OUTDOORS 18

To begin today's blog, I will share a photograph taken during March of the fence-hedge border area in front of the kitchen window. In the shot, you can see the primrose Liz recently gave me along with 2 of the 3 tulips I bought this year, camellia cuttings, rose transplants, cyclamen transfers and a few bulbs. At the far left you can see the bluebells - or what will be bluebells, as they are only foliage at present.

This is the straw bale Liz picked up for me in early March - after 2 strawings, the strawberries are more or less secured from slugs and slaters, leaving me half a bale to top up and increase straw protection once the winds have died down and plants expanded. In the final week of the month I took the next shot -

- and you can see one of the raised strawberry beds all strawed up. You can also view the front edge where I was working and de-turfing into the weed bag, also the garlic/shallot/onion/broad bean bed, as well as the spare raised bed to contain squashes and nasturtiums. You can see my first harvest of rhubarb for the year, too!

Also taken on the last weekend of the month, you can see various other areas of my plot. On the left, the former onion bed with a half dozen or so leeks still growing. beyond that, my compost bin resiting and fruit area. My potatoes are behind the raspberry canes at the back, and coming back down past the other fruits, you can see where I planted beans, spinach and brussels sprouts, then my second strawberry bed. I am pleased with the rhubarb - it's as tall as the compost bin!!!!

We now jump forward to April, and here is a shot of the patio, which I have done a little work with during the first week of the month. Still to do, is the removal of the unwanted green garden chairs, tidying up the broken glass/debris, and securing the edges - but the other things I wanted to do have now been done.

Here you can see the azalea from the front yard repositioned underneath the kitchen window. It fits perfectly where the rose arch and pink rose used to be - before the arch collapsed and the rose was moved to the fence. You should also be able to spot that the pots on the patio have now been weeded, refilled, and have become a herb garden - sort of.

At least, there is parsley and chives in there, but the other herbs still need to grow!