thedevelopingplot

This weekend was the first time for two weeks that I was able to look at how the plot has been doing. It has had to look after itself in the winds, rain and recent sun as I have been unable to get to the other end of a long tunnel of work. Still not there, but snatched a couple of hours in the bright sun at the plot this afternoon.

Recently, as I have watched my cornflowers in the garden at home get flattened by wind and heavy rain, I was nagged by the guilt of neglecting supports at the plot. Luckily, it is sheltered and it was cheering to see that the stems there haven’t been twisted into the u shapes of my garden flowers. Next year, supports definitely going to be a priority everywhere. Pea netting, sticks or something more decorative will have to go in place early on. With plans to reduce paid work by half, this might even be possible.

So while I was looking elsewhere over the last two weeks, the hesperis has burst into white and a single cornflower has unfurled blue.

Sturdy white hesperis

The loveliest blue

Not enough is in flower to make up bunches, but it is a start as the sweet peas show flower buds along with larkspur, achillea and knautia.

Knautia with buttons of buds

Need less wind and more warmth and as always more time.

After surviving lots of digging, weeding and lifting on the plot over the holidays, I managed to hurt my back simply picking up my bag of work for school. As a result last Tuesday and Wednesday I was in a dark room, barely moving for 36 hours. When I properly got up Wednesday afternoon, it was as if I had missed a month.

One of many tulips newly flowering

Suddenly new tulips of all colours were opening in the sun, the blossom on the cherry trees and amelanchior had burst open while the quince blossom was just getting ready.

Slow growing quince in lots of bud

Stumbled into bright sunlight and the worry of watering which couldn’t do much about, but obliging daughter gave the plants a kind splash.

Not mobile enough to set off to the plot and went back to work with painkillers and  a slow walk on Thursday, but thinking about the plot am hoping that the hesperis might be near flowering and that the Autumn sown cornflowers might even have evidence of buds. The tulips at the plot were only just emerging last week, but surely they will have put on a bit of a spurt.

A mixed day of darting into work to collect all that needs to be done and driving the car to see if it’s fixed (it’s not) and walking the poor old dog. Somewhere in the middle, managed to sit in the warmth of the sun and plant some seeds of cerinthe, lupin blue javelin, sweetpeas and lavender into pots. Completely concentrating, it was happiness  almost without even noticing it.

Later, walking the dog a random thought started to bother me: why hadn’t I noticed that all the flower seeds I had planted were blue? A quick mental reminder of everything else I had sown was reassuring as the still plentiful achillea are definitely cerise. The hesperis is almost definitely white as is the ammi majus. There isn’t a blue tulip and the daffodils offer a rare splash of yellow.

Lots of blue

While I was out sowing the seeds bees were buzzing crazily in the sun around the euphorbia. Frenetic and swirling, it was almost impossible to tell how many there were which made me wonder how there could possibly be a Great British Bee Count. Checked that it isn’t an April Fool. It isn’t and starts on 1st May for a month. There is a free app which I will download and use. It is going to take a fair bit of concentration.

While I have been busy not achieving much, my (mostly) patient life partner has been putting up a fence. With panels of hazel and willow, it looks pretty and perhaps rustic, though it wasn’t his original plan to have a patchwork.

Willow fencing behind the apple tree

No damage from wind at the plot and the sweet rocket is living up to its name and shooting away.