Self care by growing a garden

[Smc]

@Sheila, my asparagus won't stick its head up until October, but am looking forward to it. 🙂

[Adge]

Garden Critters

[Former-Member]

Was looking at an online seed catalogue today ... whilst there is a lot I would like to grow, as yet we have not got any veggie beds so I need to be realistic as to what we can plant out.

[Sheila]

@Smc, it will be worth the wait!

[Determined]

Spent some time out in the garden this ave watering to try and de stress. Started seeing all the things that got me excited before we moved in here. I want to try and do half an hour each afternoon now the days are getting longer so I can unwind. 

[Smc]

Sounds good @Determined.

I went through a patch last year or so where I didn't have the mental energy to get out in the garden, but I ended up pushing myself to do so because I realised it would do me good.

My "colourful spring" plans are starting to show results. There's been white primulas flowering for a while, some nice purple hyacinths I planted are up and in full bloom, and the first Iceland Poppy came out today. A lovely butter yellow one. 🙂

[Former-Member]

@Smc 

Colourful spring garden = 🙌 

Bravo for pushing through. It took a fair while, even after our crisis had eased, for me to be able to push through to do anything - the joy of gardening returned only after I decluttered. 

[Smc]

Got some more weeds out and some more plants in today.:) A peony, a Lobelia cardinalis, another aquilegia, a large flowered pink thrift and a snapdragon. Lobelia cardinalis is very different to the blue seedling lobelias you get in punnets. It's got dark purple leaves and puts up tall spikes of intense red flowers.

Walking around the garden at the moment is mind blowing... after all the winter months of slow or no growth, everything looks like it's bursting at the seams, with buds and new shoots coming up everywhere. It's a mixture of beautiful and overwhelming... have been in a sad, flat mood today and I think I'm feeling everything a bit on the "big" side at the moment.

It's been warm enough that I've pulled the hose out to do watering for the first time this season. The point where I'm most likely to lose potted plants is during the shift from winter to spring, when I'm out of the watering routine. Had to give myself a push to do it, but seeing a plant that was going to die if I didn't helped.

Lobelia cardinalis. Am wondering if our local nectar feeding birds will like it, since we don't get hummingbirds here. 🙂

[Former-Member]

@Smc  getting things in ground = 🙌.   

Had the gardener back today and some more noxious shrubs have been removed.  There is now the space for me to plant a row of something more desirable. 

The first of the larger bulbs out the front have  flowered and they are "velthiemia".

[Former-Member]

Really pleased today as we started planting in the front garden today where the weedy shrubs have been removed. We put in three ornamental pears called "mini capital" , these grow to 5m high x 2m wide. I also put in some white pom pom dahlias.