Gardening Tips

1) NEVER leave the four clematis you purchased a couple of weeks ago in close proximity to each other. They will become over-familiar with each others' tendrils and, unlike naughty dogs, no amount of chucking water over them will encourage them to extract each other from each others' company.Only  gentle teasing will do that, and that's easier said than done in a high wind.

2) If you plant only two courgette seeds because let's face it, the produce from two courgette plants is more than enough for the needs of a small family, neither of the seeds will germinate. If, however, you sow six courgette seeds 'just in case' all six will pop up. It'll all end in tears by September, mark my words.

3) DO NOT drop a large, full of old compost ceramic pot on your foot. It will hurt. Any listening hens will pick up some very unsavoury language. 

4) Lemon Balm spreads like weeds. But it smells delicious! 

5) Even though Spring might be late, everything in the garden catches up in the end. Except the honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is never intimidated by the weather. Honeysuckle will always be ahead of everything. Especially the height of the fence.

6) The annual attempt to murder the buddleia has failed. Again.

7) Having a new patio laid makes the garden look twice as big as it did before. Estimated time of completion - next Thursday. Unless it rains a lot. Or snows. Which it might. 

8) if you find a newt in your garden whilst weeding (which I did), you are allowed to call it Tiny. Because it was very, very small.

9) You CAN have too many plastic pots. Be ruthless. Chuck some of 'em out. This will please the hubbie who has been saying things like, 'Do you think we've got too many plastic pots?' (P.S if you wake up at 3 am in a pot famine frenzy you can always sneak 'em back into the greenhouse again.) 

10) Make cake to go with post-gardening tea and relaxation.Somehow these things go together.