Horticultural achievements

When I invented the word "hortotherapy" some years ago, I didn't know it existed. Seems to be a well-established idea. My interpretation is simple: gardening is good for your mind. This spring was full of surprises because everything I had done last autumn gave results. My tulips - at least those that survived the deer (or perhaps rabbit) attacks - bloomed beautifully. By mid-April I had flowers in the flower-beds, and by early May I had roses. The pear tree, which I last year thought was a cherry tree, bloomed beautifully as well. The frogs came back to the pond. Ivy and brambles came back too, but now I know how to fight them. The hedge is recuperating. I am planting and replanting, cleaning and weeding, and I am very pleased with what I see. My raspberry plants are huge. Regrettably, the birds like raspberries almost as much as Staffan.

I have been playing in the greenhouse a lot. The cucumber seedlings gave me much joy, and at some point it looked as if we would get tons of strawberries, but somehow they vanished - and I can't even blame rabbits or birds. Right now the greenhouse is fully occupied by beans. If you think that Jack and the beanstalk is a fairy tale, come and have a look at my beans. I suspect that the beans killed the strawberries in some secret nocturnal war. Plants are cunning, I've read some clever books about them.

We have scarified the lawn again. Not sacrificed. In a couple of weeks it will look like the lawn at King's College (which, frankly, looks awful right now). Last week I bought a sprinkler.

I have harvested the first courgettes. They are gratifying, just need plenty of water.

The perennial flowers I have grown from seeds will perhaps not bloom this year, but at least I see that they thrive. And I am still working on my Japanese garden.

One beautiful evening we had a visit from a hedgehog.

For pictures, have a look at my Facebook album.