A Darling Experience

Marty Baldwin

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Dainty Darlings The iris reticulata are so enjoying the continued mild weather that they look as if they may be blooming before long. I can’t decide whether to bring some into the greenhouse for a really early display or leave them all outside where the flowers last much longer.

My Hugelkultur Experiment Hugelkultur is a permaculture technique that is usually used to create a raised bed on a flat piece of land by covering the area with logs, topping them with branches and then adding progressively finer materials before topping the whole thing off with about 25cm of good quality soil and compost. It creates a mound that gradually subsides as the lower layers decompose, releasing nutrients and creating a rich organic soil that is moisture retentive and packed with beneficial microorganisms.

Last spring I saw some tulips underplanted with parsley – I can’t remember where – but I thought it looked rather wonderful, so I’m giving it a go. I suspect I should have got the parsley in earlier so that it could get well ahead of the tulips, but if I’m lucky it won’t be completely overwhelmed and achieve the desired effect.

Dainty Darlings – Auriculas I’ve just added two blue auriculas to my small collection of these enchanting flowers. I love auriculas but they aren’t the easiest plants to grow. They need to be kept cool and dry overwinter – too much moisture and the roots will rot.

Have you tried nude gardening?World Naked Gardening Day rolls around every year on the first Saturday in May, and