PLANTS IN FLOWER: Narcissus, early Tulips, Primrose, Primula, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Fritillaria, Pulmonaria (many types) & Grape hyacinth.
Planted into the 'potager' so far: A whole bed of mainly early potatoes (Rocket) in Bed 1 (covered in fleece); in another pea plants (covered in fleece) and broad beans (and additional peas sown); in the third bed: seeds of beet root, carrot & parsnip; in Bed 4, annul flower seeds such as cornflower and calendula along with salad crops. I will continue with seed planting etc as the month progresses as I have may packets of seeds which are waiting to go in, including several varieties of french bean and and squash. As young plants in seed trays I have three types of sweet peas; sunflowers; pak choi; two varieties of tomato; many chilli pepper seedlings and zinnea.
Apart from working on the vegetable garden, I also managed to clear most of the dead leaves and debris from the borders to allow some air to reach the emerging new shoots. The grass is growing fast and needed the first cut of the year at the beginning of the month. The weather is unusually warm for the time of year - as much as 10 c above average with many beautiful, clear days.
In the middle of this month I visited Capel Manor College (just off the M25) to the north of London with a gardening friend. It is a large site dedicated to the training of gardeners and florists with an emphasis on experimental horticulture. Wandering around the 30 acre extensive grounds on a hot sunny day was an eye opening experience for me as I was not previously aware of their fund of knowledge based on ongoing field trials. The large number of model gardens which are constantly on show were also inspiring to see, not so much for their high quality of presentation, but because to my mind they showed how 'themed' buildings and gardens were married together. For example, there was a small Mediterranean style cottage with ochre washed walls and a gravel garden (largely based on grasses and lavender) which was arranged just like a stage set - since the actual building was actually only about a metre in width so as to just show the facade. Different types of walls and structures were constantly contrasted with different styles of planting including formal topiary, water gardens and borders. One of my favorite of the show gardens was a relatively simply design of herbs based on bronze fennel, purple sage, architectural soft green artichoke specimens and 'mounds of herbaceous geranium. It made me think I would like to include artichoke plants in my own garden not only for their food value but also for their lovely structure.