Hello sun, goodbye weeds

The weather has been great for the last couple of days (17°C on Sunday) so I had a determined onslaught on the flower borders. The weeds are already rampaging in every direction and I wanted to remove them and then top up the borders with garden compost. Apart from tidying up it’s vital that I find some plants to remove - how else can I visit plant nurseries with a clear heart? There’s nothing worse than going to a wonderful nursery knowing that you’ve got no space to put anything. At the end of the session I’m fairly successful. Total spaces created to date are 9 - which includes one for a small shrub whoopeee! Getting down on your knees brings you very close to plants and allows you to look at them in detail, not always possible when you walk by.

Here’s evergreen Libertia peregrinans which is a rich orange and green and positively glows if the sun shines on it. Later on it has small white flowers but it’s the foliage which is the star. Note the empty space behind the stonework, ready for two new plants that like light shade. Of course the whole garden looks relatively empty at this very deceptive time of year - emerging plants look neat, tidy and about 6 inches across. The Digger is convinced there’s ample room for dozens of new plants. When visiting a nursery he has to be dragged away from 5″ pots holding potentially huge perennials. I’m sure they are lovely but not in my garden. I’ve never forgotten the Macleaya microcarpa, a striking architectural plant which I recommend if you have space for a 7 foot tall giant. It was a candidate for the Olympic 100 metres as it exploded in all directions at frightening speed. A nightmare for me.

Anyway let’s get back to attractive foliage. My Euphorbia wallichii is just emerging and looks very colourful with a bright yellow stripe down each leaf. Euphorbias are such good value at this time of year. So many shades of green, red, purple and yellow in one species. For me the only problem is that they are relatively short lived. Note the stony soil …..this is after I’d removed loads already. I think I’m living on top of a gravel quarry.

Finally there is the satisfaction of sitting down and viewing the result of all that effort. It’s one of the pleasures of gardening. Mind you as I sat down I was also dabbing my hand with a tissue because I’d just taken the fleece and bubble fabric off my large variegated agave and no matter how careful I am those spines get me every time. In consolation I look at the garden, making notes and getting satisfaction from those empty spaces. I do think it’s important to have seats in the garden and that they are used for sitting and not just for decoration - sitting still for a while gives a gardener time to appreciate the joys that gardening can bring.

And to finish off - a picture of my favourite narcissus. It’s an old variety both beautiful and very fragrant. I grow it in pots so that I position one near each of the garden seats. It’s Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus also known as “Old Pheasant’s Eye” Why it’s called that I don’t know. Have pheasants got eyes that colour?