GARDENER'S WORLD

Sadly no Monty Don, just me realising that there is SO MUCH to be done in the garden.   It’s too easy to be distracted into it from L&F business and Isobel is patience personified (except when she isn’t, which is when it gets scary).  I have a list as long as my arm of what needs doing, and the time to do just a bit of it, so prioritising is the name of the game.  The wisteria here has in the past been a thing of great beauty, but of late has been straggly and tragic.  So in January we savaged it – I nearly said ‘butchered’ but that’s a bit strong, even for the very short back and sides we gave it.  We resigned ourselves to nothing much from it this year but lo!  Two days of sun and suddenly we have grape-like bunches of soft lilac coloured flowers.  Now I just need to find the really long ladder to start tying in the new shoots.  Plus, the forsythia need pruning, the daffodils and tulips need feeding, stuff needs bringing out of the greenhouse in the day and putting back at night just in case …  you get the gist.  Then the fruit and veg need pricking out, planting out, weeding and generally faffing over – although they’re my favourite bit of this horticulture lark.  That effort does seem worth making, especially when you sit down for lunch and realise that most of it has food miles of about 100 metres.  Be it from growbag, allotment or back garden, it’s truly the way forward.