Galtonia forest

Oh look a field of sticks. That’s what it looks like now, but somewhere under here in the calabert garden are 80 bulbs of galtonia candicans.   A birthday present from Andrew, and I finally managed to get them into the ground.   I spent ages trying to work out where.

I was considering dotting them about to try and find the best place for them.   I did put 20 in the little bed where I have the pannicum, heleniums and hemerocallis.   But I have decided for an en masse planting. This is the part of the calabert garden where I have stuck to the planting space rule of the shrubs.   There are plants here that should have an eventual wing span (spread) of about two metres, eventually.   So while I’m waiting for that miracle burst of growth, it’s bulbs all the way.

I actually have a dozen liles right near here – and stupidly didn’t mark where.   So with my barbecue skewers of wood at my side, I planted and planted and planted.   They are under a mulch of chipped sticks, so hopefully won’t be too swamped with weeds.

That done I have decided to check the one part of the garden that is lush and working well.   The peas and broad beans.   My job for this week is to try and lift all the little self sown cosmos seedlings that pepper the entire vegetable garden.

Last year I let them go and had a forest of flowers.   But in an uncontrolled way.   So I’m trying to lift them and transplant them at the edges of the veggie bed.   Naturally in this hot season some of them wilt and don’t revive. But I am amazed at just how many transplant well.

I’ve done two rows already, and I can easily put in more.   I just have to find the time.   Gardening is on the low part of the to do list today: I have two houses to prepare for arrivals.   And drive to Valence, and I must water the village plants tonight.