Last week the weather took a rather dramatic turn for the better. The sun shone and the temperatures felt summery. There’s nothing more fickle than the weather here in the UK. This week it’s just as likely that it will turn wintery.
The hedgerows are now covered in hawthorn or May blossom. The old saying, “Cast not a clout ’til May is out”, was very appropriate. The May blossom is out and clouts – or articles of clothing – were duly cast. It was T-shirt weather but just to be on the safe side sweaters were kept close by.
Things were spurred into action at the allotment. The potatoes are growing quickly. All the potatoes have now pushed through the soil. Hopefully, damp conditions below ground with warmth and sunshine above will provide ideal growing conditions. We have to hope that our weather hasn’t a sting in its tail and throws a late frost into the mix.
The peas that we sowed earlier are pushing through. If you look closely you may notice that the weevils have already homed in on the young shoots. Hopefully, the peas will outpace the weevils’ appetite. Last week we also sowed another bed of peas.
We had a busy week planting and sowing so the allotment beds are filling up. It’s amazing how quickly the allotment metamorphoses from empty to bursting at the seams.
We sowed two beds of carrots under enviromesh tunnels. More and more crops now seem to need growing under protection from the multitude of pests. We really need to cover the whole plot with a huge dome. The carrots will only be uncovered briefly to either weed or thin them out. We’ll just have to hope that no carrot flies are passing by at those times.
The dahlias had been overwintered in our garden greenhouse and then planted into large pots. These were planted out last week.
The grass is growing quickly and keeping the strimmer busy. The allotment always looks at its best when the grass has been freshly cut and the beds neatly edged.
There was an unfortunate casualty last week. I suddenly felt that something was not right underfoot. The sole of my boot had parted company from the upper part and I had to develop a bizarre way of walking until I arrived home.
Away from the allotment, at Temple Newsam the azaleas are putting on a fiery display whilst the masses of rhododendrons are just as stunning in a more calming colour palette.
As usual, Ruby loves her ball game. When the game ends she will sprawl out on the grass to cool off.
Most of the trees are fully clothed with fresh leaves. The wooded walks are now enjoying dappled shade.
One tree that has spectacular flowers at this time of year is the horse chestnut.
The Nostell swans have raised another brood of cygnets. According to the Nostell Facebook page, five cygnets have hatched and two eggs remain. Hopefully, there is still time for those to hatch to complete the family. One of the parent birds was brooding the young but Martyn spotted one cygnet as its head popped out from under the adult bird. Can you spot it?
Whilst its mate was on brooding duty the other was having some chilling out time preening nearby.
Finally, on the menu last week was a chicken, vegetable and orzo dish that made use of one of our onions and from the freezer, some of our French beans, peas and sweet corn.
As I write this we have just had a short sharp shower. I hope that isn’t a sign that the weather is changing back. At least the seeds and emerging seedlings won’t need watering.
That’s all for now so until next time as always stay safe and well.
Those rhododendrons are fantastic colours! And your plots are on their way to looking amazing – shame about your boot though!
The problem is that the grass keeps growing, Belinda so it can soon look untidy
It has turned rainy again here. All gardening will be on hold for a couple of days until the rains exit. It is making things already planted grow though!
We have warmth and sunshine now Dave will it last?
Mick came home from work a couple of weeks ago with the sole hanging off his shoe like that. I don’t know where the sunshine has gone, raining again here today.
I had to develop a strange walk so that I didn’t trip up, Jo
It’s still quite chilly out here in the west.
What a sorry state of affairs on your boots. They look as if they were really comfy too. Do you have a good cobblers near you? There’s one fairly near where I live, a proper one, and he can repair pretty much anything. For a price, of course, but when you’ve got a really comfy pair of boots, sometimes it’s worth getting them repaired.
The weather has changed again here, Debbie. Martyn asked me how long I had the boots and it was probably over 30 years ago. I got them for a residential visit when I was teaching. When I left teaching thet were popped in a cupboard and I only recently decided to wear them for gardening.