Sunday 1 June 2014

Greed

 
I have to admit it, I am an un-ashamedly greedy gardener. Each time I think I can limit myself to a few plants some others manage to creep into the list. My mind fills with day dreams of wandering past tightly packed beds, full of beautiful blooms and floaty flora to pick armfuls of posies and bouquets, usually in the mid-summer twilight, to the gentle melody of bird song.... you get the idea!


I think that is probably what attracts me so much to Chelsea, finished gardens completed within weeks! Just the kind of instant fix that makes my mouth water. I wander round the bare patches of my garden, sown with flower seeds and literally will the little seedlings to grow bigger, grow stronger, grow faster! I find myself wishing the Spring and Summer away, thinking "In June that will be in flower" or "maybe everything will look fuller in August" and "I need to prepare more in Autumn for next year!"


Last year was the first year that I felt the garden was starting to become more established and had began to fill out the few empty patches. Now, with the garden room work and the mini-landscaping completed, I have gained more space but also feel like I have gone back a few stages. The blocks of empty earth once home to little lavender bushes or lovely shrubs lost to the building work seem to gaze mournfully at me.


I start compiling my wish list, perversely it seems easier to begin by trying to identify things I wouldn't have on my list "ok, so no dahlias - oh wait what about that Cafe au Lait one?" so then dahlias are on the list. I do a Google image search to see what the plant looks like and see an image of Roman Chamomile as well, that goes down on the list as too as does Echinacea, Sea Holly, Salvias... The list was already as long as my arm before I began, now it seems to stretch to eternity!



For this very reason I had to limit my exposure to the Chelsea Flower show coverage and Gardener's World. Last week, as I watched Monty Don pot up some wrinkled sweetcorn kernels, I started thinking, "hmm, no I don't think I'll grow sweetcorn" but then he mentioned something about eating a fresh cob slick with melted butter and I found myself ordering a batch of "Little Nugget" sweetcorn seeds, I haven't even received them yet let alone planted them and I'm already looking forward to the harvest! As a green fingered Gordon Gekko might say, it would appear that greed is definitely good.

7 comments:

  1. I have every sympathy with you as I am just the same. Each early spring I order so many seeds secretly knowing that there is no way that I would ever be able to grow them all, let alone have the space! However, it's nice to give them away to friends, neighbours and family. Have a happy week in the garden x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think we all suffer from the same syndrome - that and thinking that the garden is far bigger than it is and that plants won't grow as big as they do!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your garden is lovely,I'm always scribbling down the plant names after watching Chelsea! I never buy any of them as my garden is full! My favourite garden was the potters,quite magical I thought.Rgards Pam

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Charlotte, I am the same way but as Monty says in one of his books ......Part of the joy of gardening is in the anticipation!!
    That Iris is really stunning! I havnt seen one that colour in garden centres round here, they are always blue.
    I wish our flower beds was fuller, we only started last year and so we are still looking at lots of patches of bare earth.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hayley, yes, I do try to remind myself that instant gratification would rather take the fun out of it! The iris I have is called Langport Storm and was a bargain buy from Sarah Raven a couple of years ago.

      Delete
  5. I believe that if you have a green thumb, then it is in you to plant and grow everything that you have the room to grow. We all have our God given talents . . . I love your packed out flower beds . . . so pretty :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. A full garden, bursting with colour ...go for it, be greedy.
    I don't have the patience like you to grow from seed, I just buy from a great nurseryman who has done all the hard work in his huge greenhouses. Still can't resist buying plants though... It is addictive!
    Julie x

    ReplyDelete