Quick! Get outside before it rains again, oh – sorry, too late! That’s exactly how it’s felt in the garden this week as the rain has been patchy, but fairly consistent, and it seems that the gaps between the showers have been fleeting and always at moment where getting outside hasn’t been possible. But at the weekend, the clouds parted, the sun shone and all was well in the world with a few hours pottering done and some of the jobs ticked off the list.
The first of those jobs was to pot up the bare root perennials that arrived earlier in the week. You’ll still find plenty of bare roots available online to buy, and it’s a much cheaper way of filling parts of your garden, at a fraction of the cost of more mature plants. For the last few years I’ve been slowly adding new plants to the garden with bare roots, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know about my love for salvias and tonnes of mine have come from humble beginnings are bare roots. Go on, give them a go!
Every year, we also add to our herb collection, and we’re continuing that again this year with yet more. From my recent conversation with Jekka McVicar (listen here if you missed it) I’ve got lots of ideas for new things to add to the planters, but so far I’ve treated myself to some more Thyme varieties and some new mint that I’m looking forward to trying too. As much as I love using them in cooking, our children also enjoy picking them to use in their mud kitchen and to make ‘potions’! Do you remember making potions when you were younger too?
And this week saw a fresh cut of the lawn (while it was actually dry!) with a brand new cordless mower from STIHL. While we don’t have a huge lawn, having a cordless mower is a wonderful thing to have and the battery in this one, also fits in the leaf blower/sucker, so I can pop it out into that to get the clippings from the edges after too. Mowing the lawn has to be one of the most satisfying garden jobs, and it seems to just give the garden an instant makeover when it’s been done. Especially when the edges are nice and sharp, too. Do you love a little mowing session or do you pass that job on to someone else?
The podcast rages on and in this week’s episode I’m in conversation with garden designer and campaigner on topics such as plastic grass (against it, not for!) – Charlotte Howard. Charlotte (otherwise known as @capabilitycharlotte) is a staunch critic of plastic grass or artificial turf and is happy to make her voice heard. It’s a great episode and one that really opens up the debate. You can listen to Charlotte and all past guests, here now!
My guest this week also shares in my earlier frustration with the rain, as she’s also struggling to work through that jobs list for March. Ria (@snippingstems on Instagram) has a cottage garden of dreams in Kent, and her Instagram page is dedicated to sharing hints and tips to help you learn how to grow more cut flowers for yourself too. I’ve personally learned so much from Ria and her content, and I’m sure you will too if you follow along. Let’s get into her update now!
“It’s been non-stop rain here, so all my grand plans to clear the beds, mulch and start planting out some of the hardy flower annuals sown last autumn (like Cerinthe, Sweet Peas and Agrostemma) have come to a sharp halt. I did manage to run out and fix up my Sweet Pea arch, made of hazel poles, which like last year will support jute netting to grow those beautiful flowers through. In the meantime, I’ll continue to harden off these plants, placing them outside in the day and then back into the greenhouse at night.
There’s currently a lot of seed sowing taking place, and subsequently there’s a fair amount of potting on to do for seeds that I’ve sown around a month ago, like dwarf lavatera and scabious. I love to grow both tried and tested flowers and new varieties each year in the garden, but I tend to stick to a colour scheme of mainly purple, pink, peach and white. The odd rogue orange often shows up, though! Dahlia tubers are arriving left, right and centre, and when I’ve had a moment, I’ve been getting them potted up in compost and into the greenhouse. In a few weeks, those first signs of life will signal that warmer days aren’t far away!
Last but not least the signs of Spring are emerging through the grey – the first tulips have arrived, anemones are blooming, potted bulbs and planters are bringing lots of colour and joy, stunning magnolia stellata is in full flower, and perennials like salvias and sedums are waking up. March is a really busy month for gardeners with lots of seed sowing, pruning (I’ve just tidied up my hydrangea Annabelle’s) planting and weeding, but it’s always important to slow down and take time to appreciate the garden as it is right now.”
I totally agree with Ria, March really is a busy month – but along with, comes the excitement for the year ahead and a whole year of home-grown flowers, fruit and veg!
Have a great week ahead and I’ll see you next week,
View From The Potting Bench 