I managed to get home in time to wander down the garden this evening with my glass of wine - albeit it wrapped in a scarf and thick coat - pick a bunch of lily of the valley and stand and ponder. These are the precious moments gardeners cherish. There was no time to start anything (and it was to jolly cold tonight) but the sky had cleared after a light shower so everything was sparkling fresh bright and full of life.
There is never anything dull about gardening. This year my hero redcurrant bush is giving me the cold shoulder after my vain attempts to get people to appreciate the value of its efforts last (and I still have fruit from 2010 in the freezer!). I am trying to remember who I optimistically promised its bumper 2012 crop to, so they are not disappointed. My dear apricot tree seems to have succumbed to the same canker that killed off a gooseberry standard planted in an adjacent spot. Some of my most virulent clematis seem to have gone on strike - or at least on go-slow - and the lily beetles I have found so far (plenty) always seem to have been in pairs, mating, although at least I was able to dispatch them in pairs!!!
On the plus side the lily of the valley are going mad - anyone is welcome to some, as per fox gloves, most of the roses seem very healthy (albeit dear Kiftsgate is dropping yellow leaves all around as ever), some of the newer clematis are looking very promising, the tulips have been wonderful, the raspberries and loganberries are flourishing....
One of the best things this evening was listening to the birds. I could have been way out in the countryside. Not least, the swifts are back, peeping and swooping, making my tiny patch seem to spread up into the sky.
On days like today I know that, however much I long for a bigger garden, I will never love the next one as much as this!
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