Tulip season is juuuust about over at CG… this was the last really good pic of the containers outside the farmhouse:
Now attention moves to my baby fruit trees, who are just about managing to squeeze out some blossoms! Go little Cherry, Go little Apple! You can do it, guys!!
The toad-poles continue to grow – look at big and flat their heads are looking! They definitely are changing week to week, but their progress still seems very slow. Maybe it’s because I’m obsessively looking at them every day! I thought they transformed really quickly once they hatched, but they just seem to hang around sucking slime off the pond walls, day after day… hey, we’ve all been there…
The whole garden seems to be holding its breath at the moment, waiting for the roses to take the stage. The rose buds are swelling up and getting fat, and there’s a massive sense of anticipation. I love the beautiful reddish-bronze foliage of the new rose leaves. Look at this beautiful picture with silver drops of moisture sparkling on them:
And if you look closely in this pic, you can see some aphids here! You can’t blame them really – the baby leaves look so delicious that I’m tempted to munch on them myself. I wonder if new rose shoots are edible? I know you can eat rose petals – but I’ve never actually snacked on the leaves themselves. Anyhow, the aphids don’t seem to have any such hesitation, and they turn out in droves, only picking on the softest, freshest new leaves and buds.
Of course I would never insult the ecosystem of the Magic Garden with chemicals of ANY kind, and aphids are no exception! I find that constant vigilance, and a carefully directed blast of water from the hose is enough to chase the critters away from my cherished rose buds.
There’s enough for everybody in the Magic Garden – even the aphids!
Rich just built a beautiful ramp down from my mum’s cottage, to make the garden more accessible for her. What a lovely man he is, really! (when you can pull him away from his tractors, that is…)
Hope you’re getting some time out in nature – it was Mental Health Awareness week last week, and spending time outside is my favourite way of boosting my mental health! What’s yours?
Hugs from the garden,
Shann.x
