'Should I stay or should I grow now'

You may have noticed that a lot of these musings are about the garden, well I make no apology for that as at this time of year this is where I live, interspersing the plant ogling and medaling with long country walks and visits to the beach.  That is of course when I’m not having to make the miserable journeys up and down the A1 to London.

So sorry for the bombardment of posts but as I’m still forced to spend my weekdays away from bucolic Belleau, where the rush of growth is matched only by my eagerness not to miss one tiny unfurling leaf, swooping swallow or trampolining lamb, I have a lot to get out of my system.

Seasons are time, a constant commodity that we counterfeit, trade, fritter away and even though we try to save it, never have enough for our later years. Being back in the countryside and watching everything spring into life through time-lapse eyes at least makes it easier to try and live in the moment.

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but the unusual early balmy weather seems to have in turn sent a lot of the flora and fauna barmy to. The Red Campion in the front border has grown to monstrous proportions and is already in flower, as is my lovely blue thistly looking plant, that for the life of me I can’t remember the name of. Both of these beauties were much later in the season last year.

My three Bleeding Heart plants are in various stages of flower but as always growing like something out of Jack & the Beanstalk. I admire these early risers for their determination. They are not the prettiest when first putting their heads above ground, so the first Spring we were at the cottage I kept ruthlessly attacking the one in the back border thinking it a weed, but it persevered until it finally got the chance to show me its amazing flowers, beautiful pink and white heart shaped lockets.

One of the Delphiniums that usually comes in second in the first to flower race with the surrounding Lupins, has leapt ahead, while the those I grew from seed last year in the front border are already showing their flower spikes.

Anyway lets hope this means a long flowering season or the plants have at least a couple more opportunities this year to show off.