Fourth Week in May

Variable weather this week, with showers and sunshine. Tuesday was particularly hot and I returned home to find the Hydrangea wilting, as well as one of the foxgloves and one of the lavenders. Several watering cans of rain water later they seemed to recover.

I have planted a few things out that were starting to get spindly in the lean-to; Nasturtium 'Tom Thumb', Cerinthe major, and Geranium macrorrhizum. More to follow when space has been cleared. The honeysuckle is covered in fat flower buds, which I hope will burst open soon. The annual sweet peas are in bloom - a gorgeous deep purple - and smell amazing. Both lavender plants have flower spikes growing, and the multitude of Geranium varieties are blooming prettily. The fern plant I inherited has unfurled and is a lovely, cool green and will form a pleasant backdrop to something more colourful.

In the vegetable patches the runner beans are sprinting up their canes, the French beans are growing steadily, the onion sets seem to have settled in, the spring onions and shallots are fattening up. The strawberry plants seem satisfied with their new spot too. The only things not thriving are the garlic bulbs. Ah well.

There is plenty of wildlife; I have spotted several species of bee, slugs, snails, beetles, woodlice, found an ants nest under a paving slab, seen and heard lots of birds, found flies, and seen lots of spider species. On the subject of the latter, I found a stunning specimen of a giant house spider hanging out with its egg sac in the barbecue. I am becoming mildly obsessed with spiders; I had no idea there were so many species in Britain. We may also have bats nearby. While weeding the side border on Sunday I found many snails, some common garden snails and a variety of banded snails. Gorgeous!

The cats are getting used to our presence. The ginger one got cheeky and came into the kitchen when the back door was open. Cheeky so and so! He was chased out again.

I ended up in a garden centre on Saturday an came home with two creeping thymes to plant near the patio, so that they can creep between the cracks, some cucumelon seedlings, and a variety of perennial plants sold as bulb packets which are well past their best but were going cheap. I have potted them up and will see if they recover. They included Iris, Hemerocallis,,Cyclamen hederifolium, Lillium, and Cosmos atrosanguineus. All lovely when in flower.