New beginnings

My gardening week was mixed this week. The weather at times I thought too awful to continue but continue I did and managed to tidy a big bed in a clients garden and to achieve quite a lot in my two days at Heale.

Upon arrival at Heale, the gardens veg and flower seeds were waiting for me. I LOVE this time! Lots of beautifully packaged seeds from different suppliers. Tuckers are my particular favourite. The seeds come in a clear bag enabling you to see them. They also have a card inside which can be used as an information card during production. All the essential info is there, when to sow, variety, depth to plant etc. but you can also add your own field notes whilst growing. Thoughtful design.

A few new veggies to try;

Squash 'Uchiki Kuri', an orange teardrop shaped squash. High in vitamins A and C, it is said to have a Chestnut flavour. Another Squash which is familiar but I have never grown. A fun one for kids, Turks Turban due to its strange growing shape, like the first squash is erupting with a smaller one on top.

We will be growing lots of Greens, Brassicas like purple Broccoli and Calabrese, along with Beans. One of which has red striped pods and can be left to grow on and be shelled later. Looking forward to seeing this one in full flow.

At Heale the veg garden is of a 'Potager' style so flowers grow amongst the produce. We will be growing some climbers such as Clitoria, the Butterfly Pea, a vine with vivid deep blue flowers and Ipomoea.

We carried on preparing the soil too in the veg garden. Not much more to do and I find it rather relaxing. I must be mad! Double digging: a spits depth trench, compost in, forked though and cultivated, dig another trench. There is definitely a way to do it and it can become quite meditative.

Amongst the veg are cut flower plots too and we continued to almost (!) plant the last of our bulbs. HG had prepared the most ingenious netted bag, filled with 400 Tulips and secured with cable ties. The idea being it is easier to remove the whole lot of Tulips when they have given their all later in the season with the added bonus of potentially deterring rodents from digging them up (we are guessing they might be put off gnawing through chicken wire).  So, you just dig a trench, one spits depth and place your bag in and cover.  Leave a piece of string or similar attached to the wires and you will find it easier to pull up the net afterwards. Voila!

Aconites are showing, Daffodils, Cyclamen and Heale has a beautiful Cornus 'Officinalis' which just jumps out at you. Very dainty but Yellow and it really brightens up a dull day.
The garden is coming alive once more. We have many Snowdrops. I managed to photograph just one this week but it is a beauty. Galanthus elwesii 'J. Haydn''.