It is close enough to my birthday to have begged stuff for the garden as a present this year, though at the moment I've paid for my own present as OH stayed in the car and I used my debit card!! I didn't have a lot of choice of where to buy, as Wyevale is the only option in town these days. However, I took my time and bought sensibly. Seeds - Courgettes, Mirabilis (which I've not seen let alone grown before), Black Cherry Tomatoes. Some young perennials for the border - Malva Alba, along with Delphiniums Black Knight and Guinevere (one dark, one light blue). Cosmos Astrosanguineus (the chocolate plant), Gladioli King's Lynn, and a Dahlia Crazy Love which I am going to plant by the Gladioli to compliment the colours of the latter. I have dug off a sharp corner of the lawn so it is circular all round now, and in the new corner I have planted the Gladioli. The young plants are on the draining board until this cold spell goes, and then I'll put them in the cold frame to get accustomed to living outside. The Dahlia is in a big pot to grow on, at the bottom of the seed stack, and the Mirabilis are in seed trays in the airing cupboard. I also potted on 24 Roman Bronze Aquilegias whilst I was out there, but the sharp wind made me glad to come indoors again. I have started off a dozen courgette seeds in the cold frame too, tucking them in next to my pots of Auriculas, some of which are blooming now!
The wild birds have been VERY hungry again and I will need to get more peanuts and seed tomorrow. I have had to top up the feeding stations several times today - having had a gang of more than 20 Blue and Great Tits coming to the peanuts, including Peg Leg, the little one-legged Blue Tit I have been feeding all winter but only just noticed his disability.
Oh, and one of these devils too - but then I suppose Squirrels get hungry too . . .
The Mirabilis are wonderful! I hope they grow well for you. They are called 4 o'clocks, as that's when they bloom, around 4 p.m. or there abouts. They have a delightful scent and they are almost flourescent. They end up having a huge tuber in the ground too.
ReplyDeleteHappy Gardening ~ Happy Easter ~ FlowerLady
I had hoped life would settle in time to find something rare and beautiful in the way of seeds to send for your birthday, but of course that hasn't happened. I can already see that anything out of the ordinary I will have to order on-line.
ReplyDeleteSince you have access to Thompson and Morgan you likely have started some of their aquilgias--I recall them as having the most unusual varieties.
Weather set-backs are to be expected where ever we experience spring--but they are not at all welcome after the long months of winter!
I love 4 o'clocks and they grow well for me, but they never open! I don't know if it's just that they can't tell time or they're just stubborn.
ReplyDeleteJust popped inside after a couple of hours pottering about in the garden, one of my fav. pastimes. I buy birdseed in bulk to keep up with the birds, and the blackbirds just love old cat food!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog!
That is a great selection of plants, but not so good that you have to pay for your own present, how are the moving plans going? x
ReplyDeleteI LOVE packets of seeds...each one a little promise of beautiful things to come. I hope things are going well for you and you're enjoying Spring. Blessings to you and yours...
ReplyDeleteThank you all for commenting and sorry to take so long in getting back to you. I've had one of those weeks! Everything went very wrong before improving, I am relieved to say.
ReplyDeleteMM - What a lovely thought, but no need, really. I got some unusual Aquilegia seeds from the Nursery on the Gower last year, but have the T&M catalogue(s) - they have sent several recently - and it's always tempting . . .
Flowerlady and Mac 'n' Janet - I shall call them 4 o'clocks too. I have just moved the seed trays from the airing cupboard to my seed stacks outside as the latter are at least warmer than the airing cupboard all day long. Immersion is only on for half an hour or so at a time, and heat not retained for long enough to encourage the seeds.
Chinecats - This winterwe have had Blackbirds after the cat biscuits we put out for Amber and last Autumn it was a Hedgehog who came to dine!
dubgirl - I've had another present now (photo tomorrow I hope! so the plants were from me TO me!) Scaffolding about to get up to sort out chimney problems, and I am still painting - LOTS!
SH - it's amazing how one little packet of seeds can bring such pleasure.