Testing times
World events are affecting us all in some way or another, some more seriously than others. I am now at home for the foreseeable time. It’s not ideal, but absolutely necessary.
The garden has dried out enough for some light tiding to take place, Sunny, but cool days have prompted a growth frenzy and it’s very welcome during these tough times. Bulbs I purchased last Autumn but were unable to plant in the ground due to swamplike conditions are flourishing in pots dotted throughout the garden.
I’ve had one of my best displays of Anemone Blanda for a long time, I’m not sure if it was the mild winter or incessant rain that they preferred, but they are a cheery sight.
My new plantings of Pulmonarias have largely come through the winter unscathed, there have been a couple of casualties, I can see lonely plant labels with no plants present, but when the border dries out a bit more I’ll venture in and make a list of who expired, I still have plants I did not get round to planting late last year, again due to the almost daily rain not much gardening took place since last mid-October.
I’m in no rush, I have time on my hands now, but I’m also aware it’s still only the end of March, and we are waking up to almost daily frosts, so I’m holding back on any big seed sowings. Around about now I would have been on my way to the U.S.A and had intended to make seed sowings on my return.
My Hellebores and Magnolia × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’, are in full flower and looking bright, the Island bed is covered in Tulip growth with the promise of lots of flowers. I did not bother digging up any of my Dahlias last autumn, again due to the rain, I decided to let them take their chances and I will be interested to see if any shoot when it gets warmer. There will no popping to the shops to replace them though.
My Iford Cherry is looking better after recent years of poor performance stuffed in an unsuitable pot. I planted it out last Autumn and hoped for the best. It’s looking blooming and will hopefully thrive from now on.
Recently I made a pleasing discovery, when attending the Garden Press Event in 2019 I was given a division of a Paeonia plant called Pink Hawaiian Coral from Clare Austin Hardy Plants to celebrate the anniversary of the nurseries founding, I potted up the plant and grew it on and then planted it out when it was a bit bigger, unfortunately, it got brown blotches on the leaves and appeared to suffer from a fatal fungal attack, l pulled out the remains late last year thinking that was that, but this week there are signs of a green healthy leaf.
So perhaps all is not lost. I’ll keep you updated on its progress.
The Cynical Gardener 
I suspect that when I go to get the rest of the seed for the garden, that there will be a shortage. Many of us are working in the garden more than we otherwise would.
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I suspect that when I go to get the rest of the seed for the garden, that there will be a shortage. Many of us are working in the garden more than we otherwise would.
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