Garden Updates
Things are coming on well in the garden. The spring flowers are still out but are fading. The Marsh Marigolds have almost finished, the Bluebells will soon follow them. The Forget-me-Nots are still in full bloom though and providing a lovely haze of blue around the garden..
Everything else seems to be doing well though Irises on about to flower as are some of the Geraniums. The Clematis – which has been struggling to get established – is now in flower. The new beds are filling out will and the lack of wind has seen things growing well. Phlox, Goldenrod and other perennials are all coming on well. All of the new plants are settling in well too.
Even the new raised vegetable bed is coming on well. I’m not sure about the happiness of the tomato plants, but the potatoes and Kale are growing fast, the carrots, leeks and spring onions have germinated and the beans and courgettes that we have in pots are ready ready to be planted out.
So far it has been a great spring for the garden and all is looking well.
It has of course been keeping me busy. I’ve been trying to improve the lawn which is a constant ongoing process. There are of course ‘weeds’ where I don’t want them that have been removed but in many places I leave them be as many of them look nice and they all add to the species in the garden and the overall wildlife present.
Talking of garden wildlife, the caterpillar invasion continues and there are now big fat juicy Lackey Moth caterpillars all over the garden. I’m not quite sure how they get from their silk nests on the hawthorn and willow to other far reaches of the garden but they do and some of them are now huge. They do eat some leaves and therefore damage some of the plants I’ve been carefully tending, but they also provide lots of food for the birds and some of them will make it through to moth-hood and end up being recorded in my moth trap. They aren’t creating widespread devastation and things seem to be in pretty good balance.