Do you ever suffer from blogger’s block? I’m sitting here in the dining room staring out the window and wondering what on earth I am going to write about. Silly really as there is loads happening in the Bonner’s garden.

Wisteria … so pretty and delicate

It has been a bleak day and there is now a light drizzle .. daylight saving started today which means an extra hour gained for gardening or whatever, although today I feel cheated as I’m down one.

Bright and bubbly and a must in the garden … nasturtium

My lovely garden is going berserk! The nasturtium is winding itself around the garden hauling itself up and over the lavender and literally endeavouring to ‘choke’ everything in its path. I am forever yanking bits of it out .. all to no avail as it is back within a few days. Mind you, it is a beaut plant regardless of its exuberance, so good to have in the garden. It is a fab companion plant for a variety of vege deterring pests that also like to ‘chomp’ on your crops. Of course you can eat it too! I grabbed some leaves the other day determined to include them in the morning’s juice … but opted against it as a last minute nibble proved it way too peppery.

Cherry blossom and forget-me-not

The perpetual spinach is going to seed, as is a monster beetroot that has been in the garden since last summer. I can only imagine how woody it would be, but there is no chance that I intend to find out. I shall leave it be until we hoist out the bed for summer plantings and then it will go into the compost.

Johnny-jump-up viola …

Our garlic beds are slowly but surely getting overgrown with flowers … I hate pulling them out but garlic isn’t overly fond of company. The Johnny-jump-up in the pic, is literally clambering all over the garlic with some self seeded poppy plants trying to take hold. I have hauled out many of these, plus calendula (another must have plant in the garden) alyssum and borage.

I even had to chop back my geranium the other day which was doing a sterling job of shading my alliums. And then of course there are the proverbial weeds – speedwell (appropriately named), milkweed, dock, sow thistle or as the Maori’s call it here ‘Puha’, wandering nightmare buttercup … ah, the list goes on.

Borage and one of those gorgeous fuzzy pollinators

The bees are busy too! So nice to see lots of those lovely fuzzy girls in the garden given that last year there was a dearth of them. Of course the warmer weather not only encourages the bees but the pests too. I have squashed several green shield beetles who at the time were procreating … and stood in horror the other day as several white butterflies glided by doing aerial acrobatics in the spring breeze. Yes … the garden is alive.

My seedlings are finally starting to look more like teenagers … and to help them along they get a weekly feed of seaweed fert. The spuds are muscling their way through the soil and looking super – must be some serious activity going on below.
Gladys my crazy chook is clucky yet again and there seems to be an egg eater in the team!

Spring lamb sporting a raincoat

This gorgeous lamb belongs to a good friend of mine. Sporting a rather ‘flash’ rain jacket she is all set for spring weather! And why not, it’s called recycling.

I still haven’t grabbed the codling moth trap yet … dear me, but I have 2 hands of green bananas swinging in the the tool shed and one less rat to worry about!

Happy gardening!