As the days lengthen and the sun makes an appearance, the sap rises in the Croft Garden team. Spring fever? More like running a slight temperature. Like everything else in these islands, Spring happens slowly and cannot be rushed. So last week the gardening tools were locked in the shed and out came the concrete mixer and the paint brushes. Just time to put up one more fence and give the holiday cottage a little more care and attention before Easter. What colour is the new paint work? No need to ask – I’ve really no idea how the paint got into my hair, but then it always does! A combination of terracotta and forest green is far more interesting than a blue rinse.
Apart from the multi-hued Under-gardener everything is now ship-shape and Bristol fashion. Well, apart from the lawn which we’re not talking about and which I refuse to discuss, and the new border in the ornamental garden which is full of buttercups again.
So it was back to weeding duties while the Head Gardener applied himself to the serious business of planting tatties and onions. Not a job for apprentices as the lines have to be equidistant, parallel and the same length whilst the sets or tubers have to be equally spaced and vertical.
It would be foolish, rash, intemperate and dare I say impatient to even think of planting anything yet – I confess to planting some rhubarb crowns last week and spent all Tuesday night worrying about them as we were hit by a very cold north-easterly gale (the one that dumped 8 inches of snow on Aviemore). So it’s more weeding and ground preparation, and enjoying the garden as it slowly wakes up from its winter hibernation. All the more time to enjoy a few early delights!
Nice post on spring, that is a lovely view. The trillium is beautiful.
We like rhubarb, but the weather is mostly too warm for it here.
The view makes it worthwhile. We love rhubarb, so I kept quiet about the fact that we planted over 20 crowns!
Your view is lovely – and the trillium are beautiful!
The view is definitely better than the garden!
Hard to believe there is still snow around! Here along Lake Michigan last night and tonight will be almost freezing but no snow. Yeah. I follow you on this web site but you might like to follow me on my main Blog site which is. http://www.gardensatwaterseast.blogspot.com There you will see many more photos of life here on the shore of the Great Lake. The lake is often seen in the background. jack
Hello, I often have a peek at your garden just to see if your moving along any faster than way are. At present I think we may be about even on the Spring flowering rate.
I like your trillium Christine, I tried some once but they didn’t survive, it is interesting to me how different our gardens are showing the extremes of soil here on the islands, I am despartately trying to get rid of grass as it grows so rampantly it suffocates everything else, your lawn looks the perfect place for a wild flower meadow style of lawn, your head gardener would cringe if he ever saw how I plant my tatties, perfect measures no I just plonk them in roughly straightish rows, Frances
Hi Frances hope your Easter waether is better than mine. My trilliums are an enigma (I’ve another one – just about to flower) as they really shouldn’t grow in my alkaline sandy soil! Your soil should be more suitable, but perhaps the drainage is too poor!. Shame they don’t grow in pots very well.
The grass seems to grow perfectly well everywhere I don’t want it and to be honest I’m not that keen on having a lawn at all. So it will reamin as is until I have filled the existing borders with plants and I can start on the lawn removal project.
Does the head gardener’s precise planting result in regular-shaped spuds ?
Absolutely and all the same size too!
what a wonderful trillium…mine are coming up in our frigid cold and hopefully it will warm here…at our old house I gave up on lawn and made it all into gardens and paths…I love the wall
Not that warm here either, but the Trilliums don’t seem to mind. The lawn will go eventually and probably the sooner the better.
Wow, you’ve been busy. But then again, great gardens are not made by sitting on the front porch saying “Oh, what a beautiful garden.” I am completely mesmerized by that stone fence wall. And thank you for sharing the pics of the Trillium. I love them and must incorporate them this year! BTW- I am adding you to my blogroll so that more can discover your blog.
Hi Mario, never was very good about sitting on my rear and watching the weeds grow. Trilliums are not widely grown in the UK, they have a reputation of being difficult. Don’t know why, if you give them the right conditions they’ll grow. I suspect that next Spring they’ll be sprouting all over the gardening blogs.
Thanks for the link.
A buttercup border sounds much nicer than the bindweed border that I dug out in Autumn! The weeds are so enthusiastic around here but I should think some of their enthusiasm would have worn off fighting your weather!
A buttercup border sounds idyllic, but not only do they spread they have friends like couch grass, docks, plantains and wild carrot. It takes more than a good Hebridean blow to defeat my weeds – although last year a May howler burnt the tops of all the nettles and most of my garden plants, didn’t touch the buttercups though!
Funny – I always get paint in my hair, too! 🙂 Love the trilliums! And your stone wall. We planted potatoes in February. Can’t say they’re equidistant, though!
Wiggly rows, haphazard spacing, set on the skew – I’m sure they all atste the same! Planting in February- amazing.
It looks like the wall gets as many votes as the Trilliums so perhaps it has to have a post.
Happy Easter! I hope the weather is warmer now in your Island. I love trillium but it does not grow well in my garden.
Spring really is upon us. We love Trillium’s and yor photo of T cuneatum is fantastic, surving and thriving in a place I wouldnt have expected!
Thanks for dropping by. Still a little chilly here but we’re into April showers rather than March gales.
Lawns are completely overrated. I’ve never seen one, I hadn’t thought would look better planted up with flowers. That is a really beautiful view.
Well every garden has its gem and mine is its view and the odd plant that defies nature and grows in a completely hostile environment.
Who needs a lawn anyway, with a view like yours? And when you have trilliums (jealous, jealous)…
I have wondered about trilliums. Maybe I should give them a go. I am perpetually trying to lay claim to the title of head gardener here but I would admit that the other aspirant plants a mean line in equidistant potatoes. Not my strong point!
Why not give it a go, I’ve always found T. cuneatum and T. luteum fairly easy – if I can grow them here I’m sure you can. I’ll approve your applicatiopn to be Head Gardner, I just side stepped the local qualification rules and became Estate Manager.
I love the variegated foliage on your Trilliums, they are so fascinating. The deep magenta blooms are lovely too. Mine start out white and fade to magenta but start to look tattered by then.;)
Hello Hannah, thank you for visiting. Trilliums are probably worth growing just for their foliage.