The Month of May

I love May. It is official, May and October are my favourite months full of change and colour and not too much heat (and that is not a joke, most of us are moaning about the cool weather but I quite like it). I love the way that May brings the lush greens and the Bees are buzzing in earnest. There is movement in the garden, whether it is the wild grasses or just seeing creatures and animals darting about.

With this of course comes growth and it seems as if more weeds pop up as you turn your back for a second. Much regular weeding is needed in any garden and Heale has its fair share. We sorted out the Yew Hedging edges this week, rammed full of Nettle, Thistle, Cleavers, Groundsel and all sorts of higgledy self seeded bounty. We weeded amongst the Lavenders on the croquet lawn and attempted the Box hedging edges in the veg garden. The Box itself took a quick trim and looks rather happy and much tidier and then of course comes the hedge clipping collection. A long job and even longer in sticky wet soil from a wet night before!

I get to check over the Tomatoes we potted into the Greenhouse, a while back, and pinch out side shoots. I also got to do the same with the Sweet Peas trained to canes. Tendrils need removing and weaker shoots removed. Some have now started to flower and look much stronger, despite the onslaught of Snails and Slugs recently, due to the excessive rain.

The Japanese garden is a real treat to wander through, Hostas of all colours, shapes and sizes mixed with Ferns galore along with Wisteria and Acers. The little bridges over the river. The Bamboo rustling and the Arum Lily has come into its own, the Zantedeschia.

Michael introduced me to a Copper Beech this week, near the Tennis Court, a beautiful purple leaf with hints of pink along the edges, that you would miss should you not stop and look. A real beauty. Fagus sylvatica purpurea 'Tricolor'.

Whoosh

Everything is going crackers right now, sun and showers make for perfect conditions. The best time of the year for Wisteria and Peonies and the borders are waking up from their sleep. There are several Wisteria at Heale and they are all beautiful, racemes hanging down like rain falling, long, flowing, and the scent! The one on the house has been trained over the door, under two windows and is stunning. In the kitchen garden an arbor over a walkway is dripping with yellow Laburnum and Japanese Wisteria floribunda 'Multijuga'.

This week I helped edge and weed the Peto pond lawns, a private area of the garden with regular visits from one of the family dogs, sitting at my feet.

I also helped to plant our Dahlia tubers in the kitchen garden. Multi varieties left over from last year. We measured and cut canes to size, evenly spaced them and dug a deep hole for each. We gave some bonemeal to help revive the shrivelled tubers and planted them, not too deep and watered. They will be glorious when all in full bloom.

We erected a Raspberry support too, single wire, for Summer fruiting varieties. A brilliant idea is to use screw in eyelets into the post, attach the wire and when the wire becomes slack, tighten it off by turning the screw. I want one for my allotment! Now I now how to go about it. We planted out several varieties of Raspberries and will mirror that with more planting the other side of the Strawberry cage.

I got to work a bit in the Pool borders too, planted into gravel are Alliums and many Grasses. Wisteria of course hangs over the pool shelter and a magnificently strange Magnolia has been placed near the river, the 'Germolene' Magnolia as it shall forever be known to me. A beautiful white/cream flower, with tightly packed tiny pink insides and such a strong fragrance; Magnolia x weiseneri.

The wild banks and wild triangle in the garden are freely flowing with Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor), having been planted by Michael and I have never seen this plant before so it is great to see.

I noticed Astrantia major in the kitchen garden this week, a lovely delicate pale green flower and also the self seeded Euphorbia lathyris (Caper spurge), with an interesting leaf and caper like seed.

An Abutilon and a Choisya flank a walkway to the Peto ponds and are both in full flow.

I know nothing about Roses and Michael introduced me to some on the walls of the house, Rosa ayrshire 'Splendens' a white/pink with the scent of Myrhh, Rosa pom pom de paris, a little pink rose and Rosa alchemist, yellow.

Another lovely week, spending time at Heale doesn't feel too much like hard work to me, maybe I am mad but even when the rain comes the garden has a lot to give and I enjoy seeing the rain soaked plants. Change is daily, a Magnolia in bud one day, out the next, gone the next.

Borders and more borders

Crikey I have learnt a lot again this week, Michael the HG is a great teacher and is very good to make sure I do different things in the garden. I have been up to all sorts, even if it may seem boring to others I am learning at every turn.

I spent some time in the kitchen garden which has sections divided by Box hedging and archways running along the length of the central path, raised containers and pathways. There is a central pond with Box balls and apple tree tunnels and mixed borders. Wisteria hangs above you along some of the grass paths and a gravel bed against a wall, includes Clematis Montana, Euphorbia, Crown Imperial. It is a hot spot to work in but obviously all the veg are super happy. I chopped down Spinach and Chard this week which was going to seed, cared for newly planted Courgettes and Cucumbers and planted Ipomea 'Heavenly Blue' to climb up the archways opposite to some Gourds on the other side. I planted in mirror format, so once through the central path, the plants swapped sides. I planted out Helianthus 'Prada Red' and more Sweet Peas (Harlequin and Venetian), which we will train to Willow wigwams, the Willow coming from the garden itself.

Lots to do at this time of year but many plants have come out of the greenhouse, into the cold frame and made their final journey out into the garden already.

I also spent some time with Michael in the mixed borders in a private area of the garden near the Peto ponds. Deep borders full with herbaceous plants and this allowed me the opportunity to work with Michael and identify every plant. A huge help! We also used Hazel sticks to support larger plants, a beautiful way to stake and the plant grows through the structure hiding it completely.

I also got to back comb a big Stipa grass which had some dead foliage underneath but the plant got me back by giving me an itchy rash all along my forearms. The Alliums are coming now and are great to work with as you get a wiff of onion on the way through if you move the soil at their feet. Heale has lots of Iris and so I was involved with dead heading where needed.

So much to do in such a garden as Heale coming into the Summer but I am loving every minute of being there. How could you not love Lambs, Pigs, Peacock, Swans overhead and beautiful plants for as far as the eye can see. Even when I have my head in a border, hair sticking to rose thorns, I get the chance to sneak a peek at the rest of the garden, it is a joy.