Spring in the garden

 

I uploaded my monthly video to youtube yesterday but as far as I can see not much has changed in the garden. The night time temperatures have been cold and even though it has been sunny during the day, there has been a decided nip in the air. The weather is holding me up! I have so much planting out to do but it has been so chilly I've not even planted out the hardy annuals.

Every morning we haul the trays of seedlings outside and then haul them back in at night. 

This photo was taken a while ago, the seedlings are a lot bigger now and some climbing out of their pots. I made such a stupid mistake and planted far too many antirhinums. They are one of my favourites but you can have too many, I've given loads away but there are so many to plant now, as well as the cosmos and stock etc. I am looking forward to a very colourful summer border.

Tomorrow though the weather is set to change and not for the better. The temperature will rise but it will be wet - very wet with 48 mph winds - damaging and heartbreaking. I will be spending this afternoon tying up and staking vulnerable plants and baby clematis.

A few weeks ago, we moved my big wooden swing. Last year we had it against the fence where it gets zero sun. I am not a lover of sitting in the sun but it was too dreary even for me tucked against the west facing wall. We shifted it a little south so it gets the afternoon sun but it looked ... not quite right. I came up with the idea of digging out a small planting area  to the side so it is now hugged by the plants - or it will be when they've grown. 

The above is photographic evidence that I do sometimes allow the Undergardener to sit down!

The little pot pond that sits to one side of it surrounded with bog lovers so I had to incorporate some plastic to slow the drainage there. The new planting area allowed one of the clematis (Oooh la la!)  to be freed from its pot into the soil and Miss Bateman will also be planted out next spring. I would have liked to have done that this year but she had already grown too tall and was entwined around the trellis behind. I didn't want to harm her. There are foxgloves, astilbe, marigolds and room for more. This above photograph was taken before I put the fuchsia tower in the middle. I intended it to  be 'just for now' but it did very well in the same position last year, so it may well stay.

Other than that we've just been watching things grow and imagining how it will be soon and making plans and ordering wood for the pergola - or logia, I suppose it is really - that we are going to erect over the patio along the house. Keep an eye out for a post about that very soon.

If you'd like to join me for a walk around the garden, click the link and I will meet you there. https://youtu.be/iHrtHO-x5bA. If you do watch the video please like and subscribe to my channel.

See you in June!