What's new in the garden 2021
The main development this year is the tropical garden formerly The Courtyard. This began in 2020 with the gift of a tiny Tetrapanax papyrifer. Despite going great guns last year, the prolonged minus temps we had right into April killed off the growing tip, so instead of enjoying second year growth, I'm having to start again with the pups from the original plant. I'm using Ricinus zanzibarensis as a place holder for where I plan to put the tetrapanx...and if all of the potted up pups survive I might just be able to have a few of these Jurassic looking plants around the garden.
The ensete ventricosum didn't make it through the winter...in my living room, but luckily the Musa sikkimensis did and continued to grow.
This year I've added a new banana - Musa basjoo. I've waited ages but finally there are shoots on the colocasia esculenta and the caladium and ...drum roll please...from a sowing back in April I finally have Mellianthus major germinating...well one anyway!
2020
2020 is shaping up to be a challenging year and its only March! But despite the garden open day currently on hold until the situation with the pandemic improves and its safe to open, the work goes on.
Just when I thought I'd finished the hard landscaping an old idea resurfaced. When the fish pond was first built, I'd thought it would be nice to have a seat at the back, but I could never really work out where to put it. Since having a shift around of a few plants, a space has been created that just worked so I built a small perching bench and after realising I was walking right on top of the candelabra primulas, it seemed a good idea to move them. I'd started to make a path and and rediscovered the prims in the process. Now I have a clear path to the seat and that means no more compacting plants and it does give me some more planting opportunities alongside the path. I wonder what else I can fit in the tiny garden!
June 2020 - the new seat has become a popular place to sit
The 'yellow and blue' front bed that had a major re-jigging last autumn is an absolute blaze of colour this year! The picture on the right shows the view over the bed in July.
