As usual, ongoing conditions in our gardens are filled with unpredictability. The BBC weather now predicts only a chance of drizzle on Tuesday and a 30% chance for light rain on Thursday. On the other hand, my phone is more hopeful, a 60% chance of rain on Tuesday, 65% on Thursday, and 55% on Friday. I am choosing to be optimistic. The Met Office predicts that, moving forward, weather patterns close to the climatological norm are most likely.
Front Lawn, No More
What can we do to help the garden? Primarily, make sure that when the rain does come it can be absorbed into the ground. Silver birches and other shallow rooting trees have been shedding their leaves, my mower has picked up an inordinate amount, along with thatch from what used to be my lawn.
Borders have been cleared of any dead plant material; the surface is still to be lightly forked; 5 cm is plenty, just to prevent water runoff.
Many thanks to everyone who has ordered so far; this makes our job of picking up on this season’s trends so much easier. If you have not ordered yet this relatively quiet lull is a good time to do so. Ultimately, it is the bulbs you plant that will determine the results, no matter how skilled a gardener you are. The bulbs are the whole of it, choose well, and they will do the rest.
Enjoy your garden,
Paul Blom