Welcome back to the Japanese 72 gardening seasons. Since we last spoke, we have lived through so much: ‘Mist starts to linger’ (24-28 Feb), ‘Grass sprouts, trees bud’ (1-5 March), ‘Hibernating insects surface’ (6-10 March), ‘First Peach blossoms’ (11-15 March), ‘Caterpillars become butterflies’ (16-20 March) and finally ‘Sparrows start to nest’ (21-25 March).
I hope you felt cleansed by the constant rains we experienced through January and February. And have you experienced the emergence of nature and wildlife around you since they stopped? March is an amazing month for us for a few tantalising days. In this narrow window we have 2 white Camellias going strong, a pink cherry blossom, and a swagger of magnolia petals – white flushed with crimson. So long as the winds are light and there’s no frost (a particularly painful event should this happen as it just kills the blooms in one fell swoop) we have this quartet of glories on show at the same time in the front garden. There are 2 other magnolia trees down the road so it’s like a chain reaction of show-offs.
In the back garden, it’s discovery time. I scooped up 2 newts in the pond. At 3 inches, they felt pretty big to me. Another discovery was my favourite gardening tool – a Hori Hori knife – that I had lost last year. It was lying at the bottom of the compost heap, flung there in a careless moment a year ago, still in pristine nick. I had just emptied that heap and spread the gold-dust around the raised beds. I made a mental note of gratitude to St Anthony of Padua.
Another Camellia – Leonard Messel – is sparkling, its pink flowers setting off the daffodils surrounding it. Early red tulips have broken for cover. One pale yellow hyacinths have emerged in a pot. Rhubarb is pinking up nicely and the wild garlic has gone rampant. That can only mean one thing – pesto. Down in the greenhouse, the broad beans are doing their magic act this time of year. With the arrival of their flowers, the gentlest of scents percolates, like a very high quality hand cream, not too perfumed, understated and reviving.
In other words it’s all kicking off – weeds and buds alike, surprises and old favourites. Right now there is a perfect balance of work and wonder. Within a matter of weeks the work will be overwhelming and an alternative balance needs to be negotiated. More on that when next we meet.
– Alastair Creamer