Marching on to pastures new

After the late winter snows, the garden is coming alive again, and so too is the gardener. It’s been a few months since I last wrote up my garden jottings – partly in tune with the suspended animation of most plants late in the year but also because my plans to move house to a more permanent setting have hung in the balance for all these ‘lockdown months’. They were finally finalized 3 weeks ago.

Yes the ‘Garden in a Pot’ is shifting location again but this time many of the plants will be able to put their roots into the soil. I still intend to keep some contained as I have another kind of potted garden in mind – more of that at another time. Not for a while yet though as there’s building work in progress which means that July is pencilled in for the move.

Meanwhile, I’m arranging to transfer some of my bigger shrubs and trees (including the large leaf hydrangea above which is already leafing vigorously) over to the new garden very soon as its much more difficult when they are in summer leaf.

Winter was not all inaction though as the three varieties of Sarcococcas all flowered in their small bloomed highly fragrant way. The purple-stemed S. hookeriana has elegance as well and deserves to kept aside as a feature plant.

I’ve added a ‘Has Beens’ section to the plant register to include the ones I no longer want as well as the deceased. Recent casualties include a Delosperma and a ferny Corydalis.

My few narcissi bulbs have not done well and are mostly coming up blind despite feeding post flowering and natural die back. Muscari on the other hand thrive on potted neglect – and yesterday’s sun drew a drone fly out of hibernation to enjoy their blooms.

These non-gardening weeks have given me time to add more of the plants to the Register. There is an evident gap in late autumn plants, and I’ve already begun to buy more winter evergreens to extend that season’s interest in the garden.