It has been a busy time both in the garden and with family.
We grow peppers in the green house, both chilli and sweet.
Did you know that you can keep the plants overwinter and treat them as a tender perennial?
We managed to keep several this year, 5 sweet peppers and 1 chilli (see below) and so have a head start with some in flower already, way ahead of the ones we are growing from seed.
Peruvian lemon drop chilli, new growth (March) on last years plant.
The plum blossom has been out for several weeks now. Today the pear blossom came out.
The trees look wonderful covered in the flowers and the Grenadier apple has just started to open.
Unfortunately there is a frost due tonight, -2 degrees, I hope the blossom will be ok.
I have covered some more vulnerable shrubs with fleece, these are hardy shrubs but now the buds are opening they can be killed off by a heavy frost, but not much you can do with a full sized tree.
Also in flower today is the lovely white honesty and the Rosemary bushes are covered in honey bees.
I came across this plant several years ago and was fascinated by its almost pre-historic appearance. It was growing in large swathes in woodland, wonderful. I wanted some of them.
They are quite expensive but I found one when visiting RHS Wisley , Trillium kurbayashii.
Speckled leaves and lovely maroon flowers.
I decided to plant it in a pot and place the pot under a tree as it dies right down in winter and I did not want to loose this precious plant. It also prefers slightly acidic soil which we do not have.
Over winter the next year a small shoot appeared out of the soil, I covered the pot with chicken wire to stop the pidgins nibbling it and the squirrels from digging it up. The flower spike and leaves came up in February.
It is very slow growing and this year, after 4 years it had 3 flowers.
I think it will be many years (if ever) I get the carpet of Trillium I wished for.
In February we had about 80 mm rain (compared with only 10 mm in February 2023). This March about 50mm rain (roughly the same as in 2023)....
