Garden Helpers

Today (or yesterday now as I am finishing this on Sunday morning) was a gardening day.  Last year we made a few changes to the garden, removing one fence and adding another.  This was mainly because we needed to create a more secure boundary for the dog and a larger space for her to run around in/destroy.   We also removed overgrown leylandii and cut back the thicket of holly bushes.  I say we but in fact the work was done by a excellent local handyman and gardener we were lucky to find. The result is that we have a much larger space as the 'front' (really to the side) and back gardens are now joined up.

Our gardener created some new flower beds in the process and last autumn I read lots of advice in books and planted shrubs, perennials and bulbs.  I tried to co-ordinate a colour scheme and went for shades of pink, whites and purples.  This is how it looked a couple of weeks ago.  The tulips I planted, which were supposed to be in pastel shades and some were a lovely shade of lilacy pink.  But others are distinctly yellow.  Never mind they looked nice anyway,

Today I persuaded Paul, the most reluctant of gardeners, to use some of the left over fencing panels and create a support on the wall and we then planted a climbing hydrangea which promises lovely white lacy flowers.  It's supposed to grow in shady conditions so I hope it does as it's on a wall which faces north east and only gets a couple of hours sun late in the day.

I also tended to my seedlings in the raised bed which has now been placed a in a sunnier spot.  I am trying to grow beetroot and the little seedlings have just appeared.  I earthed up the potatoes I'm growing in a dustbin and watered the lettuces which are doing quite well now after a slow start.

Along with the yellow tulips another unwanted invader to my newly planted border is an armada of Spanish bluebells.  (I'm kind of pleased with that metaphor though I'm sure I'm not the first to use it.)  I love bluebells - the English variety- which I will not be seeing this year unless Boris lets us out very soon.  But these brutes grow like weeds in my garden and I've dug a lot of them out in the past few weeks.  I'm leaving this patch to flower and then will remove them too,  They are pretty for a while but smother everything else.  I'm sure they'll be back next year anyway as it's impossible to get them all.

An

This is the border now.  The tulips are dropping and the foxgloves and alliums are ready to flower.  The giant poppies and sedums are also doing well even though my other garden 'helper' insists on walking all over them.

I can't help thinking how privileged we are in having a reasonable sized outside space during this time.  It can't be much fun for those who are stuck inside all the time with only an hour of 'exercise' a day.