LILY OF THE VALLEY and HERBS
Yet another day of glorious sunshine and if it is cold out there, I don't feel it. I put my quilted coat on and went out into the garden. The idea was to read. After an early morning frost, the sunlight has made everything seem alive and ready to put on a show; or if it not 'alive', it is at least preparing to wake up from a winter's sleep. Instead of reading, I planted the Lily of the Valley that I bought yesterday. I feel a bit duped. Out of a packet that said there were 12 rhizomes, there only appears to be about 6 showing signs of life and the rest looks like peat. Oh, well, it does say that they spread so hopefully they will do just that. I planted them in a pot filled with compost and put them in a shady place.
While repotting a tub of tulips which was a disaster (not enough drainage and so it just became totally waterlogged with rotting bulbs) one of my beloved rose bushes managed to give me a thorny 'kiss' and take a piece out of my finger. That's the gardening initiation for this year. No gardener is a true gardener without scars to prove it.
While the sun was shining I dared to open the mini-greenhouse for a look inside. I confess I have not been near it for a couple of months or more and was expecting to see a dead zone covered in black mould. What a surprise! No mould and no smell of mould. That little £20 greenhouse is worth its weight in gold. The small rosemary bush is green and thriving. I was thrilled. Yes, I know, I should get a life!
Also the more tender mint, like the apple mint, is waking up, as are the thymes. What I really want to thrive is the lemon balm and the lemon verbena from which I make a refreshing tea. Now the herbs are growing, I gave them just a little water and left the mini-greenhouse flap open to let them have some air before closing it up again when the sun disappears later this afternoon. I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead when I will be able to place the potted herbs in a border again, like last year.
While repotting a tub of tulips which was a disaster (not enough drainage and so it just became totally waterlogged with rotting bulbs) one of my beloved rose bushes managed to give me a thorny 'kiss' and take a piece out of my finger. That's the gardening initiation for this year. No gardener is a true gardener without scars to prove it.
While the sun was shining I dared to open the mini-greenhouse for a look inside. I confess I have not been near it for a couple of months or more and was expecting to see a dead zone covered in black mould. What a surprise! No mould and no smell of mould. That little £20 greenhouse is worth its weight in gold. The small rosemary bush is green and thriving. I was thrilled. Yes, I know, I should get a life!
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| Mini-greenhouse, late autumn 2012 |
Also the more tender mint, like the apple mint, is waking up, as are the thymes. What I really want to thrive is the lemon balm and the lemon verbena from which I make a refreshing tea. Now the herbs are growing, I gave them just a little water and left the mini-greenhouse flap open to let them have some air before closing it up again when the sun disappears later this afternoon. I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead when I will be able to place the potted herbs in a border again, like last year.
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| Rosemary 2012 |