This afternoon, I made myself mow the rest of the acreage on the Damson Cottage estate. I would much rather have settled with a book under a tree for a spot of lovely reading, but the grass shall not be allowed to become unmanageable this year, especially as March has been kind enough to grant us some lovely dry and sunny weather to gain a head start on all things horticultural.
As I passed the rhubarb bed (rhubarb currently about six inches tall) I noticed these two having a high old time on the side of one of the dumpy bags I used to store leaf mulch:
There was a lot of enthusiastic bumpy lurve action occurring. And that’s fine because the ladybird is the gardener’s friend for keeping aphids at bay, so the more the merrier, that’s what I say. Anyway, I set about mowing and clearing up Winter debris, and every time I passed the dumpy bag, they were still at it. I spent some time in the top corner of the garden, moving the pile of logs that constituted our ‘wildlife’ patch, because the idea of having a wildlife corner when your garden is surrounded by fields on all sides has finally struck me as being a tad insane. I found the crumbling and rusty remains of the old incinerator so took it to my pile of ‘To Take To The Tip’ stuff.
As I passed by, the ladybirds were still going strong…
And then I tackled the first flush of sticky weed and nettle growth at the bottom of the top hedge. Both spread like, well, weeds, if you let them. I was nipping buds like it was going out of fashion. Checked out the ladybirds as I paused for twenty minutes to enjoy a cup of tea. Yup, still at it. Although I am pretty certain I saw one of them rolling her eyes and checking her watch.
I went into the greenhouse to water the sweet Williams I sowed last Autumn. They are looking magnificent! I also checked the seeds I sowed last week. And look!
A baby geranium already up and running! Nothing else happening so far. I wonder what it is that makes some seeds germinate quicker than others? This one is very keen to get going with its geranium life.
Finished mowing the orchard and went to wind up the extension cable. Checked on the ladybirds. No sign of stopping. Although one - she of the rolling eyes and watch - had now taken out a tiny pair of knitting needles and was starting on a baby bootee.
The garden looks rather presentable now. Yesterday I was out weeding. It is very satisfying to be able to hoik out weeds when they are tiny. Last March didn’t allow for a gardening head start because it was wet and windy and cold. I feel this year I’m in for a bit of a treat.
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