Time.

Time is a funny thing, when in the garden it sometimes feels like time itself has slowed down and yet the day itself is over before you know it. I can potter around getting jobs done and not stop all day and then at the same time feel like I have not done much of anything really. I suppose it comes with finding an inner peace when in the garden, whatever else is happening in life, for a short while it can be forgotten about.  

At the minute we have some fledgings visiting the garden and it is so easy to get caught up watching them that time just slips away. Unfortunately, the blue tit that had laid nine eggs this year has met her demise. It is possible that the male can take over looking after the eggs, but not in this case and thankfully none of the eggs had actually hatched. There’s always next year.

I recall last month worrying about whether or not I was going to get any parsnips to grow this year, and had directly sown them every few weeks as well has trying to get them started off in pots as a last resort. Needless to say the planting in pots wasn’t much of a success, but eventually some of the seed sown direct did germinate and are looking hopeful.  Obviously just needed time and the right conditions for the seed to germinate.

Looking at the onions and garlic it is hard to believe that in just another month they could be dug up and used. Despite the recent rain and warm weather the bulbs are barely swollen and have some way to go before they are ready.

In the greenhouse the tomatoes are also steady away with the plants being shorter and stockier this year. Maybe this will be a good thing.  They are starting to produce their first truss and today some have been planted direct into the greenhouse borders. Whilst some of the remaining tomatoes will be planted into a grow bag, the others will be hardened off over the next couple of weeks for growing outdoors.

The garden borders continue to look good with the box balls being given their first clip over of the year. The sedums have been given the Chelsea chop and whilst the plants look a little strange at present, in time new growth will ensure the plant grows much more sturdy albeit flowering a little later. Whilst the dicentra and clematis looked good earlier in the month, the Centaurea does so now. What originally started out as a packet of seed has soon become a drift of electric blue through the border and is loved by bees.