I had so many plans :
To spend a little time in the garden every day so I don't miss anything ...
Time is short |
To plant a tree for future generations to enjoy ...
Old Father Time |
To plant more bulbs than last year ...
Time out Time heals |
... and to create a habitat for foxgloves. As they are biennials, requiring overwintering to prompt them to flower, the foxgloves took much longer to bloom than the other flowers but they were worth the wait. Here are some memories from last year ...
Time will tell Time is precious |
Time flies Time wont wait |
A major obstacle hindering my plans for the garden is that most of it is paved. I've tried growing in pots, but it's not my preferred option as they need careful watering and protection from animals. Moreover, plants seem to grow much better in the garden soil.
Time for Change ? |
So I was wondering what to do with my suspended foxgloves whose development I had arrested since last year, searching around for a patch of soil which didn't have something potentially growing under it, when I came across some paving which had lifted near the woodland. It was an omen of sorts, as I had toyed with the idea of extending the woodland into the patio.
Time stands still Time lapse |
I've suffered from analysis paralysis all my life. Even as a child I remember weighing up the odds while my playmates just jumped right in; as an adult, people refer to me politely as a late-starter. In this case, my practical persona estimates that it costs thousands of pounds to commission a patio to be relaid. My dutiful persona nags that the unknown gardener must have had a good reason for laying it in the first place and I owe him some respect, while my creative persona announces that it's time to move on and make this garden the best it can be while I'm still fit and healthy. To appease all three of myselves, I compromised and removed just 16 paving stones around the edge of the woodland. This was arduous work as the hardcore beneath contained more slabs of material which were not aligned so I had to chisel them at intervals along the new paving edge till they cracked.
Time for a Cuppa |
I relished finally being able to pull out the elusive dandelions and anemones. The roots of the latter penetrated through and under the hardcore. Mixing the sandy remains of the hardcore with spent compost seemed to produce soil with a suitable texture.
Time's Up |
On the left are foxglove seedlings that I sowed last year and transplanted into a nursery.
On the right is a new patch of soil containing more seedlings sowed at the same time but overwintered in the seedtray till today, so that they mature and flower later than the ones on the left, hopefully.
Just a Matter of Time |
Today I'm joining Donna's meme Word4Wednesday : TIME
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