Role play

I don’t know if it is me or the high power disco music that Steven is playing, but I’m beginning to feel a little nervous.

This weekend we were good and went to visit the in-laws in Grimsby, but coming home I have found both a garden where everything seems to have grown, and waiting by our front door a carrier bag with all the NGS paraphernalia that we will need for the big day. Steven and I can now do NGS role play as we have tickets, posters, stickers and health and safety posters.

Going north I was a little surprised how every Cordyline I saw was very badly damaged/dead including really old big and branched ones. We also went to a nursery called the Palm Farm where I have got some goodies over the years, and was sad to see that they were closing, seemingly rather knocked by the last couple of tough winters where they lost a lot.

Needless to say I’ve also just added another car load of plants to the pile which need to be planted including a rather winter battered Phormium rescued from the in-laws which I’m hoping to bring back from the dead. I also managed to buy some Bean trees which I hope to treat like my Paulownias and stool to get some huge leaves.

Last week I also went to the RHS great plant sale in the Westminster Halls. This was great as I had missed the last one, and was looking forward to it, but more and more work kept piling up and my half day turned into a leaving work at 3 day. Being in a bit of a stress I then got on the wrong bus and had to power walk across Victoria before arriving at the show in a busy busy manic mode and ended up walking round in about 5 mins before getting into the rhythm of the show (this is mainly the pace of older ladies whom were dosing off on the ‘picnic chairs’ upstairs)

It was an interesting show with a huge amount of things for judging including rows and rows of wilting daffodils. I was however particularly taken by the tiny species ones, some Asarums and odd irises. I bought a few ferns but had a good old chat with the air plant lady about the hardiness of certain plants, and she ended up trying to flog me loads and I will give a few a try. I’m never good with air plants as they always dry out, I’ve also been very put off by the fashion of badly gluing them to porcelain kittens and bigs of twig.

So I now have a huge pile of things to plant, have almost run out of space in the greenhouse, have lots of seeds that still need planting, and still need to dig out beds for them to go into! This is beginning to get a bit stressful. So far timings have worked really well for the new territories as I have been able to potter for months, but now the crunch points in the growing season are becoming more and more apparent.

Fortunately gold star to Dad whom has been digging away all weekend and cleared a good amount of new space. I have also rediscovered my annual leave form and I have loads to take so I will be diarising a few dates and roll on Royal wedding weekend!