Isn’t it so lovely to see all the perennials pushing eagerly through the earth at the moment? The seeds I sowed weeks ago are now seedlings and seem to be gaining strength, height and vigour as each day passes.

I re-landscaped my garden so I now have an apple tree which I surround with a wildflower seed mix and created trellises made from hazelwood (doesn’t root so ideal for creating structures for climbers etc). Around the bases of each trellis I have planted my sweet peas I sowed weeks ago. I took a few factors into consideration before I got to work in creating the wildflower area. I chose an area near the back of the garden that gets lots of sun. This part of the garden seemed ideal for the wildflowers as it not only is in full sun for most of the day but is also slightly more informal than say the front garden, so lends itself better to the wild vibe of a meadow. I initially weeded the area and through raking and garden shuffling (to stomp out any air pockets that could harbour infection or make the area too uneven etc) created a flat area ideal for sowing the wildflowers. Top tip – when you plant a wild flower meadow DO NOT fertilise the ground beforehand. Wildflowers love poor infertile soils so fertilising makes it far too rich for them and they will not grow well at all. If you have been fertilising for years it might be worth taking off a good few inches of top soil to try and reduce the fertility. If you have soil that is poor in nutrients then you are good to go once weeded, flattened/raked and removal of large stones.

I bought a few different packets of wild flower mix and in a bucket mixed them all together and added sand. If you fancy doing this at home I would strongly advise adding sand for 2 reasons..

1. sand weighs the seed mix down so it wont blow away as readily on windy days
2. It enables you to see the mix more easily when you are spreading it on your prepared area so you can create an even well spaced meadow and won’t miss any bits.

Now I am leaving it to do its thing. The growth of my wildflower area is about 15-20cm in height now. In a month or 2 it will begin to flower and will attract lots of bees and butterflies (hopefully!) I think it will look quite beautiful and colourful. I really love the gentle romantic movement of a meadow as breezes whisper through them on scorching summer days. When it is in flower I will make sure to take some photos and show you the results. Hoping it will look something like this but bigger…..

The second thing I have been working on in my garden is a Victorian inspired fernery. I have always loved ferns. They have come in and out of fashion over the years. At the moment they are very much ‘in vogue’. I’ve seen lots of fern designs on products over the past year.

Whether they are ‘in’ or not doesn’t bother me in the slightest though. I like them because I like them!

I already had quite few ferns dotted around the garden  and I have always loved the naturalised beauty/forest garden effect they exude. They soften harsh straight line borders and paths and create a more informal natural feeling gardening.

Of course one of the most wonderful thing about ferns is their ability to grow in shade. When creating my fernery  I chose the shadiest part in my garden that has been bare since for ever. I chose a variety of ferns for this area to create interest with different heights, texture, shapes and tones. I will definitely post pictures when it has established itself. I also added a straw mulch to keep moisture in and suppress any weeds that are strong enough to grow under them.

I have created my fernery incorporating the following species…

                       Asplenium scolopendrium

Asplenium scolopendrium ‘Augustatum’

Athyrium filix – femina

Athyrium niponicum var.pictum ‘Red Beauty’

Athyrium flix-femina ‘Frizelliae’

Here is a little poem by John Bannister Tabb to finish with…

The Fern Song

Dance to the beat of the rain, little Fern,

And spread out your palms again,

And say, “Tho’ the Sun

Hath my vesture spun,

He hath laboured, alas in vain,

But for the shade

That the Cloud hath made,

And the gift of the Dew and the Rain.”

Then laugh and upturn

All your fronds little Fern,

And rejoice in the beat of the rain!