Cor, it is 1april already. Some veggies are already in the plots, the soil in the greenhouse has been replaced and more veggies are germinating on the bedroom windowsill. More are hardening-off on the balcony. The veggie program is in full swing. I have not had much to say, though, about the blooming section of the allotment. At this point the war with the perennial nare-do-well bully weeds has begun. I find that if I hit them hard at the end of the season and at the earliest opportunity in the Spring, my battles are just a bit easier. I have to schoffel less intensively. They are therefore, controlled with the schoffel and a strimmer. Frequent visitations are the ticket. Here you can see one small area of the flower garden, before my Bride went over it again with one of the schoffels: Whilst cleaning a plot, I saw this little creature. There were two, but as I was whipping my fone out to snap a pic, it became shy and disappeared back down into the undergrowth. These helpful insects always make me feel happy when I see them, for they are my gardening colleagues in fact. Then one of the big show-offs in my garden is this, the Wisteria: I figure that Riley may be further along than me; but never mind, they are developing by leaps and bounds. I recall that last year at about this stage we were hit with a frost and freezing winds that killed 2/3rds of my buds. I find the Wisteria buds very tender in that they fall with the lightest of contact. Hard wind gusts can also bring them to the ground. The Hakonechloa transplants are looking a bit underwhelming, but ought to be bushy enough soon: I love how bright and sunny they appear even on the darkest and dismalest of days. These are located directly in front of where we sit to take our tea. Very many of the perennials across the entire floral section are up and growing now. The next plant blooming may be the Allium ursinum. There are still some daffs displaying their lovely faces. I believe these are the last of the varieties which I have: The bywords are “Wait and Work”, the “Watch” comes later…patience is a virtue, they say.
Beautiful pic today of your plot and great to see the garden design with the walk way and soon it will all come together with all the bells and whistles to shine thru out the season. Veggies in a few weeks.. your garden plot is always to die for…outstanding in every way. You and your bride work like pros to maintain, plant and harvest.
Beautiful images and narrative, Sjoerd. Your journal reads like poetry. Those are some happy daffs indeed. Daylight is just beginning here. First cup of java, and some potato soup with scallions. The plantmobile LED lights are turned on to boost those plants' daylength. Today's plans: Finish tying the mini apple trees to their supports. Based on the opening flower buds, each could make ten to twenty apples this year. Plant more lettuce snd plant more onion plants. Prune the genetic dwarf peach tree than the Asian pear trees. Wait and work and watch and wonder.
Cheers Pac— I appreciate your generous words. I am quite looking forward to more development in bloementuin. Daniel— thanks mate, I don’t think that anyone has ever said anything like that before. Poetry… It sounds like you have a full day planned, mate. We like your plantmobile. I would love to have one of those with all the tooters and bells like yours, but the drempel between the balcony and inside is of a neck-breaking height.
Interesting word .. ‘bloementuin’. Stopped me in my tracks. I had to look it up and wound up on a Facebook page celebrating blooms in your neck of the woods. You’re a wordsmith , and very interesting verbiage to celebrate the ‘the many blooms of gardens’ of the new season to celebrate. Time to party. https://www.instagram.com/de.bloementuin/
I didn't know this one. They seem to glow, like uranium glass. I have a packet of Lagurus ovatus seeds that has been looking at me critically, waiting for planting. It's saying 'You're not going to leave me in your pants pocket when you wash them, like you did those Portulaca seeds, are you?
Yeah Daniel, I know. The Bride will not stop singing, “ I got sunshine on a cloudy day…” No, but it is for me the loveliest Hakonechloa sort. Mate, I fell out laughing so hard about washing seeds. Wanna guess who else has done that. My Bride refers to my garden clothing pockets as black holes in which anything that is ever put into them never comes back out. I have no idea what she is talking about. Pac— that link would not open for me all the way, but I do know where Meppel is.
Oh yes, Pac. That is a florist. I thought at first that it was a botanical garden. It looks like an interesting place to buy bouquets and arrangements. Thanks for the link.
Sjoerd Finally a link you can open, it was the word you used in a post that I was curious and looked it up and found that link floral - ‘bloementuin’ - blooms is a succession as in of spring blooms. Learning new words is a hobby of mine. Thanks.
