Spring has absolutely no idea that Covid 19 exists. Oblivious to all difficulties it has been doing its thing. Accordingly I spent yesterday in the garden and saw this:
my tree and the council’s tree flowering away. You can see the community library at the end of my drive.
That, by the way, demonstrates how an article of faith works. I didn’t know if anyone would join in when I put the books out, and when the table got stolen, I thought all the books might just disappear too. But people have joined in. When I was gardening a young couple passed by, chatting. ‘What,’ asked the young man, pointing at the books, ‘is that?’ ‘That’s the community library,’ replied the young lady, just as if it was a real thing and not something I’d made up. And they strolled off up the street past the community library, which is a thing.
The tree is extremely real too. Turn the other way and you can see the camellia.
setting off the new wall tiles and roof of the extension a treat.
It started off as one twig and a leaf and a label ‘This bargain 34p’ What an investment. As you can see I got the builders to place a grating in front of the new garage door. All the water flowing down the sloping drive now waters the camellia, which is obviously very happy about it.
Behind the camellia I have managed for the first time ever to grow crown imperials.
These spectacular bulbs are the largest variant of the fritillaria family, all of which I have grown over the years but never managed the big ones, because they are subject to rot, although they grew wild abundantly on bomb sites after the second world war. This autumn instead of just planting them, I researched them and discovered that they like rubbish soil and in good loam will hold water in the central depression of the bulb until the rot sets in. The answer, on soil worked as much as mine has been, is to plant them on their sides. I did and there they are. Now I know the secret I will plant a lot more this autumn.
In the midst of misery you cannot have too many flowers, like rainbows they are a promise of better things to come.
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