The joy of a three day weekend
The extra day makes such a difference. I get two days gardening and a day for other stuff. The runner beans are in, the pumpkin patch is cleared and ready. I've re-arranged the polytunnel and might even have the garden tidy before the day is out. We've had wall to wall sunshine and even I am happy to be in the shade.
This morning we cycled out towards Wigan along the Leeds/Livepool canal - bright, warm and very pleasant indeed. The highlight was watching a pair of lapwings a few feet away in a field of young wheat - there have definitely been more around this year. This afternoon saw our local ranger event on the church field, complete with sheepdog exhibition and birds of prey. Positively bucolic. In a fit of community spirit (aka madness) I've signed up to help restore the Sankey Canal (England's oldest). OK so I just enjoy digging.
The growing of runner beans is laced with tradition. I grow them the way my father does, in a row of crossed pairs of canes. Others prefer wigwams or upright frames. Like all traditions, I'm totally convinced that my way is the best.
Between spring and summer
The late spring flowering plants are on their way out. The tulips have gone, as have the pulmonarias and erythroniums. The peonies are just going over, losing their brightness and flopping heavily on the lawn. The big acid-loving shrubs, the rhodendendrons and azaleas, are at their peak, but too showy now, gaudy and gaping and smattered with dying flowers, dulling their earlier brilliance.
And summer is on its way but not here yet - the hemerocallis buds are still tight shut but now held high above the leaves. The rose buds are opening slowly - except The Times which as ever is first out in May and last to go in October. The colour is much better than in the picture below - a rich red, only just on the pink side. The leaves are a reddish dark green and glossy and the whole plant is completely trouble-free. All I do is cut it back in winter. This plant broke my long-held aversion to roses (brought on by years of walking to school past hard pruned rose stumps in circular holes in bungalow front lawns). I always associated them with strict rules and harsh chemicals, both of which I have a strong aversion to. But not this one. I grow it in a mixed border with Spirea 'Limelight', Viburnum 'Davidii' and a hardy fuchsia that I can't remember the name of.
The Times
Wild, windy and warm
Chelsea Flower Show recorded over 30C yesterday with both flowers and Alan Titchmarsh wilting in the heat. We reached 23C here in the north west with poor Glasgow only making 13C. Today has been dominated by high winds over 60mph in the NE apparently - though it's been fairly sunny here it's only felt warm in shelter. What a country this is.
I've bought trailing petunias for the hanging baskets. So what, you may think? Well, I don't 'do' petunias, just like I don't do bizzie lizzies, marigolds, or any of the other mass produced summer bedding that are piled up outside B&Q every Saturday. But these are a stunning white with purple streaks and scented and I bought them from our local farm shop. I'm giving them just one chance to prove me wrong. We tried to rake up enough moss from the lawn to line the baskets with, but it just blew away in the wind.
Blackbird and thunder concerto
I've been driven indoors again by a cloudburst - see weather station for details. But we did get the coldframe finished, and very smart it is too. I only cleared half the pumpkin patch so I've potted the young plants on and put them in the coldframe to buy them time.
For about half an hour it was eerily beautiful - a darkening sky with constant lightning flashes, the advancing thunder providing the bass line to the soprano song of a single blackbird. There are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Finished the coldframe we started last year - between hailstorms
Stuck indoors in a hailstorm
I don't mind gardening in light rain, but we've had back to back heavy showers since yesterday morning. I really wanted to get the pumpkin patch cleared today - the young plants will be desperate for legroom in a week or so. That's the frustration of weekend gardening - if I miss one through bad weather I lose a fortnight. We're in the middle of a serious hailstorm just now, so I'm stuck indoors, watching the hailstones bounce off the lawn.
Final meconopsis picture for this year. Time to move on...
Now it's really blue. Will attempt a bit of pollination tonight.
Rhapsody in Blue...
I didn't plan it with the clematis behind, but it works well.
Even lovelier in sunlight. Reminds me of a butterfly opening its wings.
By tomorrow..
...the first meconopsis flower should be fully out. I might have to take the day off just to sit and look at it. If you double click image below to full size you get some idea of what a stunning colour the bud is.
This picture was taken just an hour after the one below.
Meconopsis grandis breaking bud
Corylus maxima 'purpurea' and an unknown azalea. The purple hazel is an underrated plant, I think. With the light behind the leaves they range from shrimpy pink to deep maroon. Add to that purple catkins in January and frilly salmon coloured nut-casings in autumn - well I think it's brilliant.
Curried garden
Well I've not seen a bird or squirrel near either feeder. This maybe because the entire garden smells like our local Indian take-away.
Curried squirrel
I'm trying a technique suggested by the RSPB - sprinking hot chilli powder over bird food. Apparently birds can't taste it but squirrels hate it. Have gone one step further and smeared vaseline up the trunk of the bird table and on the branch above the feeder and sprinkled chilli powder on that as well. If this works I'll be impressed as nothing else has stopped them. But now I can't stop sneezing - got chilli powder up my nose...
A theory...
Well I caught one slug motoring towards the plants and then diverted by the worryingly blue pellets (I bought them from HDRA - they must be OK!). Here's a theory then - slug/snail climbs leaf to nibble it, leaf can't take weight especially in recent heavy rain and snaps off at weakest point. Works for me. Just going back out to check the slug isn't having a final meal of meconopsis before he crawls away to die...
Why does it have to be the meconopsis?
See below for the grisly details. It might be slugs, but there's no tell tale slime. And oddly, whatever-it-is has broken off the leaves just at the top of the stem and left them half attached and uneaten. Anyway, I've put some gritty sand and some of these new supposedly wildlife friendly slug pellets round them. I've tried going out late at night to catch the culprits in the act but with no success. Must be a 2am raiding party. Still, two of the three have large flower buds so as long as the marauders leave the buds alone I should at least get a flower or two.
Marauding slugs...?
Selective viewing
This garden is at its best in May. The peonies and geraniums start to flower as the tulips are finishing and nothing has 'gone over'. All is lush and fresh green. In short spells of bright sunshine I took the photos below and have now been driven in by a hard, cold shower - still only 10C outside. What you can't see in the photos are the piles of weeds and shrub prunings that now need clearing away - I've kept them out of camera shot but they are everywhere. Just need more tea before I tackle them (or persuade DB to come outside...).
A late flowering Bergenia with fresh water bean growth and the young Acer 'Oakazuki' behind.
The best kind of dog... 'Lurch' with Choisya 'Aztec Pearl'
A crimson paeony - thoroughly reliable but name unknown.
It's just great when a planting combination works well
My best space filler - a hardy perennial Geranium, which I think is 'Johnson's Blue' but I'm not sure.
Going backwards...
Another cold day - stiff wind, heavy showers this morning and no higher than 13C all day. In the one bright spell of the day the newly planted up knautia rootlings overheated in the polytunnel and wilted. I put them outside in the shade to recover - they'll probably get frost-bitten tonight.
I cut back the forsythia, took out two elderly berberis and did some judicious pruning in the side garden, mainly to improve the sight lines and let more light in. Should finish this area tomorrow and will post up some pics.
May? More like February...
With a whole week off I really thought I'd get loads done. But apart from a dry spell this afternoon and the day we spent on the Ribble it's been cold and wet, no higher than 12-15C all week. I had to keep moving to keep warm. Made some more progress clearing out the border and path by the conservatory - wish I'd done it in March - it would have taken half the time. Cut back the amelanchier and trimmed some of the other larger shrubs to reveal the red hazel framing a coral coloured deciduous azalea that's just coming into flower.
Having checked a few nurseries for Knautia Macedonia, I've given up and decided to split the one I've got. A bit tricky as it has a central chunky root stock. I've spliced it into about 10 pieces with a bit of top growth and a bit of root. It's a long season flowerer so I should still be OK for later this year.
Went to Dunham Massey to check the meconopsis - same as mine only more of them and a bit further ahead. Mine have flower buds emerging - just a bit worried about signs of slug damage already. Must be vigilant.
Oh - the swifts are back - saw them circling overhead yesterday.
Wildlife in the Ribble Valley
Yesterday we had torrential rain in sharp showers - 11m (half an inch of rain in about 20 minutes at one point. Gave up on gardening.
We escaped from work and drove to Ribchester - M6 to Preston and turn right - and spent a happy four hours walking a stretch of the Ribble Way towards Clitheroe. Highlight of the day was sitting on the river bank watching sand martins skimming the water and diving into the far bank, competing with swallows and swifts for the newly hatched flies. A few weeks ago the swifts and swallows would have been in Africa. Having lost the path at least four times through poor signposting, our luck was in and we hit a road 5 minutes before a bus arrived to take us back to the car. The next one was three hours later...
Other sightings included goldfinches, herons, chaffinches and lapwings. And we heard my favourite bird sound - the curlew, though we didn't see it. Hardly met a soul all day, though both of us spent a good half an hour on the phone to customers which took the edge of it a bit. Otherwise a great walking day, cool, some sun, light breeze, perfect.
Anticipating a week off...
After 2 more days away I've now got a week off at home to look forward to. Outline plan is:
- really get on top of the weeding
- split more plants, especially the Geranium Johnson's Blue
- fill in some gaps in the front garden
- sow more veg, and get the pumpkin seeds in
- plant up an empty corner of DB's parents' garden
- plant up both borders at J and Ps (they're on holiday this week...)
Just hope the weather holds out. It was 20C today but cold squally showers came through by evening.
Wildlife update - a spotted wood butterfly in the polytunnel, but much more importantly the pair of buzzards are back over the M62 - saw them circling overhead last week. Fabulous sight.
