How did we get to May already? Apologies for the lack of post but it’s been a busy start to the growing season!
The tulips have been amazing, I had two successions, the first inside the polytunnel and the next outside in the flower field. I was so pleased the timing worked out perfectly with the outside tulips being ripe for picking just as I’d used the last of the polytunnel ones! However it was interesting to see that the outside grown ones were much shorter, something to take into consideration when planning for next year.
There is still time to enjoy tulips but not for long, they are still being included in my seasonal mixed bouquets or you can ordered them as bunch on their own.
The Ranunuclus and anemones were slow to get going however they seem unstoppable now. Ranunculus are one of my absolute favourites and they have an amazing vase life, bonus! I can’t remember where I read it but I planted them roughly 20cm apart however I feel like I could have squeezed a lot more in so I’ll defiantly be ordering more for next year! Sadly I lost a few, I think this was partly due to the crazy cold April we’ve had but also I must admit I haven’t been that consistent with my watering, maybe it’s time to invest in a proper irrigation system.
Outside the tunnel, I’ve started planting outside in the flower field. Still a long way to go but so far I’ve got Cornflowers, Ammi Majus, Wild Carrot, Foxgloves and Honesty. I have got some bits hardened off and ready to be planted out but I’ve been holding off due to uncertainty around the last frost. Hardening off, if you’ve not heard the term before, is the process of preparing you plant babies for the big wide world. Where they’ve been growing inside the comfort of the greenhouse or polytunnel, they can be delicate and the shock of being planted straight outside can do them some damage. To harden off, I’ve been doing a bit of a polytunnel dance by moving seed trays in and out to sit outside during the day but tuck them back up inside at night when the temperatures can drop. Normally you only need to do this for a week or so however I’ve kept this up for almost 3 weeks due to being scared of the frost. Fingers crossed not for much longer!
During May I plan to sow my Zinnias, Amaranthus, more Cosmos and to start my Dahlias. I’m a little late with the Dahlias however I don’t think it’ll be a problem because everything is a bit behind this year due to the cold weather. Plus most of my new varieties are coming to me as cuttings not tubers and these aren’t usually ready until May anyway.
I’ll keep you updated with how the flower field is looking next month!
Take Care
Adele x
Comments