Monday 10 May 2010

why I love May

Today I can say I love May for the sun has shone for at least part of the day.
Spring is my favourite season.
Everything is fresh and new.
I put this box up with the hope of attracting some robins, 
but within minutes there were bluetits showing interest.
No nests as yet, but maybe next year!
I LOVE GROWING anything FROM SEED!!
These are purple/blue lupins.
If you want to have a go at growing something I suggest start with a lupin.
They germinate fast and have the cutest baby leaves.
(I have seen one lupin plant wrapped in paper in a posh flower shop priced at £12.95!!!)
These seeds cost about £2.00 and I have 15 plants, you do the math!
So far the veg patch has been slow to get going this year,
I can however see the benefits of raised beds.
The soil warms up much quicker, which is ideal when the days are so grey and chilly.
Above I have pak choi, swiss chard, and cos lettuce.
You will notice I have netting covering them, this protects the little seedlings from birds.
I seem to have vegetarian sparrows in my garden!
(actually they live in my house along with the starlings who nest right above where I am sat, 
very sweet they are too tweeting away up there)
Another new addition this year is a sturdy frame to protect strawberries from the birds 
and then later on to protect brassicas.
Kindly built by Mr Fete.
More gratuitous tulip snaps.
When they're gone they're, so enjoy them now!
Another dark beauty is this geranium phaeum samobor.
It has lovely two-toned leaves and very dark plum turned back flowers.
I love discovering new things in the garden, and this was todays!
More of the lovely camassias and tulips!

With all that fresh and newness going on outside, it only seemed right to start afresh inside!
Oh lordy! Stripping floorboards is not for the faint-hearted.
How can one room mess up the whole of ones house!!



12 comments:

Diane said...

I dont envy you the DIY!!!! Your garden is looking lovely. xxxx

Jackie said...

Love the picture of the robin! x

Claire said...

What a lovely post - your garden is looking fabulous.
I looked at my veggie bed this morning after ignoring it for a few dayts and it finally seems to be getting somewhere, lots of teeny leeks and beetroots!!
Good Luck with the floorboards..we inherited our stripped boards thankfully!!!
x

Gilly Tee said...

love the picture of the Robin.
Gill

Anonymous said...

That's a really beautiful photo of a robin!
The other good thing about lupins is when they get established you can collect your own seeds and then it costs nothing to grow some more!
Vivienne x

Floss said...

Happy May to you! It really is a beautiful month, and you have the garden to prove it. Ben bought me some similar geraniums last year, but they're not inverted like that.

Blueberry Heart said...

what a gorgeous pic of the robin - little blighters are too quick for me, they wait til I get my camera then fly away! I'll get a pic one day!
BH x

Helen said...

Bit of stripping eh?? Hee hee!! Rather you than me!!

Anonymous said...

Your garden is looking fab. I went to a local crafty thing last weekend. They were selling single tomato plants (albeit in a small terracotta pot) for £3. I didn't buy any!xx

Lisa said...

How did you get the robin to pose so beautifully?!
Love all the photos of your lovely garden. That geranium is a stunning colour.
And as you know, I agree that one room's DIY does send the whole house mad!
How was the reclamation place?
Lisa x

Simone said...

Your garden is looking great Clare. The robin photo in particular is wonderful! The baby lupins are so sweet - don't forget that slugs love them too! Good luck with decorating. I have been concentrating so much on what is outside the house that I have neglected what's inside!

Tina said...

Lovely lovely garden! Those camissa plants grow wild out near where I live (the pacific northwest). They come in purple like you have and white. The Nez Pierce and Ceour d'Alene tribes used them as a source of food (the bulb tastes much like an onion). Now..before you go eating your precious bulbs don't. One is poisonous and one is edible and I cannot remember which!! ;) it is either the white or the purple but I cannot remember.

I also love how you screened in your raised bed to protect the strawberries. Ill have to think about switching one of my beds into service!! :)

Tina