The Seeds are Starting to Grow

Spring is definitely on the way now. The weather has not been spectacular but it has slowly started to warm and night time temperatures are around five or six degrees Celsius. I decided that now was the time to take the ceramic pots out of their bubble wrap, for all the plants, the hardy ones such as the pear tree and the more tender such as the Olive tree. Although temperatures could fall back down to zero, it is unlikely that they will plummet below that, so the pots are probably safe from cracking and the plants themselves are unlikely to suffer too. I put the Jasmine back in its spot next to the decking and removed the protective fleece. It had dried out again. For some reason, I keep forgetting to water the Jasmine but I gave it plenty today, with some feed. For the next few weeks at least, rain should meet its water needs.

A video showing what I am growing in the cold frame

In the cold frame, seeds are continuing to germinate with signs of life from Cosmos, Sunflower, Chard and Cornflower all growing. I have planted more seeds. Today it was the turn of Mina Lobata, a exotic climber which I tried to grow last year without much success. I soaked the seeds for twenty four hours in warm water and planted them out in the cold frame today. They grew quickly in the early stages last year, but I started them inside and that was their downfall. When I moved them outside they did not respond at all well to the temperature change and although they did not die, they did not grow very quickly and only one flowered. It is possible that the soil did not suit their needs also, so I will keep them in pots this year and place them close to the fence for them to climb. 

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

A picture I took last year of Cosmos in the garden

I also planted two varieties of Pine Tree seeds. They are botanical specimens and I do not know the variety as I collected them from the local park last year. I kept them wrapped in foil in the fridge for a year and have put them put in the cold frame now. Hopefully the contrast in temperature and light will get them to germinate but it is a complete experiment and I will be both extremely surprised and pleased if they grow. My plan would be to use them as Bonsai if they do grow as they are both massive trees in the local park and definitely would be too large for our garden if planted out in the soil.        

Pruning Grasses and Planting Seeds

We still not have seen much of the anticipated spring weather yet here in the garden, but I have had one good day of gardening this week. I started off by having a good look around, which I do most days. I found that the Blackbirds must be starting to nest as they have been taking compost from the pots and doing a good job of pulling up some Begonia tubers and Nerine bulbs. Last year they did the same to my seedlings, but I have them well protected in the cold frame this year. No real damage has been done as the Begonias and Nerines are not actively growing yet, so I have just pushed them back down into position and replaced the more fibrous compost with finer loam-like soil to try and deter the birds.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

Despite the cold weather, some of the tulips are forming their flowers

I checked on the Dahlias I had left outside enclosed in a good layer of bubble wrap, they were actually quite damp inside so I decided to remove the bubble wrap and place the container into the bottom of the cold frame to allow them to dry out a little. Inside the cold frame, the Cornflower seeds have sprouted but that is all. The cold weather has not not been ideal for the approach of starting most of the seeds in the cold frame this year, but I will not start to worry or change my plans until April.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

There are some other signs of spring appearing in the garden too 

I have pruned back the deciduous grasses. We have two in containers and now is the time of year to make space for new growth. I repotted the larger one into a new container, next year I think I will try separating it into two plants. We have one small evergreen grass in the borders and this does not require cutting back, but I did tidy out any growth that had died back to make it look more presentable.  

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

I have cut back the deciduous grasses, leaving any new growth

I have planted more seeds and put those into the cold frame too. I did six more Cornflowers, some Nasturtium, Trailing Daisies and some other cut flowers the name of which I only know in German, from where they were kindly donated. Hopefully soon, some more will begin to sprout through.

 Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

The cold frame is starting to fill up with seeds

I also planted the first fully outdoor seeds of the year too, I decided to grow Chives at the base of the apple tree that we have in a large container. Last year I put Nasturtium in the same position and they were attacked heavily by Black Fly. I am hoping that Black Fly do not have the same love of Chives and also it should provide us with some herbal crops for the salads and other bits of cooking throughout the year.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

The home for the chives this year 

Back From a Trip

We have been away for a few days, visiting Iceland. It was a great trip, but there was not a deal to see in terms of gardens and gardening, which is perhaps to be expected at this time of year so far north. I would be interested to find out more about gardening in such places, whether it is a popular pastime, which plants do well in the volcanic geology and also the limitations such conditions can bring.

Leaving the garden can often be a stressful affair, especially later in the growing season or in summer when regular watering is essential. At this time of year all I did before I left was to water the seeds in the cold frame, which made for a worry free trip.

We were away for less than a week so I didn't expect too much to have happened in the garden while we were gone but I was still quite excited to get back and see what had changed.

The Camellia Japonica continues to begin flowering, it has been quite slow to do so, but the weather has stayed reasonably cool recently. It was nice to see the first open flower on our return and the leaves are looking good and healthy.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

The first opening flower of the Camellia  

The Tulips have grown and one or two have started to form a flower bud but they are still in the early stages. There are plenty of Tulips in the borders and they should be putting on a wonderful spring display soon. The Roses continue to grow well and the climbers are covering the arched bench and should cover the entire structure this year.

The Dogwoods have begun to form leaves since we left so perhaps now things will speed up as we get longer day length and more warmth. 

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

The leaves forming on one of the Dogwoods

I got up this morning to check in the cold frame and found that five of the six Cornflower seeds I planted recently have sprouted and are beginning to grow. They are the first of all the seeds in the cold frame to grow and was great to see as I wasn't expecting anything to have come through quite yet. I will soon be looking through my seed collection and deciding what to plant next.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

Planting Seeds for the Cold Frame

I have prepared my Cold frame for this years seed propagation by taking out plants which I was protecting over the worst of the winter and moving the frame into the spot of the garden where it receives the most sun. Last year I planted my seeds earlier indoors in February. It was not altogether successful, the short day length and lack of good window space in our small house meant that the seeds became 'leggy' did not grow well. I planted a second batch which I started indoors but immediately moved into the cold frame as soon as they germinated and these did better.

A Video of me planting the first outdoor seeds of the year

My plan this year is to take a different approach. I planted my seeds last year in seed trays, sprinkling the seeds in lines and then dutifully pricking them out and potting them on through the early growing season. It was a lot of work and not all the plants responded so well to being moved from pot to pot. I ended up with lots of Cosmos and Rudbeckia, which did not mind going through this process. By the time it came to flowering the garden was full of these two plants and it looked great, but this year I want more variety. This means planting less seeds per plant variety and more different types of plant.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

The first batch of seeds in the cold frame

Instead of planting lots of seeds in rows, in trays, this year I have started my seeds by using a small pot for each seed and putting them into the cold frame. Although they may not germinate quickly as it is still not so warm outside, they will not catch frost in the cold frame and when they do germinate it will be more naturally and should result in a stronger plant. Hopefully over the longer term they will be more productive, whether it be in flowering or crop yield. The idea of planting one seed into each pot is that I will not have to pot on some of the plants at all and others less frequently. This means the plant roots are less disturbed and should grow more strongly when put out into the garden.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

The Crocuses are looking beautiful, especially when the sun shines 

I have chosen seven plant varieties which are suited to early sowing; Cosmos Picote, Morning Glory, Sunflower, Chard Bright Lights, Castor, Californian Poppy and Cornflower. I have planted five of each seed, except for the Castor as I only had four remaining from last year. As they germinate and the growing season continues, I can resow any that need their numbers increasing and choose other varieties to plant too. If I can get two or three strong plants from many different plant species then the garden will be a strong and varied mixture of foliage and flowers and hopefully provide interest and look great too.

Copyright Robert Widdowson 2016

 I have tulips in the borders and a few in containers too

This time of year is one of the most exciting times for me in a British garden. It is full of activity, choices and sometimes dramas. You never know quite what the weather will bring and it is great fun choosing what you want to grow and rewarding to see the seeds coming through. For the gardener I think this can be more enjoyable than in late summer when you are reaping the rewards of all your earlier work, when all that remains is some weeding, relentless watering and looking at your triumphs and failures. This experience is wonderful, but for me, by that time the creative spark has ceased and my thoughts are already starting to turn to designing next years garden in my mind.