Spring has sprung!

Officially, yesterday was Spring Equinox, and we actually had a lovely day today!

That meant that we could spend a very productive afternoon in the garden. I cleared the bramble, and this is what that area looks like now:


I was able to pull off a bramble tip that was trying to root into the soil, but the PVC mulch was in the way. No wonder those monsters are so difficult to get rid of! Just look at those alien tentacles digging into the ground:


At the same time, my wonderful SO ("significant other", for those who don't know what that means; I detest the expression "other half", which implies that we are all half-persons) was busy building a trellis that will hide the utility area. Some of the wood batons he had already stained green, and I finished the rest after he fastened everything together. Here is a mid-process picture:


Finally, I found a use for an old cat litter box. After cleaning it with anti-bacterial soap and drilling a few holes for drainage, I filled it with a layer of gravel and B&Q multipurpose compost. I placed it on a stand made from stacked old bricks, and sowed some radish (French Breakfast, on the left) and kohlrabi (Purple Danube, yes, you guessed it, on the right). The former could be ready within 4-6 weeks, and the latter 8-12. I eat radishes almost every day, for breakfast, and kohlrabi is so hard to find in greengrocers' around here, so it would be nice to have some home-grown produce. I have 2 more litter boxes that are not in use any more, so I would be able to practice succession sowing and have fresh crunchy veggies for a whole season.

Ta-da list (thanks to FlyLady)

Here are the things I have already accomplished in the garden:

1. Removed 2/3 of the hated bramble. This is what is left of it:


2. Bought 2 rosemary shrubs and planted them in terracotta pots

3. Bought a copper-flowered witch hazel, Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'

4. Ordered three roses from the David Austin website: Gertrude Jekyll (pink), Zephirine Drouhin (pink, thornless), and Ferdinand Pichard (pink striped). All scented. And all pink. I'm not a great fan of pink, actually, but I want the garden to be restful, so only calm colours. Pink, purple, white. Some blue. Hmm, I may need a white rose too, but a scented one, not Iceberg which is otherwise beautiful. More research is needed...

Here are a few pictures of GJ roses from my previous garden:

To do list

1. Finish removing the bramble

2. Measure future paved area and calculate how many paving stones are needed

3. Dig the horseshoe border and add soil improvers

4. Measure for trellis around the bin area and on the garage wall

5. Buy paving stones and coarse sand

6. Remove turf, lay down sand and paving

I can do all of the above, though I will expect help with #6. I just wish it weren't raining! But this is Sparta, I mean London...

Lengthening Days Growth Spell

Within me I plant a tiny seed
Of what I want, I love and believe.
With light comes growth swelling long,
I grow this garden bold and strong!

With the Sun this shall succeed.

(Adapted from Llewellyn's 2010 almanac)

Jerusalem artichokes

... have been planted today. I used fabric potato planters and 70l of B&Q multipurpose compost. Two reasons:

1. Jerusalem artichokes are notorious for spreading. Many an allotment has been over-run by the 2m tall triffids, according to gardening blogs the world over.

2. The border where I plan to grow some edibles is not yet ready. To whit, the fence needs to be mended, the gravel and plastic liner need to be removed, and the soil needs to be improved before anything is planted on that side of the garden.

For those who know nothing about Jerusalem artichokes, they produce tubers that taste a bit like globe artichoke hearts, hence the latter part of the name. They grow tall, and the blooms look like sunflowers, it is reported - I've never seen a plant before. I have, however, eaten the tubers and quite like the taste. They are nice crunched raw, boiled and/or roasted. Apparently, any potato recipe is suitable, which is good as I don't eat potatoes any more. Oh, and the nickname "fartichokes" is not undeserved, but neither of us are having terrible problems so I would say it's worth it.

Urban paradise to be

Last year, my SO and I fell in love with a small, end of terrace house in West London. It came with a handkerchief-sized back garden, about 50 m square and with an asbestos-walled garage at the far end. At present there are two roses, a rhododendron, 3 unidentified deciduous shrubs (two of them choking the rose bushes) and a monstrous bramble on one side. Oh, and broken concrete path, patio and utility area.

My task is to transform this space into a beautiful, romantic garden that we can use to relax in, entertain family and friends, grow some food or simply enjoy our senses. It won't happen overnight, of course, and I will record the journey here.


And here is the quintessential "before" pic: