Rhubarb ..babab babab

The rhubarb is back with a vengence, how I love plants like these, didnt even have to codle it through winter. It was hard though last year to fight the temptation to pick the stems as it was just the first year. This year though, we've already had 2 samplings for desserts, the excuse for picking early was that the large leaves were encroaching in to my lines of onions so they had to go and once picked where else but into the tummy they go!

The veggie plan







My little gems .... nice and cosy indoors



 

This year, potatoes are off the list, though I've grown them for 2 years with some success, I find that I would prefer to get some leafy greens in the ground this time round. So, we have (or are going to have) Kale, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli and Leeks. Not wanting to clog the window sills in the house, I put them in the shed, hoping there will be enough warmth, alas, there wasn't, so into the house they go and no longer than 5 days have passed, I see the little shoots peeking out of the compost. 





Three weeks ago ...

Raspberry canes ... the new arrivals!

The canes down in the bottom right corner where nothing seems to grow...touch wood!

My neighbour's mom is an avid gardener and she had promised to swipe some raspberry canes for me when she next visited her mom out in Ballater. So one stormy evening (it had to be) there was a buzz on the door and lo and behold, my neighbour was armed with a bunch of canes. Brilliant! so despite the pouring rain, I plonked them into the bottom right corner of the garden. A few weeks later, I'm glad to report that they have taken root and seems to be doing well. So, now the only thing left is to be vigilant and keep pesky birds away and we might just enjoy some homegrown jam and fruit tarts!

One of the cane decided to grow horizontally...there has to be one!!

Here comes the Tulips

The tulips have arrived, due to the abnormally hot week we had, the tulips sprouted in record time. These are the ones under my climbing rose, I thought they were deep red in colour but turns out they were yellow! haha!

Photo above was taken yesterday, this morning the weather turned and below is what happened! I hope the plants will survive the sudden chill.

Spring in my garden

At the end of last year there was a bit of a bulb buying frenzy and the bulbs were planted in every crook and cranny. Because there were so many, I'd forgotten what was where, when spring arrived recently, lovely surprises were popping up here and there. Above is a selection of the first few to arrive. What a pleasure it is to look forward to see what could be coming next. 

A year on ... in the garden

Almost a year ago, the flower beds were newly dug and the plants were in the ground before the weather changed, see 'finally all flower beds are dug'. Fingers were crossed during winter and came spring this year, I was happy to report that none of the plants were lost.

The beds have been busy with the crocuses leading the way declaring that spring had arrived. I plan to feature (should I have the energy and inclination) the various plants that have grazed my garden from Spring through to Autumm. So watch this space!

Elderflower cordial

Mid summer is nigh and it is time to get some of the garden successes into the blog before memory fades. Elderflower cordial is one of the anticipated ventures of this year. We have a rather large tree growing just outside our back garden and after some tentative sniffs at the flowers, we concluded it must indeed be Elderflower and so begins the adventure!

After eagerly waiting for the flowers to come to a full bloom, we picked our 20 heads for the cordial.

Duncan on bug duty - have to get all the creepy crawlies off first! Finally bug-free and clean



It was surprisingly easy to make, just like steeping tea but instead of just boiling water, use hot syrup and leave to infuse for 48 hours.

The flowers are left to steep with lemon wedges for some zing!


The taste test? After drinking it ourselves and still feeling fine, we then tested it on our neighbours during a weekend BBQ, the drink went down a treat and was the toast of the day!

The result - 2 bottles of refreshing cordial


Here's to waiting for next year's crop and maybe some Elderflower bubbly?