THIS is our busiest month, as we are still sowing seeds, pricking out/potting up, harvesting, delivering andperhaps most importantly-planting.
The annual beds
By now, hopefully all our annual beds have been thoroughly weeded, hoed and raked down ready for the seedlings. We lay two rows of irrigation tape per bed and roll out the pre-burned weed fabric ('Spring', March 20). Posts are pounded in every 10ft, but we hold off stretching the netting between them until after planting.
The hardened-off annuals are watered one final time in their pots and planted according to the plan. There's so much urgency during this time, as we don't want the plants to become pot-bound and they all seem to be ready to go in at once. Provided there are no frosts forecast, we tend to plant most of our 6,000-plus annuals in the first two weeks of May. There's an audible sound of relief when the last ones have gone in. Some of these seedlings have been looked after for eight months-so it's quite nice to put the watering can down and let Mother Nature take over.
Planting out the dahlias
Denne historien er fra May 15, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 15, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
