Fledge Season

This afternoon I sat at the front door watching a gentle rain (and sheltering a rather damp cat on my lap) and the antics of the blue tits in the trees.

It’s fledging season here; small chirpy birds leaving nests, others seeming to still be waging territorial battles. All entertaining. But hardly gardening.

So I grabbed my jacket and we both raced up to the potting shed. And that’s where I decided that some of my plants need to fledge as well.

All the sedums are now in the terrace bank.  I am very pleased that I promised myself to take a lot of sedum cuttings this spring and it worked.  Most of them are Autumn Joy (herbstfreude) and all have been shoved out into the slightly damp air and slightly moist soil on the dry as dust bank.

We only had 5mm. Barely enough to dampen the soil. So each clump of sedums had a bucket of water first. Followed by a bucket of water chaser.  They need a good start as they will be forgotten or neglected over the summer.

Tomorrow I need to find the time to plant out 80 baby leeks, and a few dozen zinnias and calendulas in the potager.  And of course I have about fifty brassica plants to get into the ground as well.

But that’s a long drawn out exercise. Strim the weeds, tick, excavate a few rows, no tick, water thoroughly, no tick. plant, cover with butterfly netting. Nurture and check thoroughly for grubs.  Brassicas are never an easy crop.

My favourite harvest on a Wednesday is of course flowers.  My market bouquets are ready to take up early to Vernoux tomorrow morning.  I’m looking forward to getting back to my routine of the early 8am hot chocolate with my friends in the cafe on the main square.