A Sunday Afternoon Potter in the garden

I'm getting behind, I haven't even finished last weekend's blog and its the weekend again! Saturday was wet and very windy so it was an indoor day and Sunday was set to be the same, I was getting cabin fever, there is so much to do in the garden. By late morning the wind had lessened a bit and I decided to wrap up and head down to the veg garden to finish spring cleaning this area (although I suspected I'd be chasing leaves around). It's also a more sheltered area of the garden at the bottom of the slope behind the woodland fence.

Looking up from the orchard

I finished weeding, tidying and forking over the red current and raspberry beds and a bed where I temporarily heel plants in. The daffodils under the raspberries are almost in flower. I grow a summer Raspberry variety 'Glen Clova' and an autumn variety 'Autumn Bliss', although to be honest we rarely get any autumn fruit as early frosts put an end to them. This also happens with the brambles (Blackberry 'Oregon Thornless').

A bit of leaf raking on the orchard lawn was good for warming up and exercise then I got the newly serviced lawn mower out to pick up the worst of the leaves. I am a bad gardener: I neglect my lawn mower. We decided to put it in for a proper service this year and get a few things fixed on it. What a difference, well worth the £80 it cost. I then picked up the mountain of leaves that had gathered all the way along the bottom stock fence between us and the adjoining sheep field. I can see this area from the house, so it's great when its been tidied: it looks great.

The veg garden from the potting shed

Next on the job list, (now the mammoth spring clean of the veg garden was done) was to plant out the bedding pansies I bought the other week. I hadn't got round to planting them but at least there has been no danger of them drying out in the recent weather, more likely to be blown away! I planted a few of these in each of the six large half barrels dotted around the back door area and in front of where we park the cars. The rest went in old chimney pots along the front of the house. These pansies will last for months and often seed around in the gravel under the pots and I like to leave them to grow and flower there every year.

Now that the Snowdrops are beginning to fade and finish flowering this is the time to lift and divide them. Commonly referred to as 'in the green' at this point, they will easily move and be rooted by next year. I divided up some of the clumps growing at the front gate, which have been there for several years now. These are original Easter Mosshat snowdrops, one of the few plants still growing in the derelict garden when I bought the property. Over the past month or so when the Snowdrops have been flowering I have been planning where new clumps would look good and catch the eye in the front garden. This was usually done as I was driving in and out. I settled on three new areas, under the Ulmus 'Jaqueline Hillier', in front of the Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula' on top of the wall and right the way up the dry stone dyke between the front garden and woods. I divided up three clumps and there are still masses left undivided so they will do for another year. I planted half a dozen or so bulbs every couple of feet up the dry stone wall. They will eventually come form a bank of snowdrops all the way up to the bench.

I'm glad I made an effort to go out int he garden despite the strong winds, the feeling of achieving something and ticking another job off the list always makes me feels better. Here are a few plants that are looking good this week in the garden.

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty'

Corydalis malkensis