Friday 24 April 2015

wood anemones

The splendid weather of the last week or so has gone away today making it a fine time to stay in and work on the computer. Not that I've done all that much outside either, mostly I've been reading Poldark and sunbathing. It's been so hot that the wood anemones and early bluebells are nearly over and I saw a first inflorescence on the elderberry that grows in the old haybarn.

deadnettle 2

The weeds are growing well too and I've spent a couple of mornings clearing out the perennial herb beds and freeing the blueberries from the ever encroaching mint and brambles. We only have one globe artichoke left and if I can I'll supplement that this year with a few plants from the garden centre as it's much too late to start any from seed now.

When we arrived a couple of weeks ago I started, again very late, tomatoes and various squashes and melons which are now up and will have to be hurried towards maturity. The ulluco, mashua and oca also went in and are just now beginning to shoot. They can grow on for a while before they need to be planted out, just as well, as there are no beds for them. I'm not sure I should even have bothered with the mashua - we don't like to eat them much and I notice many vigorous volunteers coming up where they were last year.

We continue to get harvests from the purple sprouting and perennial cabbages, a few shoots of asparagus and now Good King Henry and rhubarb are available. It's all good, but the work is already getting away from me. Anyone out there like to come over and give me a hand?

good king henry

No comments: