Gardening starting in earnest

Look at what Mr Doxie treated me to...aren't they wonderful...I love the idea of making the functional and possibly boring beautiful. I know I will be the only one using them seeing as they are covered in girly flowers, but I don’t care because I love them! We took advantage of the super weather we had last week and the gardening really started in earnest.

During the Winter the garden is a disgrace and only the very brave would venture out there… but come the Summer time it is transformed and we use it most days. If it is warm enough then we have breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner out there. I think of the garden as an extension to the dining room, except we get to redecorate every year! This year the theme is my favourite, the traditional English cottage garden. Okay we don’t live in a cottage but it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the same beauty when we are outside. The seeds above are a small selection of what will be going in this year.

Seeing as it was so dry last week I decided it was a good time to attack the Spiraea which was long over due. The amount of deadwood was amazing…anyway being a true crafter I just could not bring myself to throw away some of the very straight sticks…I have wild ideas of thatching bird boxes ( in my own unique style, eek that’ll be interesting ), or making some nice dangly tree art… we shall see. I have cut some shorter sticks too and tied them in bundles. Hopefully that way they look useful and nobody will think they are rubbish and chuck them in the next green recycling load. Any ideas for what else I could use them for? Answers on a postcard or alternatively leave a comment below. :o)

...and just to whet your appetite if you haven't put any seeds in yet, here are a few french marigold seeds waiting to be covered by a nice layer of compost. They were put in about a fortnight ago and are up already...as are my sunflower seeds and some of the cornflowers. I'll post pics soon.

I am rather slow with my veggie seeds , so they will be next on the list.

It sounds as if next weekend is going to be cold and wet which is a pain just as we are getting used to working outdoors again. Anyway I live in hope...

I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying the first few signs of Spring.

Doxie