May Time

Well, today I've come away from working in the garden feeling tired with a sore back but also with a sense of accomplishment. It's safe to say that I am finally catching up with garden chores, although there is still lots to do.

So, what have I done? As it was a bank holiday here in the UK, we had a three day weekend and I wasted no time in getting stuck in. The weather may not have been the most cheery but it certainly gave me some advantages.

The Front Garden:

Firstly, I got some work done in the front garden. My ambition is to create a very full floral, English cottage style garden. The idea is to make sure that wildlife always has plenty of food resources there. When we moved to our current location the front garden just had very woody lavender and grass, with a weigela in one corner that was never pruned. I now regularly prune that weigela and every year it comes back bigger and better with a huge abundance of flowers. The lawn came out, as did the old lavender, and now there are younger lavenders and plenty of different plants but there's still plenty of room. This weekend I planted a Euphorbia Miners Merlot and a Ceanothus Italian Skies, along with some Crocosmia Harlequin bulbs. 

I also tended to most of the containers, adding some white antirrhinums among others. I don't know about you but when I was a child I was fascinated by the bumblebees climbing inside the antirrhinums. I could sit and watch for hours! Also, as my husband was clearing one of our sheds, he found an old hanging basket made to look like a hedgehog, so I filled that with a Calibrachoa. Another basket was added with Ameranthus in the hope that they will dangle down over the front door. You remember me saying that the weather gave me some advantages? Well, with the front garden after planting it rained over night, which should help the new plants get established.

Lots of plants but still more room! In the foreground are some tulips next to a cineraria. My new euphorbia is in the background.

To be honest I'm surprised that this basket has even survived. It may not look much but there's a young calibrachoa, which should grow and trail down.

All these flowers from just one shrub! There were quite a few bumblebees and honey bees on this. 

The Polytunnel:

This is where I did most of the heavy work and my back is paying for it now! I removed the old top soil from the raised beds as it was looking to be lacking in nutrients. I used it in the garden in areas I'd already composted this year. I then added some well rotted horse manure and fresh compost from one of my heaps. Raking it over carefully to level it up set the raised beds up for planting my tomatoes that were aching to stretch their roots and keep growing. I've got three varieties in now: Rosella, Cour de Bou and Marmande. I have two more varieties to plant next weekend. 

I also stung them up. I don't use canes for my indeterminate tomatoes, instead opting to use string. That way I can just create a string frame and carefully wind the plants around their support strings, a method I learnt to use when I worked for a commercial grower.

As you can see here, each tomato plant has its own string which can be wound round the plant as it grows taller, giving it support. 

Wildlife:

It's been a busy last couple of weeks for the birds. The blue tit eggs have hatched. It's hard to see how many eggs successfully hatched but the hard work for the parents starts now. Both mum and dad have been busy finding small caterpillars in the garden for their chicks. From the camera I have which, by the way is very old and only makes black and white film, I can see seven chicks so far. 

Elsewhere, I have spotted dunnock and robin fledglings. I keep the bird bath cleaned and topped up everyday, especially following the warm, dry weather recently. The swifts are now turning up, which is always delightful to hear as they sound excited to arrive when they call. 

I've also spotted lots of butterflies, including holly blues, which seem to be having a great year so far.

A holly blue settled on clematis. 

Jobs for May:

• Sow sweetcorn and beans (French or Runner)
• Keep bird baths clean and topped up
• Plant out summer bedding
• Watch out for any possible frosts still - I have put out my dahlias but in sheltered positions for the time being as an example.

I hope that you have all had a lovely bank holiday weekend. Till next time.