Sometimes there are years you will always remember and 2020 will without doubt be one of them. The year the virus struck. At the time of writing it is estimated that 50,000 people have died in the UK from or in some way connected to the Corona virus which causes an illness spookily called Covid-19 like a disease made up by the writer of science fiction.
We’ve been locked down now for eight weeks; and I’ve been out just three times, twice to the postbox and once for a walk. The dog is old now and finds walks too tiring so I’ve used my energy to work in the garden.
It’s about a third of an acre in all and isn’t pristine normally, nor so this year. However I feel more on top of it than in the past and knowing that we aren’t likely to be going away much as the year progresses I’m growing more home produce than ever. Anyway have a look, and enjoy:
UPDATE: June 29th 2020
Time flies when you are having fun or in the world of gardening and July is almost upon us. Many of the spring flowers have “gone over” as my gran would have said but there are signs of the first summer blooms. The sweet peas have a couple of flowers showing and the Verbascum is now taller than me and showing signs of its yellow flowers. Some pansies are hanging on in the container in the woodpile corner having been joined by some geranium plugs which arrived in the post, a gift from my daughter.
Perhaps the best news is that my much loved (and at times admired) Callistemon or Bottle Brush Plant looks as though it is going to be covered in flowers this year. I bought the plant from the salvage corner of a garden centre a few years ago and for a few winters kept it indoors. Then a a friend in Australia pointed out that down-under they grow in profusion in the wild, and stand temperatures well below zero. It has now survived two English winters out of doors and without protection other than its sheltered location. I keep thinking I should plant it in the soil but it seems to be doing ok in a large pot, and who knows, if we ever move, I might want to take it with me.
One potted plant I will take is the Christmas Tree. It was bought from a supermarket two years ago for £2 and was just six inches high. It was covered in glitter and I suspect most people forgot to water them and they ended up in the bin. I transplanted ours into a decent sized pot and it sits in the nursery area where it’s now at least 15 inches high.
