Thankfully, I have a garden to open a door onto whenever I have felt like it, a freedom indeed. Especially as I have had Covid 19 virus symtoms for weeks now, fortunately not extreme, but have managed lighter gardening and to sort eclectic, or should that be messy, seed collection and sowing some. So have the thrill of seeing shoots appearing – disappointment when they don’t ! One packet short of sweetpeas, total no show (they were for InBloom planter). Also sowed a tri-coloured blue morning glory, 3 in an old pot did well, then went wrong, possibly when I put them out in warm sun for too long. Won’t do that with the few sown later!
The multi-headed daffodils shine out at me every morning when I look out, such a great lemony yellow catching the sunlight. It has been flowering since before Lock Down. Facing them a perennial pink sweet pea which has been buzzing with bees, there is a fluffy blob in the not very good picture, I think a carder bee as there was soft orange on the head. I have seen more than usual of them in my garden this year, or am I just more aware!? I certainly notice the birds and birdsong more this spring.
I have planted mange tout shiraz – wine red pods, and reddish tinge to the leaves, and they are doing well. I am trying pea shoots from dried peas as by Alys Fowler, I only had dried marrow fat peas, flavour might be interesting! Half have germinated so far.
The Jack by the Hedge or Garlic Mustard, I took picture in Kirk Road although I have it aplenty at home and been looking below the flower head for the single orange tip butterfly egg. I learnt today that it is white to start with then turns red, it eats its egg first and then the flowers, although the mustard still self seeds enthusiastically. I saw an orange tip butterfly yesterday so hopefully there will be more of them!
Two Fritillarias, the ‘striking’ snake’s head fritilaria, which has a snakes skin pattern on the petals, and the unusual Uva Vulpis, brownish purple frilled by golden yellow. The bulbs were bought at the busy, bustling Dundee Flower Show last Autumn, goodness, I got on 2 packed buses to get there and pushed through crowds at times – how things can change!
The interesting layered cake, with cherry blossoms and has cherry blossom jam in the filling, it was lovely as well as unusual, I did not make it, it was a kindly gift, so, I do not have that particular recipe, I would guess it was complex, but I did Google cherry blossom cake – interesting!
I often stare at the Work of Art Root Arrangement rising and falling down a bank in Tayfield Estate. Although it is all looking very well just now, great trees.
Finally I could not resist May blossom in the first days of May!
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