I love Spring. Okay, I love Autumn too but Spring comes first and fills me with hope for the coming year! New leaves are always a brilliant almost translucent green. This happens so suddenly. I want to stand and watch as the buds burst open and the new growth slowly uncurls, one tiny section of leaf at a time. It’s as if I go to bed on a Monday and on a Tuesday morning a naked tree is miraculously clothed in a splendid green gossamer gown!
This floral part of nature I love and can relate to. It’s the fauna part that I sometimes find very disturbing.
Today, wandering around my garden, seeing the Lilly of the Valley’s tiny perfectly formed cream ‘tulip’ shaped flowers peering through their tall leafy protectors, inspired me to start preparing my tubs and hanging baskets. I love huge double begonias and always choose orange, red and yellow. These colours show up really well and flourish in our challenging conditions. Our house is in a dell and, because of all the trees, we get restricted sunlight. There is also a wet strip running along a broad section, covering about a third of our back garden, shared by neighbours on both sides, which seldom drains completely.
So, our garden has taken many years to understand. Most plants like well-drained soil. We can’t accommodate so have learned to work with our ‘palette’ and create a different type of garden. I have made separate rooms and have filled each with the types of shrubs and trees which grow in their specific conditions. I have a ‘shady’ room, a ‘bog plant’ room, a sun room and a few rose rooms. Within each room I have a couple of tubs where I plant the double begonias. These create colour throughout the summer and it doesn’t matter what condition the soil, the tubs are fertile and kept moist. A lot of work but well worth it!
Therefore, spring is when I go around each room, check which plants haven’t survived the winter and plan for a new year. Snowdrops and daffodils have already been and gone. A few bluebells in our ‘wild patch’ at the bottom of the garden are bringing colour just before the rhododendrons burst into a mass of beautiful mauves, pinks, reds and yellows!
Exciting times! This year I don’t have to wait for weekends to get stuck into one of the rare jobs I really enjoy! I have the choice of time and even a live-in labourer to boot! So, roll on Spring! Even my Fitbit can relax and stop reminding me to ‘take a walk’! đź‘
Jenny Burrell 