Bits n Bobs

At this time of year, before thinking about putting the vegetables in (next month), there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do out there. I cut the grass, weekend before last.




First cut of the year, looking good.

Last weekend, I did some light weeding, left and right, and sprayed the rose which is budding nicely, but covered in aphids. Looking at it today, that seems to have done the trick, as they are gone! Perhaps it's not very eco-friendly, but I use a spray called "Rose Gun 3". Still, I now have no aphids on my rose, so who am I to complain?

I spent a very pleasant half hour sitting in the grass in the warm sunshine, weeding dandelions. Filled a trug full.





I'm something of a dab hand at this as we had a neighbour, when I was a child, who paid me 25 cents per dandelion. His lawn looked great, and I was all the richer for it.



I played around with my latest garden purchase, the bulb basket. An interesting concept, but not one I'm sure I'm completely a fan of it now (having ordered a pack of 6. Hmm). Methinks just to plant some bulbs you have to dig an awfully large hole to accommodate the whole basket. And I'm not one to take my bulbs up for winter, so it probably wasn't my best idea ...






But that said, it is now full of crocosmia. I went a bit overboard ordering bulbs as I think I was too late last year (it's a summer-flowering bulb). There are 20 in the basket (hopefully not too tightly planted) and 10 elsewhere, just on the other side of the Delphinium.



Then there is the perennial problem of the front.





It's clear for now, but I still don't know what to do with it.



Today I have occupied myself with the normal Saturday jobs - laundry, shopping, in order to have blissfully nothing to do but what I want to, over the next three days of this glorious, sunshiney, hot, four day weekend. So far, so good, in terms of the weather. I remember one particular 4-day Easter weekend being full of sleet and rain and grey. Not this year, thankfully!



The only thing that worries me about this fantastic April weather, is the possibility of a hosepipe ban. That means you can't use your hose to water your garden (and they are very strict about this). Yes, they impose these things from time to time. It's been a few years now, but there hasn't been a lot of rain lately ... okay it was a horrible winter (by London standards) so hopefully the reservoirs are topped up. But still, one cannot legislate the whys and wherefores of the ban.



Right, I'm off to water the garden with the sprinkler while I can, because it needs it!