Pushing up the daisies

The sun is shining brightly and the evenings are longer and longer. While Smallest One was at music last night I popped down the lottie and in 45vminutes got a surprising amount of work done! Firstly I hoed and weeded the garlic bed, and scattered a few grains of fertiliser pellets, watering them in. The crop is looking marvellous, there are over 30 plants growing and all the shallots too have sprouted. There are less onions in this year than usual but I have plenty of other things to plant in their place!
Next, I watered the seedlings and young spring plants as it is so warm.
Then I attacked the flower bed where there is a rose bush, the lavender, some spring bulbs (narcissus) and the young artichokes. I took away the tiles that keep the side of the plot from eroding away (!), rebutted all the soil to a nice neat edge, pulled out all the bind weed I could see, and weeded thoroughly,pulling out lots of scrappy looking weeds and a few bits of plantain. There was also a fair bit of honeywort which self seeds each year. This year it is specially close to the edge and on the path so I shifted those plants around, back up properly into the bed and watered them in. There are plenty of bare patches so I will be sowing some blue nigella there later in the week, and I also have seeds of zinneas and marigolds that can go in.
I just had time to water the artichokes, tidy up the weed pile and put the tools away and it was time to go home. But time well spent!!!!

Labels: flowers, garlic, spring