Parks & Gardens in London, Suffolk, & abroad
Gardening in rural Suffolk
It is early May in The Fortnight Garden and the plants are starting to fill out. Some flowers are already going over – time passes inexorably. My Six on Saturday this week is just enjoying what has been achieved and wondering about some tweaks in a week or two!
The start of May in The Fortnight Garden brings real change. The rain has made a huge difference to the garden, coupled with slightly cooler weather. Beds are starting to fill in and the fruit trees have been a joy. It has been a particular pleasure in a week when there were two ambulance trips to hospital and much languid languishing. I am not ready for active gardening yet so this week’s Six on Saturday is about enjoying what I have!
1. The fruit trees are still a joy, although the flowers are now starting to go over as the fruit sets. It looks as though there will be another good crop of quinces and crab apples. I think I need to be more imaginative with both this year – I cannot possible make more jelly or membrillo!
2. Ferns are unfolding and just beautiful. OK, there is only one variety, Dryopteris Affinis, but hey, it is growing and green.
3. Geraniums continue to give pleasure: Phaeum Samobor and to my surprise, Ingwersons, which I thought I had lost. I will be watching the latter very carefully and hoping to take cuttings at the end of the season. It is such a lovely pink. I am also finding a few scattered plants of a white geranium, which I did not plant. By the look of the plants it may be a mutation of Mayflower, although it is not as tall.
4. I like the blue heads of the ajugas but there are fewer than I would like. Perhaps they have been swamped. I need to start new ones and try again. I find that cutting off the creeping bits and putting them in water encourages rooting and off we go again!
5. Persicaria are starting to flower and pretty in pink, but I think I need to dig out when they are done, dig in more compost, and start them again – they look a bit crowded and small to me. And perhaps I should be combining them with some of the purple Heuchera?
6. And finally the paeonies are starting to show buds.
I looked back to this time last year and am quite surprised to be reminded of the constant changes in this small garden, and I am quite happy with the challenges and changes. And that is the start of May in The Fortnight Garden and my Six on Saturday. I look forward to seeing what is happening elsewhere and thank you to The Propagator for putting us all in touch!
This is indeed a weekend for reflection and contemplation and in The Fortnight Garden at Easter there is also time and space for yet more hard work. The lesson, which sadly I seem to have to relearn rather often is that it would be better to garden for an hour or so a day than not at all! So here are my Six on Saturday.
What strange times! My photo exhibition happened in the nick of time and now that we are asked to avoid social contact there will be plenty of time for gardening, and other projects. So this is a quick update on The City Garden in mid-March with my Six on Saturday.
It has been a wet day, too wet to ‘garden’ in the Fortnight Garden but not too wet to participate in Six on Saturday and seek advice from The Propagator and fellow gardeners!
The tidying up is going slowly and so I thought today should be more about enjoyment – isn’t that what this is about? So, my Six on Saturday in The Fortnight Garden is indulgent!
Cold, wet, windy, grey – thoroughly miserable and definitely not a day to be outside, which is a pity because there is plenty to do. After some weeks away the garden is looking good, but untidy! I am going to share my quinces and more from the Fortnight Garden this week.
Well, this week it is the plums! In the past fortnight the fruit has ripened and the tree is heavily laden with ripe fruit which is also being enjoyed by the wasps and bees, and some creepie crawlies. And other than that the garden is just being ‘garden’.
1.The Victoria Plum tree – I had several for breakfast, I will have to freeze, and of course I have to make jam.
2.The Conference Pears are swelling – all four dozen or so!
3.Even the Cornus Mas has produced little fruits!
4.The Japanese Anemones are falling over themselves to please me! When I come out into the garden in the mornings I can’t quite believe what I am seeing. However, they are starting to take over and some will have to be given away.
5.There is more pink in the sedums which are colouring next to the variegated dogwoods.
6.And the patio bed is just being garden! It is lovely to sit here in the evening and looking over what is becoming an established and lush garden.
I look forward to seeing more gardens on The Propagator and hope you are all enjoying the burst of colour and abundance at the end of August.
There has been some rain, and some sunshine, and The Fortnight Garden is looking ok, although perhaps a little weary? Anyway, I have some new sights to share with The Propagator this week!
I am in The Fortnight Garden again to go to a concert over the weekend and that also means baking, and because baking takes gardening time the cakes are going to be included in ‘Six on Saturday’!