June 10th 2012
Very pleased with my home grown watercress :)
Also with the first of the roses I've been able to cut for the house, this one the ever reliable Graham Thomas, beautiful scent :)
May 11th
These are on of my favourite flowers of all - good "doers", seed happily around, and they cross with each other so easily, giving rise to new colour permutations every year; beautiful foliage, too, grow in sun or light shade, last well as a cut flower and seem to know just the right place to set seed and grow all by themselves with minimum intervention. Mind you, the very pretty cream one in the picture has conveniently set herself right in the doorway of one of the greenhouses and I can't shut the door! When flowering is over, I shall move her, as she's too beautiful to lose. When we moved here, the only flowers were a few small-flowered aquilegias and some pot marigolds; the tiny dark pink one is an offspring of one of the originals, so nice to keep that going. The big blue one is in among a nice stand of Solomon's Seal by another greenhouse door - the colour combination of greens, cream and that dark purply blue is stunning. The pretty pale pink one grows happily inside the same greenhouse - I don't feel the need to move her at all, she's more than happy where she is, and attracts insects in too.
I have met in the past, some real aquilegias snobs (bit like rose snobs) _ "Oh I've got such and such (drops in names)", boasting about where they acquired plant/seed and how much they cost - completely OTT in my book for a special plant that is so much more rewarding to let seed itself and be happy where it grows.
Better, for me, to take what nature offers , and accept it with grace.
Wednesday 17th February
Nice enough to get outside for an hour or so this morning; t-shirt sleeves too! Lots beginning to appear and reappear. I potted up the two blueberries, think they'll be happier in pots; sowed the broad beans (under glass) and dug some Jerusalem artichokes for supper; good crop of those, lots more to come - first time I've grown the pink ones, they seem to be much smoother than the usualy white ones.
Nice to sink my hands into the earth again!
Tuesday 16th February
Delighted to see this little harbinger of spring in the front garden this morning - the first winter aconite, eranthis hyemalis. I've just found out there is a white flowered version of this, so will be trying to get hold of one of those soon.
UPDATE
As I say in my Radical Homemaking page, fairly major changes in my life have seen the universe think fit to drop me back here in the Blackmore Vale, and live in my soon-to-be-converted cabin in the garden - so, I am back in my beloved garden with all my animals and my bees.
The major change, though is that I have to strive to make some sort of income from the garden to go towards my living costs - not sure what or how much they will be, but I hope to make a few pounds from selling eggs, plants, produce etc on my roadside table. As a result, I really need to keep on top of it all even more, but have great plans and optimism for it all, and I couldn't have returned at a better time of year. The garden is looking beautiful - full of spring flowers, new growth, blossom on the fruit trees, butterflies, birds and bees. It's good to get back in the garden :)
Tuseday 19th April
My purple seeds all arrived in one go eysterday, so will get them sown this morning - purple globe artichokes, cerinthe and purple podded peas. Most glorious day out there again, actually hot.
