Fingers Crossed, the Mitcheldean Garden 2021
The Month that Wasn't

This page is part of a series of garden blogs from 2021. Click here for the index.

And then it started raining... And from time to time the sun came out briefly and gave us rainbows. My prediction on the subject of water management was swept away and very soon the water butts were full again. Not only that but it was much cooler than average. In short, May 2021 was a near total write off, in stark contrast to May 2020 which was warm and sunny. 

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The early red tulips faded as the later ones came through. The small azaleas and rhododendrons in front of the summer house had their brief day in the sun.

On the other hand, the bluebells were brilliant, they are spreading out from their heartland above the summer house just as I hoped they would. Nearby, I spotted a single cowslip a couple of years ago and now we have a small cluster of them and there are now a couple just above the bungalow, but I don't think they will supplant the more aggressive primroses.

The top bed is a mass of blue, a mixture of bluebells and forget-me-nots. Among them are nearly 30 peonies, most of them still 'young'. I put in canes over the winter so I know where they are and don't tread on them when they start to grow in the spring. In a couple of months I will have to do some weeding to remove unwelcome incomers. Just below our upper greenhouse nearby, the weigela (florida?) was given a year off pruning and is flowering well even if it hardly qualifies as 'spectacular'. Likewise the bush next to it which I now think is maybe a spiraea (arguta?) and will be covered in white flowers shortly.

We have a surprise extra peony, the parish council has given up on the small garden next to the church now the gardening club which maintained it is defunct. It has not been maintained for a couple of years and has suffered from some vandalism. So it's been cleared and I salvaged a mature peony which I popped into the top flower bed where, by coincidence, I had recently removed an unwanted evergreen bush. It must have been warmer down in the village as it already has a flower out. I have no reason to doubt that it will survive, proving that you can move peonies safely, of course the recent rains will have done it no harm.

We've not had much chance to sit on the bench but when we do Garfield soon appears. I've added 'clip on' mini gutters for the summer house on both sides. With a little tweaking, this one filled the water butt for which I previously needed a hose. I've since added a butt on the other side but 210 litres is 210kg and I don't think the half rotten verandah it is resting on will last the summer... There are plenty of ericaceous plants up here which will appreciate a supply of rain water when we next have a dry spell.

The greenhouse has been emptied on to the patio. As usual, I am starting dahlias here but not only are we short of pre-used compost but the hard winter proved fatal for certain kinds and this year we won't have a balanced display. The cheap bargain bench we bought when we first arrived has been retired to above the pond to give us another resting / viewing point and we have a brand new set which is perfect for a light afternoon tea.

Our neighbour in #31 is back home but she's in no position to look after her greenhouse which we have annexed, clearing years of junk. In effect it's doubled our area under glass and it will be home to our tomatoes this year. In return, I've also cleaned up her patio and Yuehong will provide some pots to brighten it up, it's as far as she can get from the house..

So, the young plants in our own greenhouse are not under pressure and, in particular, Yuehong's hanging baskets will have some extra time 'indoors' which is just as well given it's been so cool.

This year we've benefited additionally from some reduced items from B&Q's Gloucester store as well as competitively priced bedding plants from our local Lidl in Cinderford. The group on the left were sold together without any suggestion for their display.

Like the last guests at a party, the tulips at the front of the bungalow just don't know it's time to go. Nearby, we've had these dwarf snapdragons ready for over a month. They are sitting where the unloved blackcurrant used to be and where Yuehong will have her own dahlia bed - I have two dozen to go in when the rain stops and it's been manured.

I've spent much of the month working on my slide scans from Java's sugar mills and through the day I am constantly interrupted by Garfield who comes to tell me I should be working in the garden. I can barely see out of my study window because of the rose Yuehong has trailed across the window, but if I peer underneath then I've got a fuchsia and lobelia and a pink azalea and, of course, tulips.

The rhododendrons on the front bank have done well but the flowers have suffered in the rain. This magnolia susan has flowered for the first time. The two lilacs lower down get better year by year, I'm allergic to their scent and can't get too close. Along with one or two of the camellias they are now tall enough to be seen from the bungalow.

We never expected a 'normal' UK summer, but over the last week it has become increasingly clear that there are going to be very few events and festivals held and that the government's plans are likely to be blown away as they were in 2020.

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