I think that’s part of the problem, Xmas has lost it’s real meaning and become over-commercialised to the point where I think it’s getting dangerous. Pressure on parents to live up to the material expectations of their off-spring must be enormous.

Last year at this time we were snowed in but this year we haven’t even seen a snowflake. My Xmas shopping, such as it is, has been completed and all my cards posted, so I can now turn my attention to other things.

The conservatory, which was a no-go area for about 2 weeks last year, is once more sheltering my tender plants from the cold. The few geraniums that survived last winter’s onslaught, though greatly reduced  in numbers, (only 8 made it in the end) are looking quite happy.

The 48 ‘Lucifer’ seeds I sowed on 26.09.11 are beginning to germinate, only 12 so far, but it’s a start. My fuchsias are still flowering, so they are OK too.

The Rudbeckia seeds I sowed on 4.08.11, as a kind of experiment, have germinated and grown into about a dozen small plants. They too are in the conservatory, and I cover them each evening with plastic cloches (mustard and cress tubs for the supermarket) for a little added protection. I’m hoping this early sowing and mollycoddling will give them a head start when I plant them out in Spring.

Speaking of Spring, it can’t come soon enough for me. Bah humbug!

We brought hundreds of plants with us when we moved here. These are just a few of them.

The idea was that this book would track and record the progress of the new garden, a bit like ‘The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady’ but it soon became clear that this was going to be a task too far. What I’d failed to realise was that Edwardian ladies had staff, I don’t.

After the first couple of years a lot of the plants had died anyway. This could have been due to a variety of reasons, not least incorrect soil type which is how we lost our azaleas.

All the lovely primulas we put in Flower Bed 1, all gone. With the benefit of hindsight we should have planted them in the ditch where the ground doesn’t dry out in summer.

Anyway, loss of plants, the sheer size of the garden and the volume of work involved in just keeping it ticking over, meant that the penny soon dropped. Forget the book and stick to growing things that like it here.

So that’s why today I’ve been collecting seeds. Rudbeckia and Cosmos both do well here. As do Lupins and Larkspur. For some reason I can’t grow Hollyhocks or Delphiniums, though I have tried several times over the years.

Geraniums grow like fun and seem to stand the harshest treatment. Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ was doing OK until last winter which was just too cold and took out some of my plants. That’s why today I’ve just collected and sown 48 Lucifer seeds.

Add to these dahlias grown from seeds like annuals, bright red pelargoniums over-wintered in pots in the conservatory,  ‘Sylvia’s Sunflowers’, monada and nasturtiums, it’s not a bad selection to build on. Each time I find something ‘new’ that likes it here it will go on the list.

One plant that does really well here, and which I’ve tried to love over the years is Achillea ‘Gold Plate’ commonly known as yarrow. Sadly I just don’t like it. There were 2 huge clumps of it in Flower Bed 1 and today I ruthlessly dug them out.

Next year the space they’ve left will be full of Cosmos, and I can’t wait. I grew some from seed earlier this year and they are pretty as a picture even now.  So I’ll be sowing even more in Spring so that Flower Bed 1 can benefit from their long lasting blooms next year.

Even when you love it, gardening is hard work, so why make it any harder.

I’ve been sowing seeds and planting potatoes, onions and shallots. Sadly my knee is still bad and I can’t kneel down, so I’ve had to stick to mostly standing up or bending down jobs, which is fine at the moment, but soon I’ll need to get down (literally) to some serious weeding.

Germination rates have been pretty much as expected and the few surviving geraniums are beginning to look interested. I’ll write more later.

It was quite painful at the time, and I wasn’t sure what damage I’d done, so applied an ice pack and some Germolene and waited . Fortunately after a few hours all seemed well, except for the fact that I still can’t kneel down.

My right knee has been suspect since I was at school, now my left knee has gone to join it. Needless to say everything I want to do at the moment involves kneeling down.

I’ve roughly dug over the vegetable beds, but now they need to be tidied and their straight edges of last year rediscovered. I’ve developed a technique that’s not quite kneeling, but not quite bending either, but it twists my back, so I only do a bit at a time.

I’ve sown some seeds and had quite good results so far. Leeks, Salvia Patens, Dahlias, Larkspur and Rudbeckia.

I’ve also tackled the geraniums at long last. What a waste. I’ve ended up dumping 35 pots of various sizes. The plants were completely dead after the harsh winter. I now only have 6 that have survived, and most of them look pretty weak. Ah the joys of gardening in an English climate!

Having said that, the work that was  done on the 4th did spur me into some action. I started to clear out the ditch. 12 years of our debris plus who knows how many more years on top of that. There were brambles in there older than me.

It was all going very well until Peter spiked a hibernating hedgehog with the rake, so we decided to stop there before we did any more damage.

I’ve also cut the clematis back that grows by the kitchen window, and sowed my first seeds of the year. 48 leeks in modules, covered, and put on top of the central heating boiler.

I also splashed out and bought a toad lily and a Goji berry on E Bay. I’ve already bought some salvia patens seeds a few weeks ago. Gradually I can feel Spring on the way.

Wish I could say the same about the tree surgeon!

Those wizened little seeds are full of vigour and quickly get going on a warmish window-sill. Now there will be no stopping them. Next stop the conservatory, then the last remaining vegetable bed, which I haven’t prepared yet.

I noticed today that a pair of blackbirds have once again built a nest in the clematis by the kitchen window. This never strikes me as a good place as it’s a bit public and close to the ground, but I guess they know best.

My first sighting last year was 25th April and the year before 30th April, so he’s about on schedule.

They swoop and dive over the field with consumate ease, effortlessly catching flies and midges. Their eyesight and reflexes are astounding, as they seem to be able to change direction in a split second, which is just as well when you’re sat on the bench and one is flying straight at your head.

I sowed some sweetcorn today, 36 in total with the hope of getting 30. I did 33 of Unwins F1 Hybrid ‘Supersweet’. The other 3 were a little experiment using seeds I’d saved from our own plants last year. I just want to see if they germinate and how they compare to commercially prepared seeds. Watch this space.

The original fuchsia cuttings are proper little plants now (7) and the second lot are still only about a two weeks old so are still in their plastic bag, but look OK as far as I can tell, though I nearly lost them today when they were in the sun for too long.Déjà vu.

The 126 hardy perennials are doing OK too, though there have been a couple of casualties, and the lobelia seedlings will soon be ready for pricking out.

The first lot of potatoes are mostly up, but sadly got caught by a bit of frost the other night. Not too bad though, so I’m sure they’ll recover. The other two lots are just beginning to show so hopefully will be less affected.

The broad beans are great, but then they always are. The peas look a bit eaten, despite their protection, as do the cauliflowers. Onions, shallots, leeks and garlic are doing fine, and the asparagus is starting to show.

The plants in the new strawberry bed are now beginning to look interested and the rhubarb is majestic. So far so good. The next thing to do is sow some sweetcorn and get some grow bags for the tomatoes.

Today it was the turn of my ‘Lucifers’ and ‘Solfatare’. Both are crocosmias and both are stunning in their own way. Lucifer is tall red and fiery, while Solfatare is smaller with grey/green leaves and apricot flowers.

The Lucifers I grew from my own seeds which I collected and sowed a couple of years ago. I had 6 pots of these.

The Solfatares are all descended from one shop bought plant that I have split over the years. I had 9 pots to find homes for, which is a pretty good result.

One of the Solfatare pots I’ve split into 3 and re-potted. This way I always have some stock plants that I can bring inside in winter, as I don’t think they’re too robust if left unprotected outside in harsh weather.

An unexpected job was to rescue a Goldfinch from the conservatory. It’s a constant problem I’m afraid because I have the door open, and inevitably birds and insects get in sometimes. Some react better than others.

The wrens and robins just seem to hop around on the floor until eventually they just hop out of the door. Blackbirds get all panicy and flutter everywhere, I’m always worried they will injure themselves or have a heart attack.

This little chap just sat on the arm of the bench and looked so sorry for himself. After an initial flutter against the glass I was able to pick him up an set him free. He flew off into a clear blue sky. I do hope he will be OK.

Butterflies and moths usually get out by themselves, but I can help if necessary. I keep a ‘bee saving kit’ in there permanently all Spring and Summer. Nothing complicated just a half pint beer glass (with handle) and a stiff piece of paper. This is similar to my ‘mouse saving kit’ that I have indoors, (for when Dulcie brings me a present) except for mice I use a wooden spoon in place of the stiff paper. Yes I know I’m sad.

]]> http://ravendalehouse.com/2009/04/19/two-crocosmias-and-a-goldfinch/feed/ 0 http://ravendalehouse.com/2009/04/15/theyve-arrived/ http://ravendalehouse.com/2009/04/15/theyve-arrived/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:13:31 +0000 Cloudybutnice http://ravendalehouse.com/?p=515 Today my plug plants arrived, 40 begonias and 40 geraniums. First impressions were good, well packed in strong cardboard boxes, 84 little modules. (They send extra to allow for casualties).

The leaflet said they could be kept in these modules for up to 3 days as long as they were kept moist, and I must admit I was tempted as I had intended to cut the grass, but my enthusiasm got the better of me and I decided to do both jobs.

I’m very glad I did because when the begonias were poked out of their modules, their root balls were very, very, dry. I ran each one under the tap before planting it and then watered them thoroughly and then watered them again, just to be sure. I only hope I’ve caught them in time. The geraniums weren’t quite as dry.

I’ve potted them into 6 slot modules, again due to space issues, and all 84 are now sat in the conservatory blinking at the bright light, having been in a box for 2 days. They don’t look very well if I’m honest, I just hope they’ll have pulled themselves together by tomorrow.

Then I had a cup of tea before I cut the grass in front of the house, the field needs doing too, but I haven’t got any petrol for the mower, so that’s a job for another day.

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