Gardening Genes

I’m finding as I relax into retirement now that the thing I’m doing most is gardening.  Whereas some of the other things I signed up for such as, for example, the course ‘The Novel and the City’, feel like a chore, heading out to the garden to do even mundane things like weeding and watering are enjoyable.  It’s being outside, the smell of the earth and watching things grow, how the seasons transform a dull patch of soil into a riot of colour when the tulips emerge. 

I reckon it’s in my genes: both my father and my grandfather were keen gardeners.  My father specialised in tomatoes grown in a makeshift greenhouse attached to the byre; my grandfather was an expert in soft fruit - strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants - which we helped to pick as children, eating as many strawberries as we could before they were made into jam.  I succeeded with raspberries last year. Strawberries are trickier - I think they need better soil and more space than I’ve got. And this year I’m trying some new heritage varieties of cherry tomato.  The Sungold ones I grew last year were delicious.  I haven’t got a greenhouse so I’ll try some outside and some in my summerhouse. And hope for a sunny summer.

A couple of weeks ago I went on a garden design course at Lane End Cottage Gardens.  I was hoping for  a bit of advice on what to plant in the bed under the holly trees.  What I have ended up with is a much more ambitious plan.  Richard, who was the course tutor, is very enthusiastic and last Sunday he arrived with his spade and proceeded to dig out shrubs and tree roots and to remove ugly slabs of concrete from an overgrown bed in the centre of the garden.  He advised me to plant apple trees there. And to put a fan trained Morello Cherry on the north facing brick wall by the back door with a redcurrant on either side.  I’m hoping for plenty of summer puddings.  

On Friday I hired some help to cut up the tree roots and do the heavier digging.  Then I’m doing the planting myself.  I have bought from Richard’s small nursery, a Star Magnolia which I’m planning to add to the newly extended flowerbed facing the kitchen. There are other shrubs to plant to provide all year interest.  So I’m going to be busy. 

Before

After 

After from the other side showing the ‘terracing’. 

Doris's Day: Back Blogging and a Day in the Garden

Never again!  Just emerged from a month of marking exam papers.  Huge piles of ironing; garden overgrown; journal unwritten and blog untended.  But weeks of holiday coming up soon and I tamed the garden today.  Ironing can wait.

I love these flowers which I've put in pots on the patio - we called them Livingstone Daisies in Ballyronan.  This white shrub which we called Bride's Blossom is also flowering,  but over here it

is Mock Orange.  Whatever - it smells lovely.

Peas also doing well and so much lettuce.

And the elderflower is eventually out, about a month later than usual.  Our hedge is full of this and really needs cutting but it looks great for a while with all this frothy blossom.  Considering trying elderflower champagne again but last time one of my bottles exploded in the garage so I'm a bit wary.  This is another childhood tradition.  It was made in May/June and we were allowed a glass of the sweet, slightly alcoholic fizz at Christmas.