In the whirlwind of looking after the girls and keeping on top of the garden it is hard to find time to just stop for a moment and to really see it properly. Today I went out in between the rain showers and had a good wander around the cut flower patch and was so pleased to see the beginnings of plants really growing! This week I wanted to share it with you in my pictures below.
This spring has felt very long and has been testing my patience as I am so keen to get my flowers blooming so I can share them with you. The cold and windy weather has meant things have been a lot slower to get established and I am sometimes envious of my fellow flower growers in the south of England who already have an abundance of beautiful blooms. It may take longer for things to get going but it is always well worth the wait. It can also mean we may have some varieties of flower still available later in the season, when they are already over further South.
I lost a few fleece tunnels in the wind last week and have been replacing these with some polythene to see if it can withstand the weather better. The plants certainly seem to be doing well under their new sheeting. Here are some nigella, briza grass and sweet william under the new tunnel.
Nigella Briza Grass Sweet William
I also have a single self seeded bupleurum in the tunnel which is doing really well. I have found this a particularly difficult plant to germinate from seed. So I am pleased with this addition in amongst my sweet williams! It will be joined by the others I have managed to grow on indoors this year and am hardening off just now.
Outside I have been starting to stake my over wintered cornflowers and corncockles. They have reached a good size but are prone to damage from the wind and benefit from some support. There are different ways of doing this. I hammered in stakes with a bit of help from my 3 year old daughter! I then placed pea and bean netting horizontally over these, which the plants will grow through. It provides good support but does make it a bit tricky to cut the stems easily when you need them.
My sweet peas are starting to grow outside this week after a slow start from the cold weather. Once the remaining sweet peas are hardened off I will plant these out in the garden too over the next two weeks.
My hesperis and alliums are not far off flowering now and I am looking forward to using these in arrangements. Meanwhile the honesty is still looking lovely.
Alliums Hesperis Honesty
Elsewhere in the cutting garden this week the lady’s mantle is really coming on and the calendula has started to grow. My larkspur has been nibbled in places but has also started to show good signs of growth.
Ladys mantle Calendula Larkspur
May really is the month in Scotland where the garden starts to take off. I get so much satisfaction from spending time out there, seeing what I have grown from seed starting to develop into big healthy plants. It is one of my busiest months as I continue to sew seeds, pot on, harden off, weed and stake plants. Despite the longer evenings there still never seem to be enough hours in the day to get all the jobs done! I hope you have enjoyed seeing how the cutting garden has been coming on and I am looking forward to seeing what will flower in the garden this week!
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