Layers

My size eleven feet have been a distinct disadvantage this week.

One of the joys of working in a established garden for the first time is all the new plants encountered.The garden I have been working on for the past few months is springing into life.The patch that was just bare border a week ago is now a forest of delicate tulip and iris leaves.The climbing roses that were one of my first jobs to prune are now covered in delicate red shoots confirming that I have'nt killed them, even though I took so much away.I have been mulching the borders with the most beautiful compost that I suspect has been rotting for quite some time.Usually mine never gets to this stage as I have already found a use for it.This glorious stuff is mostly leaf mold with gravel mixed in, which makes it perfect to put on a fairly heavy soil.I have also been raking it into the new beds to improve the tilth.Being very light it is easy to scatter amongst the delicate bulbs.To break the job up a little I have been trying to remove as many pesky celandines as possible,they just spread like crazy and one little bulb left and you are back to square one a year later.This work is being carried out near a couple of tree peonies so I am keeping a sharp eye out for their seedlings that often appear now.I have to manoevure carefully as my feet can do untold damage. I was told that the peonies came from Kelways of Langport the superb specialist nursery just down the road. I have not been there for ages - a trip is imminent! When I first went, I was amazed at the variety of colours and just how easy they are to grow.At my first garden we had a huge one that had to be cut down each year as it was right at the front of the border.At first I was nervous of doing this but the more I cut it down the more it flourished. In fact I found that if you left them they do have a tendency to get leggy and not flower as much.They also appreciate a decent mulch to keep the moisture content round their roots more constant. The seedlings take ages to grow on but the results,when flowering, although brief, are rewarding.
As I am working my way through these borders I am wondering what else will appear in the next few weeks that my feet are now hovering over.