Monday 27 March 2023

A Red Letter Day.

Not for me but for my garden - my two gardeners are here and there is a buzz in the air - the buzz of the scarifier.   I don't know whether I told you but one morning last week I drew back the curtains and there - right uner the sitting room window - was a small pansy (my gardener says to call it a viola and then I will get no rude jokes - but I told him straight that my bloggy pals are not like that) that had seeded itself in my front lawn.   Purple and yellow - I can't tell you how it pleased me.   And now, seeing my delight at its appearance, my gardeners have gently trowelled it up and replanted it in back rockery.

So it's scarify, mow and weed and feed day!

I half expected them and had already looked in the biscuit tin and seen that there were three two finger Kit Kat bars so soon it will be time to brew the coffee.

Here there is a clear deep blue sky, a sharpish breeze and a temperature of only 3 but  with the sun fully out and the spring sunshine brightly shining it definitely shouts that Spring is officially here.

I am off to keep my eye on the gardeners - you never know what they can get up to behind my back.   There is a nice clump of Red Valerian under the hedge - last Autumn he said he had 'got all the wretched stuff up - it is an invasive weed' - it has defied his attack and will be in bloom given a few days sunshine so I need to stand guard.

Hopefully I will be back later.

 

  

16 comments:

thelma said...

Glad you are defending the Red Valerian and the little pansy has been saved. They used to grow in the gravel driveway in Normanby. I read an interesting little article about the violet the other day. It has several ways of reproducing itself, from throwing and dropping its seed, to birds transporting it and also travelling along underground. Weed beating is a hopeless task.

Donna said...

I also call them Pansey...a sweet flower!
hugs
Donna

Anonymous said...

Here in Toronto it is 5 degrees and drizzling. My spring snowdrops have just appeared from under some remaining snow. They were never mine so I guess the birds and squirrels or the wind did that for me. Soon I expect to see masses of little purple flowers. This year, I will take a photo of them and see if my phone can identify them.. Bring on Spring GG

Derek Faulkner said...

Surprised to see you scarifying and weed and feeding this early, down here in the south, I don't do my lawns until the middle of April.
There is a good chance that your little violet is Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor)

Librarian said...

If you look at the forecast here for this and the next week, the temperature line does a zig-zag. It is cold today with only 2C this morning but will get up to about 18C by mid-week again.
Now I imagine you standing guard and ready to defend your plants from over-enthusiastic gardeners, waving a kitkat bar like a sword!

the veg artist said...

After a very sharp frost last night it's sunny and warm here in West Wales, but with 10 mild, rainy days forecast, so I've been sowing out trays of seeds for the greenhouse. It's lovely to get started! (I'm a fan of valerian too.)

Granny Sue said...

Here i am wondering what it means to scarily a garden. Never heard of that before. I do enjoy the garden escapees; every year I find something where I didn't plant it. This year, so far, it is daffodils and columbine.

Rachel Phillips said...

Scarify means to rake the lawn to clear moss and any dead stuff after winter and aerate soil to encourage good growth in Spring. Nowadays it is done with a mechanical rake. Once upon a time grass was raked by hand if done at all.

Barbara Anne said...

How delightful to find a volunteer pansy and am glad it was rescued and replanted. Perhaps you need to plant a few more pansies with it?
A red letter day, indeed!

Hugs!

Susan said...

With any luck your single pansy will multiply. They are cheerful Spring flowers and very much welcomed after a cold winter. Your garden is getting a good Spring time refresh. The views will be lovely.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Rachel - yes it was indeed done - as it was last year - by some sort of machine
Derek - No it is much too big for a wild pansy. Here lawns are growing ike mad.

Heather said...

I love violas/pansies and so pleased your gardener rescued your little stray. I also like red valerian and was happy to see it flowering in my garden.
It is a red letter day for me and my neighbours today as the lift has been overhauled and is now back in working order. Tomorrow, on the High Street, there will be a throng of old ladies and their wheeled walkers!

John Going Gently said...

Watch those buggers

shrishtyunikart said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tom Stephenson said...

Most gardeners are completely ruthless. I suppose they have to be.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Tom I welcome almost everything that chooses to arrive uninvited into my garden. Birds' Foot Trefoil (Ladies' Fingers) arrives on my lawn every year - I love it and would happily have a complete lawn of it. Unfortunately my gardener ruthlessly mows all the flowers off - it is a summer battle every year - the trefoil always wins.

Thank you everyone for your contribution.