Full Steam Ahead

It's March and the weather has warmed up (although we are still getting frosts each morning), so it is full steam ahead in the garden. We/I have changed our strategy this year and I have recruited John full time in the garden throughout March. Once the temperatures rise the weeds always beat me so we may do better with our double whammy approach. Hope springs eternal!!

The most pressing job is covering the four new beds with compost. On Friday we discovered that it was on promotion so I persuaded John that we should make two trips to the garden centre in case they ran out. Well of course they had by the time we returned for the second load, but all was not lost as they had more in stock. The very helpful assistants rushed round and produced another pallet and one man offered to help John load it into the car.  All was going well until....... I saw John on the ground and the man dazed and rubbing his jaw. I had no idea what had happened!! Apparently John had fallen over a bollard (stupid place to put it) and as he fell flung his arms out and punched the man with a super right hand to the jaw. They were both very brave soldiers. When we go next time we feel sure the assistants will scatter as the bush telegraph reports that those "dangerous" people are here again.

So bright and early yesterday John finished spreading on the bank, I sowed some grass seed along the edge and then I began planting in the afternoon.

As it was frosty first thing yesterday I decided that I would re-pot my cannas so that I would get flowers earlier in the season. I had four large pots and the plants had not been disturbed for two years. A nice little job I thought whilst the ground thawed. Wrong. Firstly I had to enlist John's help to get them out of the pots as they had grown so well.  I had triple the number of plants I expected and it took me until lunchtime to pot them up. They are now ensconced in the dining room having been given the usual words of encouragement - "grow you ------- grow!!".

Must dash weeds are calling.