Spring equinox
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Ah, Spring – we’ve been expecting you…
The first day of Spring. Again. We tried welcoming the new season in with the first of March, but the elements were having none of it. You’re being a bit previous, they seemed to say, and gave us the cold shoulder. Relying on the meteorological calendar for the turn of the seasons is, ironically, rarely entirely reliable, and certainly this year the vernal equinox would appear to have offered the more accurate indication. Certainly judging by the warmth of the sun now beating down upon the garden, where I’ve just spent an hour or two weeding for myself as a client (it’s the only way I get anything done in my own garden, though the conversation’s a bit one sided).
So the fleece has been rolled back up in the greenhouse, and the weekend is looking good for pelargonium fun, which will include repotting, feeding, and general furtling, the latter involving some pretty serious pinching out of limbs grown lanky over winter. I’ve already potted on some cuttings which managed to root in the cold greenhouse, which is just as well, as the parent plant appears to have carked it. I’ve put my order in with Fibrex Nurseries to replace the few that didn’t make it through, plus a few new-to-me varieties, about which I’ll write more when they arrive next month.
A cutting of Pelargonium 'Mystery' jostling for space among the seedlings
This morning’s post (well, a courier to be honest) brought a beautiful eight foot tripod ladder from the lovely folk at Henchman, which will be accompanying me to work so I can test it out for a review. It’s amazingly light, and adjustable on each of its three legs, so should be so comfortable to work from I shall probably need to be coaxed down with cake.
I also have a beautiful book on Double Flowers by Nicola Ferguson to read (review in a week or so), published by Pimpernel Press. It’s a celebration of the form, as it occurs in the wild, and as manipulated in cultivation, and it also deals with how best to use plants with flowers of this kind in the garden. In all honesty, my own tastes linger rather more around simpler, single forms, but this certainly promises to be an interesting read, and it’s a beautifully produced volume.
Double Flowers by Nicola Ferguson
In the meantime, editing is under way on episode 2 of The Virgin Gardener podcast, in which Laetitia and I and were thrilled to be joined by Sara Venn for a wide ranging chat, taking in community gardening, seed sowing for those with limited space, and that #shoutyhalfhour thing. Thank you all so much for your overwhelmingly positive response to our podcast teaser and episode 1 with James Alexander-Sinclair – I’m afraid we’ve now got the podcast bug and you’re stuck with us. If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen, you can find the podcast on iTunes here (also available on other podcast platforms).
Someone mentioned today that there’s another cold spell heading our way for the easter weekend – in which case, fie upon’t! It doesn’t look too bad on my weather app, but let me know if you hear rumours that, yet again, winter is coming. For us gardeners, that’s rarely a good thing.
How is your gardening week going now the Mini Beast is retreating? I’d love to hear, so do let me know, either on twitter or in the comments below.