MAY IN THE GARDEN

At last it is feeling like spring or even summer as it is registering 24C on the thermometer. Better than the 6C on the Saturday at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show earlier in the month. The show was excellent as usual and all the exhibitors had struggled to get their plants in bloom. The Show Gardens get better and better and they are more numerous every year. They are well worth a visit. The Floral Marquee is my favourite place; I love looking at the wonderful arrangements and all the woodland gardens. The specialist societies stands located in the sheds are always interesting, they too are judged on merit, I was working on the Iris Society stand we received an RHS Bronze award. We were all pleased, as this was the first time we had entered the more exacting RHS classes. Those who had entered the Open Gardening competition had obviously struggled to find blooms and some classes were not represented because of the cold spring. The judges however were impressed as there were in fact more entries than last year.
 
This weekend I am entering my irises in the West and Midland Iris Group Show over at Norton in Gloucestershire. This sudden spell of warm weather has brought a lot of flowers into bloom.
 
Now is the time to harden off all the plants grown in the greenhouse for planting out into the garden. The penstemon cuttings from last autumn have done well, they are ready. The sweet peas are ready too as soon as the tripods are erected. There is still time to plant runner and French beans where they are to grow. I only planted my squash and courgette yesterday and they will germinate quickly in this warm weather. The tomatoes are now planted out in the greenhouse along with the cucumber plants.
 
 It really is all happening.

Tall bearded iris Susan Bliss.
Siberica	Tall bearded iris Patina