After a lack of interest over the last couple of years, I think I may have found my gardening mojo again… I’m certainly no expert, but it’s very satisfying to see stuff growing from seed in the greenhouse and garden. We have geraniums, sunflowers, dahlias, sweet peas, gazanias and nasturtiums all on the way, while vegetables include onions, courgettes, beans, carrots, and then salad leaves, cucumbers and tomatoes… Watch this space!
… in the garden. Some brighter weather this week has encouraged me out into the garden. So much to do at this time of year – the lawns now need mowing once a week, the terrace needs pressure washing, shrubs and plants need cutting back, and some scruffier specimens need attention. We planted these lavenders today to replace last year’s plants that didn’t look good at all. Still more work to do though!
These beautiful plants in our garden are Muscari – also known (not surprisingly) as Grape Hyacinths, although they are not actually hyacinths at all. Planted a couple of years ago as bulbs, they have naturalised and spread, and make a colourful display through the spring. 
The fields around our house are home to around 700 Freisian dairy cattle. Their main diet is grass, but as well as maize, the farmer also grows ‘winter beet’, and the cows get to eat it through the spring until there is enough grass for them to graze. Whenever I wander up the garden, they always take an interest…
We are not expert gardeners by any means, but as well as growing a few summer flowers 💐 we try to grow some vegetables as well. One crop that does well in our garden is onions, so we always plant a few. Experience has taught me that planting them directly outside will see us lose quite a few to birds as they come through, so nowadays I start them in the greenhouse and plant them out when they are a decent size. These will be planted out in another week or so, and will hopefully survive and flourish…
I hate the fact that the garden is usually so dreary during the winter months, with all the herbaceous plants dying back, and few shrubs keeping their leaves. So this year I planted up some pots and containers with plants and bulbs to show colour all through the winter. I’ve arranged these such that they can then be replanted for the summer… What’s not to like!
It may still be a little chilly in the mornings (just 5°C this morning), and the wind is ‘fresh’ to say the least, but Spring is definitely on the way. Daffodils everywhere, and lots of white and pink blossom on the trees. Beautiful…
Daffodils at home – iPhone XR
Our first BBQ brunch of the year – sadly the unseasonably warm and dry weather we’ve seen for the last couple of weeks has given way to usual March weather – cold and rainy… Still, good fun anyway and a taste of what’s to come.
The rather cooler weather now we are back in England came as a bit of a shock after our glorious week in Gran Canaria ☀️☀️. However, the crocuses in the garden obviously reckon that Spring is on the way… A chance too to try the new 58mm lens converter for my phone. 
Most of the narrow boats we see along the canal near here are either hired out for holidays/vacations, or belong to people using them for business. However, these few are permanent homes – the boats don’t move from one year to another, and some of the residents have created gardens alongside the tow path, complete even with sheds in some cases! 
One Day At A Time... 