Zen Attitude Towards the Weather

I decided to adopt a Zen attitude towards the weather - on my watch of various websites over the week, either it was going to rain, rain, rain all weekend, or we were going to at least have a bit of nice weather today. Even as late as Friday, again it was going to rain all weekend. So I thought, hey, I will be able to plant, when I can plant. I wish they could get the weather report right someday, but I live in hope.

Result! Today was beautiful, hovering around 15 degrees all day (that's nearly 60F) and in the sun, well, it was lovely.


Today I planted more in the left border - I mentioned I had been shopping? The shops are so chokka at the moment with plants I just can't help myself, mostly places like Poundstretcher where, if I remember last year, by the time I wanted to shop, everything was gone! Not to neglect my local garden centre, I do find that either I could buy a plant in a pot for perhaps £3 or £5, or I can buy a nascent bulb or root, for 99p. Bargain! Sure it may take longer, but then gardening is all about patience ...!


I was impatient today. The sun was shining and even though the left border is still not getting full sun, and it was very, very moist over there, I went ahead and put in


1 Phlox

5 Crocosmia Lucifer

2 Lupins (I love Lupins)

1 Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff

3 Lilium pink/white

2 Poppies



Yum. I am trying to mix up the colours. My favourite colours being blues and purples, I tend to gravitate towards those plants by label, or in a pot in the garden centre, but perhaps my most favourite gardener is Christopher Lloyd, who loves to mix. We should all mix!




Apart from the Crocosmias (which if you remember were a present), and the lovely red Penstemon at the very back, there is a lot of blue (the geraniums will be, when they flower this year), pink and purple here. There is of course the gorgeous red Lobelia which I did add later to this border, but given that this only gets sun during the spring and summer (it is finally getting the sun now!) this border needed some heat. But goodness, when I look at this picture again, oh my I can't wait for everything to get big again, or even bigger that this! It's all coming along nicely but my, weren't they lovely last year?





So this is how it will pan out - oh, fingers crossed! I didn't have an opportunity to add any summer flowering bulbs or plants last year, as I only had a chance to plant the whole thing up in June in the first place. I am so excited to see these things come up, and will most definitely keep you all posted! Ah, patience, the key to gardening.

Down towards the front, where there is the existing Phlox, two red Poppies and the beautiful Lillies (replacing one dead lavender).

In the middle, next to the gorgeous rose and the Delphinium, behind the geranium and the euphorbia, this truly beautiful Dahlia, the Lupins in front, and more Crocosmia to the right so there will be a whole patch of them.

Next to the red Sedum, in front of the yellow climbing rose (that's the only yellow in there?), in between the stunning new Hellobore and next to the green of the bamboo, just behind the Pinks, this new Phlox.

Ah yes, and I did at least plant the Raspberries, in the fruit and vegetable patch. A bit too wet to dig again, and then dig again, but soon.

If I can, I shall concentrate on this patch next weekend!