My garden in March

In February’s post I hoped that March would get the memo and be warmer, and it may well have done for a few days at least, but it was generally a very wet month, so once again there’s been very little time spent in the garden. With the rain though comes growth and it’s the camellia which keeps delivering its red blooms, and the promise of tulips which have really come on that are the highlights as I look back at March.

But let’s start with the promise of new growth that comes with Spring, whatever the weather.

It wasn’t all sun and rain though, early in the month - this was our view. Thankfully it didn’t hang around for long.

The euphorbias have started to share their lime green freshness, and I’ve moved the pots of tulips nearer to the house so we can enjoy their colour. I’m still so pleased with myself for potting them into large flower pots which can be inserted into the heavier terracotta pots on the patio. Not only are they much lighter to move around, it’s such a good way of adding seasonal colour without a lot of effort, I’ll be doing more of that for sure!

The forsythias are such cheery plants and each year I welcome their bust of colour. This small plant, which is close to the patio, seems to get more and more vibrant with each year and is complemented by the larger bush further down the garden. Again having repeating plants in a garden really makes a difference and brings it all together - and often is cheaper, especially if you can propagate new plants from cuttings.

I’ll leave you with a final shot of the tulips in their winter resting spot, which they seemed to approve of. I’m hoping we’ll be enjoying the colour they bring for a good few more weeks yet, but that is likely to be dependant on the wind - wish us luck!

What type of gardener are you?

If you want to get growing but aren’t sure where to start then Mr Fothergill’s and David Domoney have all the information you need. They’re teaming up to give people who want to start growing their own information to get started, including tips on which herbs and vegetables you can grow on your windowsill.

Take the quiz and get free seeds

Mr Fothergill’s has a fun quiz too to help you work out what type of gardener you are, and they’re even offering you some free seeds, so they’re removing any excuse you had to get started.

I’m a Garden Whisperer…

It made me smile anyway.

But actually, and without knowing what the other options are, it does seem to fit. Generally I have success in the garden, even when I think something is past its best - the ornamental quince bush which took a trampling from the tree cutters last year is a good example.

It was looking very sorry for itself and so I decided to give it an unseasonal trim. Not only did it stop it looking distinctly “less dead” but it rewarded me with new growth, more flowers and looks a lot healthier. It’s usual flowering time is now - and I can see it flowering from the house - so to get a second set of flowers after the worst of the heatwave was a real surprise, and very welcome!

So why not take the quiz, sign up for your free seeds and leave a comment to let me know what type of gardener you are!

*This isn’t a sponsored post, though I understand why you think it might be. It’s a fun thing - with free seeds - that arrived in my inbox that I wanted to share. Like you, if you take the quiz, I have signed up for some free seeds. That’s it.

Big

I wrote last year about how my plan was to use the year to evolve and adapt to leaving full-time work and embrace a more leisurely pace of life. And on the whole I have, though it’s taken a while and plans have changed a little along the way. Not everything happened as we’d hoped - the summer was far too hot, and the ground too baked to really set about any kind of landscaping work, and we’ve not moved house. But evolve was a good word, and one that had enough flexibility to bend to the circumstances the year brought.

I’ll most likely talk about our house move in another post, we’re still hoping it will happen though we’re not sure when, or exactly to where. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster that’s for sure, and one that picks up speed of its own free will at times, as these things do. I’m not sure when I’ll update you on the thrills and spills yet, as there’s some pondering to be done - and some of it is still raw. But I’m hopeful that things will work out.

Once again I’m setting a word for the year, and this year it’s a simple one. Big. Or perhaps that should be BIG.

Like last year its one that will flex, and most likely challenge us. But as MOH said to me on New Year’s Eve 2023 has the potential to be our biggest year yet, and he could be right. We’ve already made some big decisions house-wise this year, they haven’t all come off so far, but it’s still only March.

In other news MOH is finishing work next month, slightly later than his revised date but he’s ready. The problem with working remotely and contracting is that he doesn’t take proper holidays, and when he does he’s still more often than not at home. He’ll have his own adjustments to make I’m sure, but it will be good to be able to spend time together during the day getting out and about. We will both want, and need, time on our own but I know that walks and house/garden visits are much more fun in company than alone.

And who knows we might even manage a proper holiday later in the year. I still can’t believe we haven’t been abroad since February 2020 and before the pandemic, so that in itself will be pretty big!

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

And if you’re wondering about my choice of image, well it reminds me that sometimes we need to think beyond what we first thought, and try things we might not have considered before. Something I think it’s likely we’ll need to remember at times this year.