Share the Love...

I had BIG ambitions for the day.  I was going to do my usual 21 mile bike run, then come home and work in the garden.

Unfortunately, I did things backwards.  I went into the garden first.  And four hours later, I finished.  Phew!!!

What did I do in this marathon slog?  Well, not very much.  I had an enterprising Iris which was rampaging into the lawn, so I decided it needed dividing.  Since I was lifting it anyway, I thought I might as well go the whole hog.  Lift all plants and bulbs.  Divide.  Double-dig the soil and improve with sand and compost. 

I have wrecked some crocuses.  I have wrecked my Iris.  I have completely despoiled some daffodils.  But in the long term, the plants will be much happier.  The Iris was rotten in the middle and completely choked with moss.  There were bulbs on top of bulbs.  Couch grass was ruining amok.  Three columbines and a primula were cowering amongst the chaos, looking very sorry for themselves. 

The iris has now become eleven irises.  What's one to do with eleven irises, I wonder?  Thankfully, our iris quota has now dropped to ten.  A lucky lady stopped at the gate and randomly asked for directions to the butcher's.  "Down the end of the road," said I.  "And do you want a free purple iris?"

Her face lit up, a hastily potted up iris changed hands (along with a dozen disgruntled looking crocuses...) and hey presto!  I now have nine irises to rehome before the slugs get them (the tenth was quickly planted back where it came from).

Spring's definitely on its way.  The queen bumblebees are at last touring the garden looking for nest sites.  Will they choose my bee-box?  I doubt it.  Last year, one settled in the neighbour's compost heap.  The year before, they were in our potting shed (and very polite and docile lodgers they were, too).  There were baby earwigs and violet ground beetles running around looking confused as I dug over their home.  And, hoorah!  There was a ladybird.  It wasn't one of these Harlequin invaders, but a genuine seven-spot.

Time for some more hellebore pictures.  I disagree wholeheartedly with one of the presenters on 'Gardener's World' last night, who insisted, in lofty self-righteous tones, that her favourites hellebores were the species ones - white or cream, unadultered with all these weird colour schemes and double/semi-double flower forms. 

Here's one of our darker ones, which looks lovely when the light's in the right place:-

And a close-up of one of the Old Faithfuls.  This was one of the first hellebores I planted in the garden, and it's still one of my favourites.

 

Now, does anyone want a purple iris?  I've got a few looking for a good home.  Though unfortunately I can't do deliveries beyond the west of Scotland...

Share the Love...

I had BIG ambitions for the day.  I was going to do my usual 21 mile bike run, then come home and work in the garden.

Unfortunately, I did things backwards.  I went into the garden first.  And four hours later, I finished.  Phew!!!

What did I do in this marathon slog?  Well, not very much.  I had an enterprising Iris which was rampaging into the lawn, so I decided it needed dividing.  Since I was lifting it anyway, I thought I might as well go the whole hog.  Lift all plants and bulbs.  Divide.  Double-dig the soil and improve with sand and compost. 

I have wrecked some crocuses.  I have wrecked my Iris.  I have completely despoiled some daffodils.  But in the long term, the plants will be much happier.  The Iris was rotten in the middle and completely choked with moss.  There were bulbs on top of bulbs.  Couch grass was ruining amok.  Three columbines and a primula were cowering amongst the chaos, looking very sorry for themselves. 

The iris has now become eleven irises.  What's one to do with eleven irises, I wonder?  Thankfully, our iris quota has now dropped to ten.  A lucky lady stopped at the gate and randomly asked for directions to the butcher's.  "Down the end of the road," said I.  "And do you want a free purple iris?"

Her face lit up, a hastily potted up iris changed hands (along with a dozen disgruntled looking crocuses...) and hey presto!  I now have nine irises to rehome before the slugs get them (the tenth was quickly planted back where it came from).

Spring's definitely on its way.  The queen bumblebees are at last touring the garden looking for nest sites.  Will they choose my bee-box?  I doubt it.  Last year, one settled in the neighbour's compost heap.  The year before, they were in our potting shed (and very polite and docile lodgers they were, too).  There were baby earwigs and violet ground beetles running around looking confused as I dug over their home.  And, hoorah!  There was a ladybird.  It wasn't one of these Harlequin invaders, but a genuine seven-spot.

Time for some more hellebore pictures.  I disagree wholeheartedly with one of the presenters on 'Gardener's World' last night, who insisted, in lofty self-righteous tones, that her favourites hellebores were the species ones - white or cream, unadultered with all these weird colour schemes and double/semi-double flower forms. 

Here's one of our darker ones, which looks lovely when the light's in the right place:-

And a close-up of one of the Old Faithfuls.  This was one of the first hellebores I planted in the garden, and it's still one of my favourites.

 

Now, does anyone want a purple iris?  I've got a few looking for a good home.  Though unfortunately I can't do deliveries beyond the west of Scotland...