I've had a wonderfully busy week, meetings about exciting events, exhibition dinner dressing, class in the studio and a lot of planting out. After the full moon and eclipse, there seems to have been a lot of growth. The rain has helped and been very welcome!
I love this time of year for how the calendar and gardens are at full simmer. And this also means I can use the spaces to show in real time; from seed sowing, border planning and cutting right here in the gardens be if for home gardeners, florists or the farmer as I will be next week. It's the 'Early Summer' day of my ‘Grow Your Own’ Year Long Course Participants together with a few 1:2:1’s and consultations which is pretty much my favourite thing to do!
Three jobs for the weekend -
Plant out your dahlias. Dig a deep generous hole, place the dahlia with it’s shoots facing upwards and gently replace the soil around taking care not to knock off the delicate shoots. Don’t water until the shoot are about 5” high; then pinch out the tips and water well.
Last year planting out the dahlias - we are planting ours next week.
There is still time to sow annuals for later summer colours with those Dahlias. Make a last sowing of cosmos, zinnias and californian poppies for continuous flowers to fill your home. Now you can directly sow this in the soil outside, in the kitchen garden or gaps in the borders. If you are worried you might not de able to tell the difference between the seedlings and weeds, mix your seed with sand and sprinkle in clumps or even better, sow in zig zag lines for naturalistic drifts and weed everything that is off the line!
A couple of cosmos plants will give you armfuls of flowers for weeks.
And tie in climbing sweet peas and stake heavy perennial's now before the get too big. I’ve had wallflowers flop over geums and the cress over the ranunculus where it has grown far quicker and larger than I expected. Metal stakes are beautiful but hazel pea sticks and bean poles are even more natural and disappears. Andy Basham has his ‘shop’ open in Ashdon and is where we get all our poles and pea sticks. Hurry before he sells out!
Jute string netting in the polytunnel for sweet peas.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Anna x
The Polytunnel changes every week now as plants are planted or potted on.
Post dinner glow.
Gathering flowers in the evening sunshine!