Diary of a Reluctant Gardener II

The madness of spring is so enticing. I love it when things are opening up and emerging from the ground…. I also love the middle of summer when fruit is bursting forth, but I even love the garden in the winter when everything is resting.” – Ross Gay.

What is the collective name for hyacinths? A swoon? A flash? I would say a ‘host of’ but I think daffodils have that one copyrighted…in any case, we have lots of hyacinths, bringing a beautiful splash of colour and scent to what is still a winter garden. This is our first spring at Le Petit Cochon and we’ve been told that the show of spring flowers is rather impressive; certainly there appear to be bulbs, irises, lily of the valley all starting to shoot…which makes it a nightmare. Barely is there anywhere I can stand without risking a size 8 boot squashing some precious new growth. But weeding has to be done so I end up stretching, reaching, and generally pirouetting my way through the beds, making a complete exhibition of myself and knowing that one false step could be disastrous…maybe it’s a ‘gamble of’ hyacinths…