Old Normal, New Normal, the Mitcheldean Garden 2022
The Patio

This page is part of a series of garden blogs from 2022. Click here for the index.

At the time of writing in June 2022, I have just reversed my earlier decision not to run a blog this year owing to likely lack of time and, dare I say it, a risk that it might simply be a rechurned version of previous years. Unfortunately, after a 100% record over the last 4 years our little BB disgraced itself in East Anglia at the start of the Jubilee weekend. So we are stranded temporarily in our friends' house waiting for repairs to be effected. It could have been a lot worse, it wasn't mortally wounded and we got safely back to base from where it was collected later by the RAC. I couldn't think of a better place to be in the UK in the circumstances except in Mitcheldean itself. Garfield won't think anything of it, but I guess that the two cats here are happy to have us around to feed them 'on demand' as opposed to the normal twice a day. 

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This page covers the patio area behind the bungalow up till the end of May 2022.

Back in the late autumn the tubs were planted with hyacinths and pansies. The former were unconditionally successful, the latter bided their time and looked much better in later spring. Once again the pond overflow tank trapped one of our newts, the only sign we ever have of their presence. #35 has almost completely cleared their back garden and I suspect that is the reason why I've seen hardly any frogs this year.

Yuehong is always looking out for job lots of bargains, this time Aldi came up trumps and B&Q found they had too many sweet peas which are now one of Yuehong's favourites. 31's greenhouse was again available and was used for overwintered osteospermums and starting part of my dahlia empire. After 2021's disaster, they were all accommodated in Lidl's fruit and vegetable cardboard boxes which seemed just perfect. I start them in tubs with compost which has come to the end of the road.

The patio has been occupied by hundreds of tulips for which we have to thank Mr. Lidl. There were some amazing types and of course the (reusable) pots and compost cost more than the bulbs themselves which will be stored in separate groups. Those that are not dividing will be given pride of place in the vegetable patch for next spring, the rest will be pushed to the back! 

Garfield spent the winter with us, being a good boy and going home for his meals, skinny he is not. We shuffled the tulip pots so that the current best displays were always visible through the French windows.

I confess that I've never seen anything like it.

These were probably the most unusual ones. Yes, they are tulips!

Once the temperatures started to rise, the geraniums came out of the greenhouses and were supplemented with cuttings from those where we wanted 'more' to achieve some kind o balance. It was almost impossible to walk across the patio!

These pansies had come safely through the winter. As the tulips were ejected from their pots, the geraniums moved upwards and that allowed more and more dahlias to come out and be 'hardened'. By now most of them were solidly jammed in the tubs and when the time came they were very happy to get out into their summer homes!

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