Early April was so hot and so sunny that I screened the south-side of the greenhouse with netting. The nine automatic wall and roof vents cool it a little but it still gets terrifically hot in there. Of course, as soon as I finished stapling the netting into place, the sun slid behind ... ... … Continue reading Where’s Spring?
Exotic gardening
Planning for the Tropical Border
In between mowing and planting and fretting, I've been cracking on with the tropical border and the two completely new beds (see - 'Busy, Busy, Busy'). I finally finished cutting the turf (on either side of the path) for the two new beds; rock hard soil didn't make this task any easier and yep, I've … Continue reading Planning for the Tropical Border
Busy, Busy, Busy
When not gallivanting around the north of England, I've been gardening frenetically these past few weeks. Why, I've barely had time to file my nails and flick through 'Hello' magazine. Some jobs are annual tasks, such as ... ... the mulching of the beds. I normally try to get them all finished during the winter … Continue reading Busy, Busy, Busy
Away Awhile Again
The first frost has struck the Priory and the tropical bed wasn't happy. Dahlias were disheveled, discoloured and crumpled when I turned up for work (bright as a shiny new button) on Monday morning. I bundled all that dahlia top-growth off to the compost bins and wrapped up the banana (Musa basjoo) in hessian. This … Continue reading Away Awhile Again
New Beds 1, 2 and 3
Recently, I've planted up three new beds at the Priory. None of them are particularly big and one is really only an extension of a larger border. The only truly new one, and the last one to be planted up, is called the um, er, the er (thinks furiously) Kitchen Bed (it lies directly outside the … Continue reading New Beds 1, 2 and 3
The Anxious Gardener 