Marvellous mild

Who would have thought that the prospect of a grey, overcast mild day would be the cause for rejoicing? But it has thawed.   I have been planting all day and not a spot of frozen earth in sight.

Two of the very long, very skinny beds outside the barn have now been turned into wacky lunar landscapes full of plants, gravel and potential weeds.   That’s all the lovely earth around the plants that haven’t been mulched yet.   I need to work out what to do with it.   But right now it’s just head down and on with the planting.   Bliss.

In the next skinny bed next to the barn I have planted choisya, cistus, lavenders, agapanthus, santolinas and perovskia.   I have kept the growing eragrostis in place.   They aren’t ready to be moved until spring.   But actually I might keep them in place just for a bit of height.   Everything in these beds are going to be a bit low growing for a few years.   The lavenders promise to be vigorous, but I will believe it when I see it.

There are still a few nerine bulbs, and I have popped in some spare tulip and narcissus paper whites in the gaps.   But the mulch has been firmly placed back on top and hopefully they will keep the worst of the weeds down in the spring.