Garden Date 23 February 2024
Mild, dark and wet – that’s the weather this month, not John’s beer! It’s been so difficult to get seedlings going due to light levels. The greenhouse is flooded again, but at least its electricity account is in credit!
Progress is being made slowly. 9 Feb was a grand sowing day. I’ve never been great at keeping a garden diary – best intentions fizzle out quickly so this is for my benefit.
Padron and chilli peppers sown in propagator
| Germinated, out of propagator and growing nicely. | |
Onion ‘Ailsa Craig’ | Propagator sown - | pricked out into modules |
Non prop sown -
| Beginning to germinate | |
Tomato ‘Ailsa Craig’ – propagator sown | Germinated, but reached for the sky during a weekend in Liverpool! Replacements sown yesterday. | |
Sweet Pea – 4 x 4 varieties sown at 4 seeds per 3” pot – on window sill
| Evidence of first seed having germinated this morning | |
Broad Bean ‘Aquadulce’ sown outside | Already germinating | |
Broad Bean ‘De Monica’ sown in greenhouse | No action |
Yesterday I sowed first batches of Scabious, Ammi visnaga and my saved Ammi majus. Gradually pricking out Pelargoniums.
It’s sad that the snowdrops are over, but hellebores are looking lovely. My daffs are so far ahead of last year they’ll be over by Easter!
Our long weekend in Liverpool included two visits to Ness Botanic Gardens – 64 wonderful acres. I thoroughly recommend a visit if you find yourself in that neck of the woods. Fabulous snowdrop trail and woodland walks. Here are some photos. Very economic and enjoyable entertainment for 3 children, although I failed to convince a 10 year old of the necessity for botanical names or alternatives to pizza!
Rhododendron 'Choremia'