Tuesday 13 March 2018

Spring? Afraid not.

Today is a Spring Day - sunny, hardly any breeze and quite warm - beautiful in fact.   This morning I went into town to do one or two jobs and then met friend E (only the two of us this morning) for our usual coffee.   Coming home I stopped off to pay the newspaper bill and to buy a couple of Gardening Magazines (yes, the bug has bitten me), had a quick lunch and then Tess and I drove down to the farm (always rather sad), parked the car and walked down 'our' lane for a quarter of a mile or so - and then back to the car.   How we both enjoyed it.

Yes, the gardening bug has hit me.   Yes, I am infested with Marestail, but there is nothing I can do about that other than to try to keep it down and to learn to live with it.   Derek, my gardener, knows this garden well and together we will keep it in check (any attempt to ban it is doomed to failure).

I have now ordered seven new plants to arrive next week from clareaustin hardy-plants - astrantia, hardy geraniums, hellebores and an erigeron which I particularly like.   The bed for them does not have Marestail so Derek is going to prepare that first.   Now I have in mind a couple of clematis to climb up and over my stone wall - then I shall really have made a start.

We need to make the most of today as the weather forecast is not good - it is going to get colder and by the weekend we shall be subject to snow showers - and the cold weather is then set to continue until the end of the month.   But today the sky is blue so let's not be downhearted.

Mary Berry last evening made some delicious and easy-looking recipes so my next job is to go to her site and download them.   Enjoy any blue sky that might have come your way today.

26 comments:

Derek Faulkner said...

I envy you for your weather today, beginning to think that we will never see a warm and sunny Spring day here - chilly and grey as usual. Really good selection of plants that you have listed there, I have them all and despite the grey-ness today a couple of bumblebees were feeding on my helleborus flowers. Helleborus self-seed very easy so look out for little seedlings around your plants once they get going and increase your stock.
Do you watch Monty Don on Gardeners World on Fridays, a great programme.

Minigranny said...

So lovely to start planning your garden and hopefully the next bit of winter weather will be brief and then we can all enjoy seeing spring blossoms and nesting birds! (That last bit sounds a bit like Pollyanna) Take care x

Terra said...

Mary Berry is so charming. I am also looking for 2 clematis to plant, one I planted last spring is evergreen and called Apple Blossom. Thanks for your comment on my blog; I remembered you describing the poetry reading group you are in and I love that idea.

Midmarsh John said...

Last Saturday was our good one when it reached the dizzy height of 15C
I've been buying also, a couple of Virginia Creeper plants to train over that large stump at the bottom of the garden.

justjill said...

We also had a beautiful day. Downhill tomorrow to the weekend. We are also looking to improve our garden. Though its a bit more than planting lovely plants, major structures are being planned. So I can still get round it with the chariot! Well done for keeping on Weave, you are an inspiration to me.

Ellen D. said...

Oh, I did not realize that Mary Berry is that lovely woman on the baking competition show. Now I have another website to explore! Thanks so much! Enjoy your preparations for Spring!!

Sarah said...

How lovely the gardening bug has bitten you again, I do hope I am still gardening in my 80s. If the Erigeron (Mexican fleabane) takes off as it has in my garden then it may out-compete the marestail. We have marestail at my allotment site and I keep on top of it by hoeing but in the areas where I grow wildflowers (yes, wildflowers not weeds!) and where I grow comfrey for comfrey tea I rarely see it. Frog spawn in my pond and I spotted my first brimstone butterfly today so Spring is on its way. My favourite Clematis, apart from C. Etoile Violette, are C. Madame Julia Correvon (a beautifully-shaped crimson flower with four petals ) and C. Mrs Betty Corning (scented pale blue bell-shaped flowers).

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

Fed up of this wretched winter now, I really am

angryparsnip said...

Looking for gardening ideas always brightening my day.
When you said you are thinking of planting clematis to climb over your stone wall, I would love to have a stone wall to have plants growing over. Be sure to take some photos.

cheers, parsnip

Sue in Suffolk said...

Oh dear, I hadn't heard about it being cold right until the end of the month, that's a bit depressing. We are too wet to do any gardening - I have so much clearing and weeding to do

Librarian said...

I was dismayed today when I saw the forecast for the weekend... really cold again! Not that I had put any of my padded winter coats etc. away yet, but I was so hoping for a nice mild weekend like the last one.
And just in time I am coming down with a cold, or the flu, I don't know.
Stay warm and well, and enjoy your gardening plans until they can be put into action!

Tom Stephenson said...

Lovely.

walking in beauty carmarthenshire said...

Weaver, we found Glphosate weedkiller mixed with wall paper paste ,to hold it on the plant, worked on this and on mares tail. Good luck.

Marion said...

Sounds beautiful! I love my Clematis. Here in the central Louisiana swamps, it comes back every year as do most of my annuals...and grows miles long! My variety smells like grape juice and the butterflies love it. I also love the scented Geraniums and my lovely Mints. My Azaleas are blooming wildly as are the gorgeous Camellias. Emerson was right: "Earth laughs in flowers." Happy gardening! xo

Morning's Minion said...

We may have aching knees but with spring comes the old urge to garden.
Clematis are lovely plants--my favorite is a transplant from 3 years ago, now happily rampaging off its trellis and along the garden fence.
Returning to special places when those we love are no longer there is a challenging exercise--a reminder both of happier years and of loss.

Gwil W said...

Nothing happening here. One lonely primrose.

Doc said...

We are back to rain today but a promise of dry weather at the end of the week.

Joanne Noragon said...

I am tired of winter, too, and drove through a lot of it today. But, it must end! That's the law of nature.

Christina said...

I have just bought several Erigeron plants for front and back garden. I have a vision of the flowers trailing down our neglected steps and spreading into nooks and crannies. The gardening bug bites me once a year, and it lasts for about a week but every year the garden planing improves just a tiny little bit. Those spring days will be warmer and longer soon, fingers crossed.

Rachel Phillips said...

I hope it is sunny for all of us tomorrow.

Cro Magnon said...

I have the two classic Clematis. Nelly Moser and Montana. Both wonderful plants that would suit any garden.

thelma said...

Someone has just mentioned scented geraniums, definitely on the list. Apparently tonight or the next one Pat we may be able to see the the Northern Lights. 'Cracks' have appeared in the enveloping protective mantle that encircles the Earth.

Heather said...

We also had spring yesterday. It was glorious - birds singing, sun shining, gentle breeze and windows open. I daresay it will return one day.
The plans for your garden sound exciting. I have left behind masses of hellebores which will be looking lovely now. I like the idea of clematis against your stone wall. They will look so good together. Glad you have someone to help in the war against marestail.

Dc said...

We too have marestail. I leave it in situ to green up the borders, then once the flowers are growing well, we get as much up as possible. Like you said, impossible toget rid off.

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jorjorbeth said...

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