Rose planters galore

I don’t really dare to write a Blog this week as I have hardly done any gardening. It’s major building work here and I am hard at working painting and decorating and trying to keep up with Bernard and Dario. So the only thing I can offer is the new three planters with Gertie Jekyll roses. And I planted the clematis. But it wasn’t in the place I really wanted. It’s meant to thrive on a north facing wall; but it just wont go under the wisteria. Not enough soil. So I was forced to place it at the base of one of the non-thriving grape vines. We shall see how it goes. If it does cover the arbour with sweet little white flowers I may embrace Miss Bateman and put more of them elsewhere.

The rosemary has survived its first week of transplantation. No sign of suffering yet. But we shall see. I did have a lovely potting moment in my very own potting shed earlier in the week. I did seeds. A little row of Verbena here, a row of land cress there. More peas, more broad beans and even some almost white nasturtium seeds which I want to plant under the lilac bush. I could barely believe it was happening. Me, in my own potting shed. With a great Perspex roof that makes it a cold frame as well. I just kept looking around at my little rows of seeds in their pots under plastic and smiled continually. Until of course I put my foot through one of the pallets that acts as a very poor floor. That was fun; lurched away like mad and just managed not to fall over. Wouldn’t want to be in there if you feel woozy.

But with a feeling of chagrin (I was going to write moue of disappointment, but realised I can’t spell moue) I have realised that I haven’t had time to even go up there and see how things are going. Maybe towards the end of the month things will settle down (i.e. I wont be painting walls all day and doing the shutters in the kitchen in the evening each night) and I can pretend to be a gardener again.