There’s no way to sugar the pill. This has been a bad week for news and the weather has done little to cheer any of us up. The early snowdrops are helping to get me through and I’ve managed to weave a few small gardening incidents into the loom of my life. We can do nothing more than look forward to happier days and this week’s featured six live in the present and look to the future.
Kittens in the houseplants
We welcomed two gorgeous kittens to the household on Thursday. They’re only just beginning to explore the house but when they’re not asleep they’re running around manically. So far they’ve been respectful of my houseplant collection but I may need to move some away if they get more inquisitive. This lovely collection on a wooden box have already been eyed up by them.
The kittens are siblings – a boy and a girl. We’ve called them Margo and Jerry after the next door neighbours in ‘The Good Life’ TV series. Margo is very beautiful but also very bossy and Jerry is very chilled.
Avocado
A few weeks ago I featured some of my favourite houseplants and they included my avocado tree, grown from a stone. I’d moved it to the landing but as predicted by fellow blogger Fred, the light levels have been insufficient in this gloomy winter.
The tree is now in the bathroom. It’s very bright in there and pretty warm and humid too. I think it’s quite happy.
Some useful destruction
Last week I described how I intended to remove the brick pillars behind my rock garden and to create a conifer garden on the slope behind.
We didn’t hang around and that very afternoon we got the job done. It didn’t take long as the brickwork was pretty loose but oh what a difference it’s made.
Quite allot more work is needed to prepare the bed behind but we’re getting there. Lockdown will provide a bit of time to plan which fabulous conifers to grow here.
Sweet Pea Seeds
It’s that time of year again where I buy my sweet pea seeds. I abandoned autumn sowings after they got eaten by mice over winter and I find an early spring sowing works just as well.
Sadly, being a bit late with my order I found a few of my favourites out of stock at Matthewman’s sweet peas, including a lovely white variety called ‘Timeless’. I’ve chosen a couple of new varieties though including a white one called ‘Wedding Day’ and a pretty two-toned pale pink one called ‘Beth Chatto’.
Sweet Pea ‘Timeless’
Will I be showing these at my local show in July? Will the shows even be happening this year or be cancelled like last? Only time will tell but shown or not, a summer wouldn’t be summer without sweet peas.
New Seed Compost
I grow most of my plants in peat-free compost from Dalefoot Compost but this year, just for my seed sowing, I thought I’d also experiment with this seed compost. The bulk of material is coir (coconut husks) but it has an additional ingredient of something trademarked as Biochar, which is a high carbon form of charcoal and is supposed to provide structure, aeration, water holding capacity and nutrient retention.
The bag says the compost also contains wormcasts, which is interesting. It makes me wonder how a commercial operation gathers sufficient wormcasts?
An optimistic rose
This rose is flowering right now in a cold January and yet aside from a bit of blackspot it’s perfect. It seems untroubled by the cold, the damp, the occasional snow flurry. It’s in a sheltered spot but it seems almost miraculous. In a week of bleak news is surely cause for optimism.
This seasonal diary is part of a weekly link-up of garden bloggers from around the world, called Six on Saturday. For more information and links to other blogs crammed with gardening activity, check the blog of host The Propagator.
Margo and Jerry are great names! The shortening of the brick pillars has made a big difference – everything looks more in proportion somehow. I ordered some bags of Dalefoot a few months ago after a bad year with New Horizon. I’ll be interested to see how you find your new peat free compost.
I’ll keep you updated on the seed compost. I have had good success with the Dalefoot compost and like the fact that it uses bracken and wool that wouldn’t otherwise have a purpose. I note Dalefoot make a seed compost too so maybe I should do a little trial…
Adorable kittens, they must be making January more fun for you! I think you Avacado looks fab in the bathroom. I have them germinating in my compost heap during the summer, maybe this year I’ll grow one on.
How many are in your compost heap? It’s a good idea to nurture some there. I’ve always done the things where you suspend the stone over a glass of water…
Last summer I had at least ten in there, and thought about bringing one in, but didn’t. They don’t survive the winter outside. As I’m still eating plenty of avacadoes, I will no doubt have another chance next summer!
The thought of kittens did a lot for my mood, they are beautiful! Great names too. Your avacado looks great, have you had to prune to shape at all, all the ones I’ve tried have been very ugly. Like Graeme I had a bad year with NH, looking out for an alternative. Enjoy your week.
Hi Gill, I haven’t pruned it as such but when the main stem got to 1.5 in height I chopped the leader off and it branched nicely. They don’t always seem to respond this way. Sometimes you chop off a leader and a new leader emerges from the node and starts growing straight up again!
Isn’t it fortunate we have our gardens to sustain us in these strange times. Your kittens are cute and the names seem very appropriate (I used to love that show).
Your miraculous rose looks very similar to my rose ‘The Prince’.J
Hi Jane, yes those of us with gardens are fortunate indeed. I’m not sure what the name of this rose is as it was in the garden when we bought the house. Maybe it is ‘The Prince’ – I like that name.
A perfect job on the piers behind the alpine bed – I had to look more than twice to spot the work, a case of spot the difference.
Yes it was a bit tricky to tell from the photo but it’s made a huge difference and really opened the area up. Unfortunately my husband dropped some bricks on his big toe so has been hobbling about all week but it got us outdoors and doing something positive. A good job done.
Yes, I do think that is an improvement – good work. Lovely kittens, our cat is draped over the arm of our sofa with only his back legs on his cushion at the moment. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of Fred’s Sweet pea seeds which are looking good just now.
Yes I’m looking forward to seeing how your sweet peas do. I do love sweet peas – the smell, the colours and the never ending bouquets for the house. They’re the best!
It’s a good idea to have moved your avocado tree. Where it is, it can only have a great winter!
These kittens look very cute, I’m sure you can’t wait for summer to see them running everywhere in the garden… ! Very pretty rose too
I think the avocado is much better there for the winter. Maybe It’ll go back to the landing for the summer but probably not as I quite like the jungly feel in bathroom! The kittens are so cute although I’ve just remembered that cats aren’t always useful in the garden. The neighbour’s cats have taken over our garden territory since my old cat so we’re all expecting some turf wars this summer.
It’s true that my old cat fights less with young cats in the garden. But mine remains on his territory while the others go further and unfortunately sometimes pass under a car wheel …
I’m wondering if Margo is the tortoiseshell cat. I was told that they have strong personalities. I did own one once as a child and loved her to bits. The wall looks so much better reduced in height. The railings had a bit of a public park feel to them. I too an intreagued by the worm casts in compost. Perhaps they have such special qualities that it only needs a tiny bit in each bag for the magic to work? 😉
The kittens are just gorgeous! What a difference removing those pillars makes – am v impressed by your building skills. Look forward to seeing this bed develop. Thank goodness for our gardens – just a few minutes outside today made me feel better!
The modified wall is a major improvement. I look forward to the addition of conifers. Your avocado houseplant is remarkably lovely. I am inspired to follow in your footsteps. We are able to grow avocados outdoors here, and there is an enormous specimen just down the street, but they produce sadly undersized and inedible fruit that makes quite a mess. Houseplant makes more sense and has quite a tropical appearance.
I’ve seen news reports of outdoor Avocados in central London gardens, hardy enough but also producing small inedible fruits. Like you say, the tropical appearance is a good look for a houseplant avocado.
Gorgeous kittens! I love sweet peas too.
The kittens are certainly lovely and are keeping us busy. The houseplants have already had to move…