It's official - we are totally rained out. I can't do anything in the garden because the rain just will not abate. I've come to a decision; having so many bills right now and being disappointed in this year's show of plants I'm bowing out gracefully. It's not as if I'm not going to stop gardening, after all it's my favourite thing ever and I love buying new plants like other girls like to purchase high heels. It's just silly though to keep buying plants only to watch them struggle and not blossom. With the warm and wet weather there is a risk of blight and mould on lots of plants and my beautiful purple lupin that fought against the slugs earlier in the season to produce beautiful spires of lilac has been stripped overnight, by what I know not.
I've been enjoying, rather enviously, the beautiful blooms and conceptual planting at the Hampton Court flower show. So many clever ideas from how to attract butterflies (buddlieas and nettles are still a top favourite) to companion planting (parsley seems to help just about any sickly plants by releasing nutrients into the soil and basil is so aromatic that it can help keep white fly off tomatoes and beetles off asparagus). Last year we planted basil and marigolds next to our tomatoes to scent the area so strongly that the aphids couldn't detect the toms. not that it mattered as blight meant we lost every single one. We are having, as I once heard a condescending boss say, a crisis of confidence. Luke is threatening to give up and buy his tomatoes next year. I shall not be defeated and will continue to plant potatoes and peas and ensure we have sweetcorn and other veg next year. It's no crisis of confidence though, it's just not worth working so hard and spending money on something that is not going to thrive. The roses have been so wet that the outer petals have not allowed the buds to fully open but some of them have pushed through and look lush and abundant. So once the rain stops and allows the plants and me to enjoy the garden we can get started again. I hope you'll bear with me till the sun shines again.
I've been enjoying, rather enviously, the beautiful blooms and conceptual planting at the Hampton Court flower show. So many clever ideas from how to attract butterflies (buddlieas and nettles are still a top favourite) to companion planting (parsley seems to help just about any sickly plants by releasing nutrients into the soil and basil is so aromatic that it can help keep white fly off tomatoes and beetles off asparagus). Last year we planted basil and marigolds next to our tomatoes to scent the area so strongly that the aphids couldn't detect the toms. not that it mattered as blight meant we lost every single one. We are having, as I once heard a condescending boss say, a crisis of confidence. Luke is threatening to give up and buy his tomatoes next year. I shall not be defeated and will continue to plant potatoes and peas and ensure we have sweetcorn and other veg next year. It's no crisis of confidence though, it's just not worth working so hard and spending money on something that is not going to thrive. The roses have been so wet that the outer petals have not allowed the buds to fully open but some of them have pushed through and look lush and abundant. So once the rain stops and allows the plants and me to enjoy the garden we can get started again. I hope you'll bear with me till the sun shines again.
No comments:
Post a Comment