After a balmy, mild Christmas, the temperatures plummeted to nearer to those seasonally expected this week, making it challenging to get out into the garden collecting leaves, and emptying last year's leaf mould from storage. I'm part way there now, although there's still a lot of garden to clear of leaves and last year's growth. I waited until it got light to go outside this morning, took my photos of 6 things, put the collage on Twitter, and then went on a special walk to Coate Water with my daughter to celebrate her 45th birthday today. Despite the drizzle and wind, we had a lovely time. So what are my six this week?
Well I'm starting with a birthday present for my daughter, a terracotta pot filled with a white Hellebore called Christmas Carol, a Cyclamen coum and a daisy, I am pleased with the result:
My next photograph features some of the plants I bought to fill some spaces in the community gardens. I should be able to grow lots of fennel from seed, but
Twigs had some seedlings ready to go, so I thought they will look good this summer. There are also other assorted perennials which needed a bit of cutting back.
Snowdrops are coming through, and there's one flower almost open, hard to see because I've photographed from above, and didn't fancy lying on the grass to take photos.
Here's a photo of the leaf mould, it's more or less broken down and ready to spread on the flower beds when I've removed this winter's leaves from them. Bob Flowerdew said on
GQT this week that he spends more time in the garden making compost than anything else. He's very keen on big bins and regular turning.
I love cardoons, and haven't quite worked out how to get their seeds to germinate. I think they need to go through a process, maybe of being frosted, to germinate. I've tried putting seeds in a seed tray, they don't germinate. These in the photo below were growing in the greenhouse, presumably from composted cardoon heads, I have potted them up because they are in the wrong place. Hopefully I can get them to grow elsewhere.
Last but by no means least, Swiss Chard. Vegetables can be a chore to grow if you want something to eat with any regularity, but Chard is a vegetable that is available every day of the year. It's versatile as well, lovely stir fried, boiled and in curries and soups.
I'll go and look now at what
The Propagator and other gardeners have been up to today, it's well worth clicking on the link and finding out. I don't look before writing my blog in case it influences mine. I can say he's running an amazing distance today, and most of the six are about things which need to be cut back and composted which is what I expect everyone is doing just now.
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