The Garden Project Week 2

2 CC

Well it's been a week of drama - a brief frost, hail storms, slugs and snails, bright bright sun and torrential rain! However the cutting patch at Coombe Cottages is almost completely planted, and now only awaits the bounteousness of dahlias coming from Parker's Bulbs to complete the plan. (They came today! Slight mistake where E managed to order 20 tubers... but we'll find space!)

We also have cosmos waiting to fill in any bare patches, and some self seeded sunflowers to transplant for gaps. It all looks highly expectant!

Casualties at CC - so far pretty minimal all things considered - a lot of slug and snail munching of sunflowers (particularly the 'Teddy Bears'), 2 wind snapped Russian Giants before we gave them a little more support, and in the veg patch the blue lake climbing French are just toooo cold...

Fab plants of the week at 2CC - the absolutely glorious nodding spires of aquilegia and the blue clouds of forget-me-nots filling every corner of the garden, the Mulberry starting to unfurl her leaves and the huge stalks of rhubarb we've been eating for breakfast.

And at The Orchard Garden:

S's allotment is already well established, having been a cutting garden last year and inspiring 2CC's Sun Bed. It has a wonderful lines of permanent flowers. The anenomes, tulips and narcissi are finished but now are making way for the most beautiful irises! You pick them all tight budded and spiky green, and they burst into vibrant purple and yellow. Plenty more to come thanks to Poundland!

Further down the allotment R is busy with the serious business of growing veg. And the even more serious issue of keeping The Badgers At Bay! Last year, we saw the strawberry fortress and this year S sowed the Carrot Castles (in bins). All are growing happily safe from The Badgers.

S's plot has flowers that are biannual and here come her wonderful Sweet Williams looking healthy in their second year.

Interesting Fact:

Aqualigia Vulgaris, is also called columbine and granny's bonnets. The scientific name comes from eagle, because the spurs on the back of the flower look like eagle's talons. Columbine is because the petals represent five doves, nestled together. It is said to be the symbol of Aphrodite and the Nordic God of the heavens.