Mary, Mary…

I’m a contrary old bugger at times and Mondays are not my most inspired days I’m afraid. Today I’m working on the principle that if you don’t know what to write just start writing and something will appear - a bit like the way way I'm approaching the garden this year. Yes, here I go again on a sunny (though cool) Monday morning. I’ve been checking my seedlings for slug damage again and crossing off potential blog topics as I do so – state of health… nope, state of mind… nope, state of the nation… definitely nope.  It looks like it’ll have to be a progress report on my garden again.

In slug terms, I’m pleased to report that this morning slug damage seems to be minimal despite last night’s rain and my seedlings, which have outperformed themselves in terms of germination rate, seem to be holding their own even in this unseasonable chill. This year I have become a tosser and I think just about every seed I’ve tossed has taken. This is very pleasing as my plan this is not to try too hard this time around and simply see what happens. Lazy I know and quite contrary and not without a few drawbacks.

Firstly: it’s a long wait to a garden from seed and without the back-up of shop bought bedding any colour is going to be a long way off. Now, whether or not I can stand this has yet to be seen. Even so, my ‘other’ might not be able too do so (she only thinks a plant a plant when it has a flower) and some ‘instant garden’ may need to be introduced if things become too fraught.

Secondly: I have no idea what I sowed where. At the moment there are thousands of little green plants which may be pansies or scabious or cornflowers - or any of those other miscellaneous packets of seeds that I found at the back of the drawer and blithely scattered around.

Lastly: I’m not a fan of thinning out, so it’s going to be every plant for himself and only the fittest will survive in the jungle that I hope will be out there.

I suppose that I should have been wise and labelled or drawn a diagram of my sowing. But to be honest I quite like the not knowing and I’m having fun trying to guess what is coming through from the shape of the second leaf pair. There’s an excitement to it that’s a little like not knowing the gender of an unborn child. Actually, it’s a lit more exciting because with children it’s a very limited choice of two.

There are no silver bells or cockle shells and pretty maids, either singly or in rows, are not in evidence. Of course it isn’t completely random, but it’s pretty damn close and there will be self-seeders in the mix as well – remnants from last year and wind-blowns. So, apart from the seed-grown foxgloves that I’ve planted at the back to give a little height it’s likely to be a very willy-nilly, ill-considered, back yard this year.

How will my garden grow? I’ll keep you informed.