Garden update

Before I started blogging, I kept a journal to document what was growing in the garden: when I sowed the seeds, when I harvested, my successes and failures. Although I do sometimes still write in the journal and stick in newspaper clippings, seed packets, leaflets and poems, I also want to record progress here. So this is an update on what is growing with photos taken over the last week.

The chives are getting ready to flower though I've been using the leaves for a couple of months for cooking. My mint has thankfully started to grow too after a slow start.

I planted two courgette seeds and both have done well. One is in a pot in my garden and the other has been adopted by my Dad.

Taken this morning at 7am and showing how much greenery is now along the side border. When we moved in 3 years ago, this border housed a conifer hedge. It took a lot of sweat and brute force to dig them all out but it was worth it as I've had flowers and vegetables growing here since. Over Easter I dug in lots of homemade compost to prepare the soil for new plants.

Let's just move the camera up shall we? What do you think we'll see?

Yep, the ducks were here again. This pair are regular visitors and particularly like perching on the fence.

Growing in the border are my sugar snap peas. I've had mixed success so far as, out of 8 seeds, only 5 grew. Of those 5, 4 of them made it into the soil - the other fell victim to a renegade snail who scaled the giddy heights of my greenhouse right up to the top shelf to claim his prize! At the same time as planting these, I added a few seeds which hopefully will germinate in the soil now the temperature has improved.

In front of the peas I've sown radish and spring onion and covered them with some wire shelves to keep the cats off.

In another pot, the carrots are coming along nicely.

I'm sorry to say that growing flowers from seed has been less successful and I don't have a single seedling to show for my efforts. I'm not sure what went wrong but luckily I bought some supermarket plants just in case. Petunias and geraniums have been planted out in troughs along this low wall which runs along the back of the house.

In the front garden there is a hint of beauty to come. There are at least four buds on my oriental poppy which is the most it has ever produced. If you can't wait to see what it will look like, I posted a photo here of it in full bloom last year. My peony is covered in buds too - I can hardly wait!

In the meantime I'll have to be content with the aquilegia which have seeded themselves all over the garden. This elegant understated plant is on one side of the drive.

And this frilly beauty is on the other side. I didn't plant either of them - they just appeared as if by a sprinkling of fairy seed.

The flowers are just so pretty. The photo was taken this evening at about 6.30.

It'll be interesting to see how much the garden changes from month to month. Maybe next time, the clematis climbing up the netting will be in flower?

Back on Friday with my May Scavenger Hunt entry. x