A Drop of Rain Does The Garden Good

The plants are a good two weeks earlier than usual and are looking absolutely beautiful but you could just tell, they were wanting a good drink and not from the hose.

Saturday bought the rain and the odd rumble of thunder and we were supposed to be having a BBQ but I didn't mind the inconvenience of cooking the burgers under the grill and eating indoors, looking out over the garden because I knew that the plants were really appreciating the downpour.

We had more rain on Sunday and after it had passed over, I went out into the garden to capture the plants, still bejewelled with the rain drops.

The air smelt fresh and the plants looked lush and verdant and it made a change to just look and appreciate their beauty, rather than be rushing around getting all the gardening jobs done.

After visiting Monet's garden in France many years ago, I completely fell in love with irises. I love their statuesque fleeting beauty, so I am really excited to see that ones I planted a few year ago, which each year since planting have just been swords of foliage, now have flower heads appearing. I have no idea what colour they are going to be but that adds to my anticipation.

The bearded iris I planted last year, has flowered and again and looks absolutely gorgeous, as does the white primula I bought last autumn, which I thought I had lost in the winter and the soft pink rosebuds, waiting to open.

My vegetable seedings are growing well in the greenhouse. I have put up the shading in there, as the greenhouse has been really hotting up, in recent weeks. I am resisting the temptation to plant anything out in the vegetable bed just yet. Although the days are warm, the nights are still chilly, so I will wait a couple of weeks to do this.

I am hardening off the peas I planted in the guttering a few weeks ago and I have planted up the other piece of guttering with more peas. As soon as I plant them out, I will pop some more seeds in the ground and a couple more times over the summer.

I have planted out my potato Pink Fur Apple in the sacks and I am expecting my sweet potato slips in the post any day now.

It really is a busy time in the garden but if you get chance, especially before work or in the evening after tea, take time to walk around the garden and look at the plants, although if you are anything like me, walking around the garden in the morning, makes it harder to leave for work, knowing a day spent indoors awaits.

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