Letter to the Garden - March 2024

Dear Garden Well this year is turning out to be a doozy and a half isn't it?  So much going on and frankly not much of it so far is good.  'Things can only get better' as the song tells us, well the only direction is forwards and so that is what has to happen. My dear garden, you have been a bit distant in recent weeks, its not your fault, this is not a blaming moment but the sheer amount and regular occurance of rain over this Winter has made getting good gardening days really quite difficult.  We are now in Spring and I am being hopeful that the weather might give us both a bit of a break soon.  Of course I am certain I will soon be writing to you about the drought and why isn't it raining, but for now we have sufficient rain. I have had a couple of good gardening days recently and they were very (very) much appreciated.  I have started to catch up on the weeding and whilst I know that weeding is a job that is never completed.  By the time I have finished all the garden the weeds are already popping up again where I started.  Getting a really good weeding sesssion in makes me feel, and I hope you dear garden too, a lot better.  I feel that weeding in Springtime is often like saying hello to old friends.  As I remove a dandelion here and pull up the sticky weed there, there popping its head above the ground will be a much loved plant that makes my heart sing a little louder at the sight of it. I have often said how weeding helps me connect to the garden.  It allows my mind to relax and I can just be in the moment, something that is always precious to me; and I start to think and plan about what I might to do next in the garden.  I have work to do on the remaining Prairie Border, what was once three is now just one and I need to ensure I do not let this one get beyond me.  It needs more Stipa tenuissima planting into it so there will be some sowing soon.  I have also identified a gap: that precious thing in any mature garden, a real shrub sized gap in the Conservatory Border.  I have a couple of ideas what might fit there but I am not rushing.  I want to take my time until I am certain. Oh and there is the fence and shed situation.  The shed situation has been a situation for so long that I barely feel the need to mention it anymore, but hopefully this year will be the year I finally get the two partially collapsed sheds removed.  The fence situation is new, the fence by the side of the house has partly blown down and this is a good opportunity to replace it with something better and, better still, something with a gate in it.  A gate would be a significant improvement.  I already have plans about what will be grown up the fence so I really need to get this in progress.   So my dear garden, watch this (and that) space.  We have some time to focus together on each other so let's make sure we do. With all best wishes Your loving gardener xx Take care and be kind. For more from the Blackberry Garden follow me on  Twitter  X     Facebook  and  Instagram