Spring seems to be a bit later this year, judging by the tardy arrival of my bulbs in the front mailbox bed which are still putting on growth without budding at all. On the other hand, all three Hellebores are up and at 'em, with the two I planted last year blooming for the very first time, just gorgeously. I'll have to post photos next time. One year on the greenhouse is doing nicely, and I finally broke down and added more grit to the path which still regularly floods when it rains. That drainage bed to the right of it desperately needs to connect to the channel on the other side of the structure that runs parallel to the house, but that will require building a mini bridge over it to the doorway itself. I'll add it to the project list. The drainage bed also needs some Irises and other water-friendly plants, so stay tuned. The greenhouse is pretty full in this photo, and the hilarious thing is that it took two people to move the double rose in its pot out of it this weekend on account of the fact that over the winter it grew its roots through the drainage holes and into the greenhouse bed straight down to the natural soil beneath the weed barrier! We had to cut it free to get it out.
There are lots of plants, both bought and sown, which are making their appearance, and this year there's a substantial uptick in veg and fruit, with a fig in a pot and another on the way, plus plans for some apples. I've drawn up a plot for a potager garden, but that really is too much I think for this year despite Matt's willingness to buy me ALL the fruit trees (an offer I declined). He did build me a leaf bay and a raised bed to my specifications, which I accidentally made too deep so it may get cut down. Waiting to go in it are lettuce, mesclun greens (pictured), tomatoes, basil, sweet onions, leeks, squash seeds, cucumber seeds, rainbow carrots, and probably some others I'm forgetting about. This will be enough of a challenge this year I think. Oh Sunflowers, there are Sunflower seeds as well. Plus more lavender, because, really, can one ever have enough?
Nor am I forgetting about the flowers. Matt physically pulled me away from buying more roses, but when he wasn't around I bought three bushes in creamy yellow for the front walkway bed to intersperse with the existing grasses, and I planted some purple violas in front of them. There are maroon violas in the mailbox bed now where the climbing white Sweet Peas already unceremoniously failed, but I'm trying them again in the herb bed. Pink Saxifrage is in the upper bed with daffodils and yellow primroses, and White Saxifrage is in the enclosure beds on both sides keeping company with (of course) more lavender. I also planted white lilies in pots and beds, and the lilies I planted last year appear to be just waking up in the upper bed, which is damned encouraging after I figured they failed.
Spring is such a hopeful time, and as the weather warms and the days countdown to the end of the semester I can feel my mood improving every day with the news of more and more people being vaccinated. Perhaps this summer we may all gather again to eat, drink, and be merry in good company.
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