Notes from a gardener
It's hot, the sweet peas are out and I can't stop humming the siren song from The Odyssey.
The summer fatigue is setting in strong, the other night I found myself googling ‘where can I live in the uk that won’t get above 24 degrees with climate change in mind’ - the answer was the Shetland Islands. Currently I’m sweltering in Kent. My garden resembles a desert, and work days are punctuated with moments hiding in the shade hoping for a sweet spot of rain. No luck as of yet.
I can’t help but let my mind drift off to the cool dewy mornings of autumn to come. The turning of leaves, the bold final hurrah of late-summer colour, the sea at it’s warmest temperature, the cosier nights. Ugh, I never wanted to be that person who wishes away time, I swear it’s just because it’s 27 degrees in my house right now and my ability to deal with the heat has washed away as the day goes on.
Yesterday I pulled out the last of my sweet peas (or what was left of them anyway). They’re not plants that fade off with grace, withered, crispy with a smattering of powdery mildew. Plants in this heat have been on my mind a lot (I wrote about it a bit here), not so much in a positive way, but more in a, I think the landscape of our garden is going to change a lot more rapidly than maybe I had anticipated. At this rate, my only option for sweet peas next year might be in my north-facing front garden. Or maybe not at all, but I can’t help but try every year!
Anyway, here’s a few notes from the week:
I’ve been receiving marketing around ordering bulbs, and it occurred to me that, ordering bulbs in 2022 is what sent me down the horticultural route. Who knew the little storage organs could have such a profound life-altering effect on me?
Speaking of bulbs, I’ve already ordered some. I missed out on Tulipa ‘Ballerina’ + Tulipa ‘Volvos’ last year - not again. They’re in the bag, so to speak. One more note on bulbs - I’ve started planning the rest, but it needs whittling down, I think I had 300 in my cart.
I had my very first go at shaping topiary at work (luckily, quite loosely as it’s a relaxed space) - it was the most fun. I did notice my thumbs were a little shaky the next day, an unexpected workout.
Not garden related, but I saw The Odyssey and I can’t stop thinking about it, and the sad little tune seems to play continuously through my head. Also, the cinema had novelty drink & snack deals based on the film, I was sad I had driven, there was a deal for a bottle of wine and a large popcorn called ‘Whirlpool’.
I’ve always cared about skincare to a degree, but since having a job which means a) I’m out in the sun all day and b) I inevitably get some degree of dirt rubbed into my pores - I’ve become a lot more attuned to the ritual of it. And over the last week or so I’ve really noticed a difference, my skin feels far less dull in a way? I’m fully putting it down to adopting some of the Medik8 products (which they were kind enough to send over a few weeks back) into the routine. The Press & Clear is very satisfying after being in the garden to say the least and I’m finding this serum brings my dehydrated face back around nicely.
Oh also, I love to go against my own advice and I succumbed to the reduced plant section in my local garden centre. To be fair all the 1L perennials were absolutely healthy and were down to £3 each. I might come to regret this, but honestly the section of the border was looking so dreary, it’s worth the obsessive watering now.
Autumn is on the mind though, I really need to get my head straight about sowing for winter. Luckily having a kitchen garden job does help me to actually get on and do it for my home, there’s no excuses really. Seed shopping is wildly fun too, it feels like a good dopamine hit for not a lot of money. Win, win.
I really enjoyed this piece by Lucy that speaks out a little about overtly perennial planting, without the consideration of the sweet joy of dappled shade from trees. It summarised so beautifully something I have felt of late. Especially as someone who lives in a young garden without much shade (yet) and works in a beautifully developed heritage style garden. Prairie planting is all well and good, but nothing beats sitting in the natural shade.
Lastly, I cannot (and will not) stop eating tomatoes & ricotta on toast (with a crack of black pepper) - it’s my favourite way to work through the glut of ‘Tigerella’ tomatoes growing at home.
Recently penned:
Thriving? or just surviving - rambling thoughts on drought-tolerance vs drought resistance in plants.
My trainee gardener kit - all the things I’ve accumulated in my career change so far (with some fun illustrations)
You don’t really hate yellow flowers - justice for yellow, always.
Thank you for reading, allie x
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