The Greying of the Year

Last Updated (Sunday, 17 January 2010 09:32) Written by SuenMike Thursday, 17 December 2009 00:00

Eleven/eleven.  A rainy day, today.  And we are looking at the final days of gardening for the year. 

We have a few more maintenance jobs to do; a couple of roses, raspberry and hellebore plants to put in.  On our own allotments, some garlic bulbs.  I also have plans to sort out a raspberry bed, but no pressure, I keep telling myself.

So amidst a greying backdrop, what does a gardener turn to to keep her/his spirits up?  What else except to lose oneself in the glossy plant catalogues slipping through the front door!?! 

Oh the seeds we’ll buy!  The Thompson and Morgan catalogue reminds me of the Sears Roebuck Christmas catalogue I used to pour over as a kid.  So many different new varieties.  I'm also salivating over the plants on offer through Mr Fothergill’s and Sutton’s Seeds.  It’s hard to sow seeds knowing that you can cheat and buy mini-plants, but I think you never really get to know a plant until you start it from seed.

I’m looking forward to buying the “Supaseeds” from Sutton’s.  These are actually begonia seeds which I actually ordered last year but scoffed at them, after receiving a small plastic test-tube with dust in it.  I later learnt that the dust was the actual seeds!  Who’da thunk it?  The Supaseed is a new way of coating the begonia seed so it can be seen by the human eye and handled by mere mortals. 

As an allotment holder, I’m receiving a 40% off from T&M seeds so I am going wild.  I’ve already put about 20 seeds down on order sheet, including lavender.  I’ll include the full list when I’ve received them all.

Well, Flog It! is on.  One can’t sit still when high-quality telly is on.  Gotta go!