Green Fingers?

We've had pretty good weather here for the last couple of days, so I took advantage yesterday to get some gardening done at last. I'm hoping the weather will be good enough to use the garden when we have people over to celebrate James' baptism in a month or so, but until yesterday it was lo0king a bit neglected. I put a load of bedding plants in; stocks, pansies and snapdragons. This is the best way I know to brighten up the garden quickly (thanks Mum) and I filled a few containers on the patio too, two with impatiens (busy lizzies) and one large one with a gorgeous hydrangea grandiflora I spotted at Arthur Newman's Garden Centre, which is on the other side of Aberystwyth, but well worth the drive.

We also planted some Clematis montana var. rubens against the back fence, to grow up the trellis there. I grew sweet peas there last summer, which were glorious but they took so much work to keep them flowering that I decided to go for something less high-maintenance.

I also tidied up the herb garden. That's my rather grandiose-sounding name for what is actually a herb bed, sorry. It's well stocked now with

- oregano - mint - sage - tarragon - chives -
- rosemary - bay - thyme - marjoram -

So, the only herb in regular use that I need to buy now is parsley. I use so much that to grow enough I'd have to grow nothing but parsley. To be honest, though, part of it is that all the herbs we have are perennial and take little looking after (except regular culinary pruning).

Our little fruit patch is doing well too. We're rich in rhubarb, the gooseberries are coming on well and Christopher is asking if the strawberries are ready on an almost daily basis. The raspberries are a bit disappointing, but they didn't come from the garden centre, they came (pretty tiny and sad-looking) from Woolworths' sale, so perhaps they'll take longer to establish. Still, I wish we had space for more. Maybe vegetables in pots on the patio next year, what do you think?