April Blog
Summer time has arrived and the clocks have sprung forward, the carp are surfacing and the birds are flirting and singing their territorial songs, and the males are fighting. The garden is coming into blossom, always a joy, the cherries in the front garden start to flower in November and continue through the winter and just as you think they will finish they have another flush just to confirm how beautiful they are. The plums are the first fruit trees to flower and they are just beginning to come out with the warm weather we have had this week, fingers crossed the expected frost over Easter won’t ruin them.
It is the ransoms season, short lived but glorious. Ransoms or wild garlic, is prolific in the woods round here. After it flowers the leaves become slightly bitter. We forage it and make pesto and also preserve it in olive oil for the winter. It stays the most wonderful dark green unlike basil pesto. It can also be used raw in salads or wilted along with spinach or swiss chard. At its height the woods round here smell of garlic, unmistakable. It used to be gathered along with young dandelion leaves for early greens and vitamins.
This winter has felt very long and miserable with lots of grey skies, the recent sun has been a tonic, breakfast on the terrace is a welcome change, the evenings are not quite warm enough for supper outside but it won’t be long. Northern countries do not have enough winter sun for us to make vitamin D, which is an essential vitamin for the immune system, the return of warm sunny days is welcome so we can soak up its warmth and make vitamin D again.
The tree peonies are covered in bud while the peonies are appearing. When young their leaves are a deep red and turn green as they mature. Their season, while it lasts, is glorious with their huge flamboyant blooms, many of which are also perfumed. It used to be said that they were temperamental but in reality, they are very easy and long lived.
The rose pruning is finished and they are growing apace. I always leave the major prune until the spring in case we have a hard winter also when they have started sprouting it is easy to see where on the stems to cut back to. Lilies grow well here and I have planted a lot more in the birthday bed. Lily beetle watch is something one has to do on a daily basis once they are in flower, the beetles can strip a plant very quickly if one isn’t careful and the flowers are so lovely. I have also added more tree lilies, the very tall varieties, they provide added interest at the higher level.
I now have the program for Dorset Opera, for those of you who enjoy opera they are doing Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte and Acis & Galatea. It is always well supported and very popular. A good excuse for a trip to dorset.