekends its usually a Sunday. When driving home from work this evening, I watched the temperature drop from 17 to 13C & it was not far off an east coast haar. I still went to sit in the Magic Garden with Ben in attendance. We are plagued from spring onwards by herring gulls and I was alerted to the presence of one by the cross warning noises Ben was making, sounding like one of the big cats rather than his domestic self. They are enormous birds and are proving difficult to deter..
Much more welcome were a pair of busy blue tits which are munching their way through the suet balls. They do go to the peanuts too but its definitely the suet which is the preferred meal. I could hear a wren most of the time I was outside. I couldn’t see it today but I am always amazed by how such a wee bird can broadcast so very loudly.
I did a bit of daffodil deadheading right round the Magic Garden, remembering they need to bulk up their bulbs rather than produce seeds. In contrast I have left the last of the overwintered kale to go to flower and seed as its providing a little fodder for some of the bees. I did a generalised check of the whole garden before coming to the conclusion it was teatime & time to go into the warm.
Good Friday
We have had a chilly day here - not quite making it to 13C where down south it was 23C. I made a slow start at painting the fence, managing just a couple of sections. I think the light grey is going to work well having now seen the spirea and broom against it . The broom is gradually coming into flower & smells amazing. The bumblebees have been a little slow to find it so far this year but then its not been very warm here as yet. I also did some path maintenance having got some ‘cotswold’ gravel for the main paths. I have put blue slate clippings around the central Thyme zone in pentagonal arrangement.
Ben was keeping an eye on my activities and being perhaps a little less than helpful. I might need to re-think the protection for my vegetables.
Maundy Thursday
Ben and I sat in the Magic Garden contemplating the lack of sunshine this morning. I retrieved some of the plant supports and did a little judicious tidying including de-heading of the daffodils. The centaurea montana is already taking over in the front quarter so I removed several pieces & then put in supports to allow the things round them to grow on up through. This version is the blue perennial cornflower and grows away freely spreading out. Under the rowan tree I have a posher version the ‘purple heart’. The blue ones aren’t far off blooming. The bees alone make it worth having them.
I went shopping & decided on a light grey paint for the fences and the smoke grey for the furniture. I also bought compost for the potato bags & some more ericaceous compost. I have 3 more meconopsis plants to put out this weekend. I was in town for a hospital appointment and walking round Leazes Park was impressed by the amount of flower around and especially the primroses. Seeing the moorhens (red beak) and coots is always a bonus.
Wednesday 13th April
I escaped work on time today allowing me to catch the last of the sun in the Magic Garden sitting in a surprisingly mild feeling wind. Ben-cat joined me while I had a cup of tea. The daffodils are going over now with the wind & yesterday’s rain hastening events. The Magic Garden is greening up rapidly though and bare earth is becoming more of a rarity.
I’m currently thinking about painting the fence and having bought a couple of tester pots tried them on spare bits of wood left over from the fence. The colours are smoke grey and arctic blue. I’ve painted the back piece of the rocking chair in the grey and think this will be the end choice.
The other maintenance task planned for sooner rather than later is to re-gravel the paths. I can hear my back complaining already! Hopefully the weather will play ball over the Easter weekend - its allowed to rain while I work but some sun on Easter Sunday would be a real treat.
Damp
Today was disappointingly wet given I was not at work but it was probably good for the garden. In amongst my food shopping I bought some osteospermums from the supermarket - they were lovely plants & should be white and blue when they flower. I decided to put them straight out in the Magic Garden during a dry period. I used the white ones underneath the rowan tree and the blue ones to fill in gaps along the sides of the south path.
Ben was surprisingly keen on being outside mainly to sit on the arbour seat & watch me as I filled up the cold frame with seedlings / young plants. I did a little weeding. I left the self seeded aquilegia in place.
Dandelions
Ben had the run of the Magic Garden today while I was at work. He wasn’t initially impressed with the idea but he had found the biscuits in the summerhouse so he must have had a happy snooze in there too. Beyond refreshing those biscuits and putting the hedgehogs’ food out, I spent only a few moments outside in the dark. I was pleased to note that the dandelion, that I probably should pull up, outside the patio doors is in full flower.
Dandelions are also known as piss-in-the-bed owing to its diuretic effects from dandelion tea. Its used for lots of other herbal medicine but with little evidence.
I tend to allow dandelions to grow, partly because it would be pointless to do otherwise but also because I know that both bees and butterflies appreciate their early blooming. There are lots blooming along the road verges at present which is always cheering to see. Ben was just glad to come in for a nap.
Palm Sunday
I had a satisfying afternoon in the Magic Garden clearing the border along the fence between my neighbours and me. It was mainly about clearing excess geraniums and weeding. I tied in the climbing rose a bit more and further along a honeysuckle and the ivy. .
I have tidied up the patio a little and am now thinking about what vegetables and salad to grow in the troughs.
I found a wee violet in the Magic patch next to the arch. It is so very delicate.
I enjoyed a few minutes just watching the dunnocks.
Saturday 9th April
My social life took priority today but I still took a bit of time to sit in the Magic Garden and watch the birds at the end of the day. The wood pigeons and collard doves are in amorous mode at present. I am always struck by how much bigger and greedier the wood pigeons are with their constant calling of ‘Eleri said’
I love all the daffodils but I think the yellow ones with orange centres are the most ‘daffodilly’ in the Magic Garden although the white ones are special too.
The hellebores are still lovely but are going over now & some are a bit scruffy. They will soon be swamped by other plants as the herbaceous perennials are getting going. Last year’s bedding is coming on well now too!
Friday evening
It was rather special to arrive home early enough to sit in the Magic Garden in the sun, admittedly with rather a lot of layers on as its still chilly. The sun was full onto my garden rocking chair and the summerhouse is my evening refuge as the season goes on for this reason.
Ben is re-discovering the various potted catnip plants around the garden as well as continuing to ‘cultivate’ the ones in the back corner.
Wet day
Today it was wet until late afternoon so it was mainly a day for other activities but I did have another seed sowing session as well as looking after the cuttings and seedlings that I have already. The first sunflowers are just coming through and I have just sown a new set of sunflowers in an ever optimistic approach
The sunflowers are both in tribute to the people of Ukraine and to remember my father. He never knew that the last sunflowers he sowed flowered spectacularly - the first time he had succeeded in Badachro. I similarly have always failed but am very determined this year.
The rudbeckia I pricked out are doing ok although they need more light. The swan river daisies are going to be the next needing pricking out.
At the end of the day it stopped raining so Ben & I went out to play.
Day Off
I took a day off today and have to confess that beyond going for a long walk by the sea I did very little else but I did sit in the sun in the Magic Garden although it was distinctly chilly owing to the wind. I love the way each day at the moment the garden is waking up.
The apples are nearly all coming into blossom. I found this almost white snakehead fritillary in amongst those next to the rhubarb.
The weeds are also up and running, quite literally in the case of the stinging nettles. These are in the back corner and to an extent I allow them to grow as I think they have a role in the Magic Garden and in being good for caterpillars. They are perennial and would be difficult to eradicate but I do try and stop the patch getting any bigger.
I’m less tolerant of sticky willy (goose grass) which is more prevalent than it used to be. I dislike Petty Spurge too as its a euphorbia and hence produces irritant.
Tuesday 5th April
It is supposedly mild today but its felt chilly to me all day with the wind coming off the sea. Ben wasn’t that keen on being outside either. I caught a glimpse of blue below the wee blackcurrant bush next to the arbour seat and hiding amongst yet more dusky cranesbill were little sweet violets (Viola odorata)
In the back corner there is already dusky cranesbill out & both the red & white valerian are showing signs of coming into flower too by the pond
Ben adding his editorial comments!
On the other side of the pond the spirea is beautiful & the broom is already yellow with potential.
Sweetpeas
I love sweetpeas with their delicate scent & pretty flowers - a love that my sister shared and so I always try to grow some in her memory. I tend not to be terribly successful with the annual ones but have go a couple of perennial ones in the back garden that always romp away. This year though I’m making a determined effort to have some annual ones and yesterday I planted out some of this year’s sowings. Monty Don put his out on Friday’s Gardeners’ World so I’ll blame him if this lot fails! I do have my fallback collection which I won’t put out for a couple of weeks yet.
I was pleased to find that they had survived their first night and first gusts of wind, rather better than the white daffodils have done. There are three sorts I have planted out half of my Spencers mixed, a new one to me ‘Breath of fresh Air’ and a single colour ‘Blue Velvet’.
Sunday 3rd April
Its been chilly here today although the sun was out this morning. I got on with more planting out and simple maintenance in the Magic Garden.
Meconopsis alba
Erysimum ‘Apricot Delight’
Meconopsis baileyi
I planted out the blue & white meconopsis plants into the back corner having filled up with some ericaceous compost to provide acidity & added in a gallardia to addd some bright yellow in later in the season. I’m pleased with how the ‘wild’ corner is coming on as a proper herbaceous border. I planted a second erysimum, that I had been tempted into buying when I went to get more seed compost, under the rowan tree.
I tidied up the Thyme zone planting in replacement thymes, cleaning the paving stones & putting down new white chippings. It rather emphasises the need for more gravel for the pathways and I need to find red chippings too.
Sunny Saturday
It has been a lovely sunny Saturday if somewhat cold. I am tired so have had a quiet day enjoying the Magic Garden with Ben. I emptied out the cold frame of the aquilegia I sowed last autumn, more foxgloves & red achillea (Cerise Queen). The latter are destined for the front garden as I have a large one in the Magic Garden already. I’m thinking of putting the foxgloves along the back fence. I’m hoping the aquilegia will bulk up quickly to match those already in the garden.
I sat in the Magic Garden to enjoy the sunshine in my garden rocking chair looking across the garden. Ben was quite keen to be around me while I was outside although I think some of that was optimism about when I might be persuaded to feed him.
The cold frame is currently stuck in the side passage & I was surprised that Ben thought it made for a good place to perch & relieved he is not any heavier. There is a tub of tulips round there & I was surprised that one was out, even more so as it was white rather than the red & yellow flowers.
April 1st 2022
I’ve had a bit of a bad day, starting with waking up to snow this morning. Fortunately this seemed to be a dusting in the garden and on the roads even if the car was rather well coated. For various reasons it was well gone 7 pm before I left work so I feel a bit cheated on fresh air. Ben is not overly impressed either. I’m hoping for a good sleep tonight and at least some sunshine tomorrow, or a bit of dry during the day tomorrow.
When I have been out and about recently I have been eyeing up other people’s gardens. My bird cherries have some way to go before they have enough blossom to match. After I told my mum about the flowering currant I’ve been jealous of for most of March she suggested I try striking a cutting. Its in an abandoned pub’s carpark so I might see if I can take some this weekend while I’ve the idea still fresh.
Ben is more interested in the treats than the Magic Garden tonight.
