I can almost here the rhubarb grow. I must admit that not having touched it at all last year has clearly made it's root system good and strong. It is well on and has grown every time I look at it.
The 4 inch stem and leaves on this clematis have grown in the last 36 hours.
These Alliums have suddenly taken off. On the right are the gigantic ones and on the left, well another sort, can't remember what now, haha.
Even these delphiniums are coming through. I am most pleased about these, because I found them at the end of last summer hidden under a tree, doing nothing because they were in full shade and were just a tangle of leaves. I transplanted the roots and had no idea whether they would survive. And here they are.
But there is one thing that makes me sad and that is my complete inability to grow rosemary. Yes, this herb which is usually hailed as a herb that 'anyone can grow' seems to hate me. Every rosemary I have ever had has died and yet I don't think that I do anything particularly bad to it. This one is no exception. I hold out a little hope that it may return to life, but it really does look dead.
So to cheer myself up I made a batch of Paul Hollywood's savoury scones. Ironically they are supposed to be cheese and rosemary scones but I replaced the rosemary and made them cheese and chilli scones. Have to say, I love this recipe, it really did take seconds to make and they are the nicest savoury scones I have ever tasted.
They look as good as they sound, I sometimes fry a finely chopped onion in a spray of oil and add that to cheese scones with a shake of mustard powder.
ReplyDeleteI grew some rosemary last year, and whilst it did survive the winter it's still only about 5-6 inches tall! Boring! Now my pea plants, on the other hand, are growing SO fast! Every day I come home and have to wind new tendrils around the supporting stakes they are climbing up!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to spend the weekend gardening! :)
ooh all this rain i have had lately as really made my garden spring to life too, i must get my veggies out this weekend
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up about the rosemary. It really doesn't like freezing cold and we've had lots of that this year so it's no wonder it has died. You might want to put your next plant in a pot so you can put it in full sun and try to keep its feet dry. Ask your friends to donate you some soft heel cuttings to pot up or get them to heap some soil over a branch so it develops roots, then you can cut it off from the parent plant and take it home with you.
ReplyDeleteLovely pics of your plants!
ReplyDeleteI'm in Dumfries and Galloway Scotland and have always grown rosemary in a largish pot raised off the ground. Lovely in garlic and rosemary roast potatoes. Yum!
It's left out all winter in a sheltered spot with no special attention and no deaths so far. Maybe worth a try :)
Rosemary likes to be dry; I grow mine in a trough against a south-west facing wall so it gets sun but not too much rain (other pots against this wall have to be watered regularly, but the Rosemary thrives on neglect.)
ReplyDeleteMix some fine grit or sand into the compost too and ensure adequate drainage with lots of crocks in the bottom of the pot/trough.
Please post the recipe, they will be ideal for school lunches. Very toothsome looking indeed. Francesca.
ReplyDeleteThe scones sound really tasty, cheese and chilli, yum!!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the plants growing really quickly. This last weeks warmth has brought everything on. More growth every day, you can just about see things growing in front of you.
Don't forget to protect your delphiniums (organically if possible, if not with bird friendly pellets) - slugs and snails love them. I lose my rosemary every year as well except this year. It is in a 12" pot standing off the ground in full sun. In the winter, it was put inside my greenhouse, off the ground, and has come through okay. Have lost the top of my bay tree though!
ReplyDeleteYummy stuff and pretty stuff! Yes, Rosemary doesn't like 'wet feet' so it needs to dry between waterings. I have one on the porch at the farm that is getting huge. It's in a large pot and gets watered once a week when I go out there. the rest of the week it's not getting any water. You might try it in a pot somewhere on your deck (by the back door is a convenient spot).
ReplyDeleteThe scones look delicious, and I like the idea of cheese and chili.
Nicely done!!
I too kill off Rosemary with depressing regularity. As others have said though it likes to be dry as it's a Mediterranean herb, my latest one is in a pot by the sheltered south facing front or our house and it's made it through the winter. Mind you I am in Devon so we escaped the worst of the snow and freezing cold.
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