2025/15 Driest Spring in history

 One year ago I was complaining about the incessant rain we were having, months on end. Flooded streets, and my poor flooded flowerbeds. This year we are experiencing the driest Spring since weather recorded history. 

Hello, my little friend!

   My garden soil is parched. My water butt is almost empty (luckily I have 3 more). And, grumble grumble, it is hard to get a spade into to the ground already. That should not be happening before June!

   How I am going to get my seedlings into the ground, I don't know. For the time being they are still in the greenhouse, as we have frosts in the night. But they were struggling, because it already gets so hot in there! So yesterday afternoon I hung up a shade for them, I hope it is enough to keep them alive.

The first Tulips are showing colour, always a nice moment. I have various kinds, but they are mostly the shorter botanical ones. That wind that whips through my garden on most days has taught me a lesson in the first year I was gardening here.

Sorry about the sunglasses, but I need them

And the other bulbs are showing signs of life as well. My Alliums are up, only the green stems so far. The Grape Hyacinths are looking chirpy next to the frog pond.

I planted Camassia as well, they are above ground. I have high hope for them.

My pruning is almost done. Just one more bed to go, as well as the Teasels in the apple orchard. They can go now, there are plenty of other hiding places for the insects by now. I have three compost heaps, but two are already full to capacity. 

There is a bud! But you can see how dry that soil is, can't you?

Another thing I did was paint the two obelisks; I chose black, as the colour of the flowers that will (hopefully!) scramble up them will pop against the black. As I had some leftover paint, I also painted the top of my rickety wooden fence. I am already looking forward to the dark yellow of the Tansy against that black.

The previous colour (grey) disappeared next to the Artichokes, this is much better.

Oh, I have two flowers in my struggling Viburnum, two! As it seemed doomed last year, this is a happy event!

Right. I'll be leaving you with a photo of last summer, just to give you an idea what Hunky Dory can also look like.😎

We'll have to practise patience...

Have a lovely weekend!

Renée Grashoff 
 

2025/ Boerenwormkruid Nieuws - 5

 Mijn 1 April 2025 in Brielle

Laat ik er even heel duidelijk over zijn: ondanks dat mijn hele jeugd van 0 tot 17 zich er afspeelde en ik nu alweer vanaf 2018 in Brielle woon, voor de echte Briellenaar zal ik altijd import blijven!

Dat geeft niks. Ik trek me er ook niks van aan. Ik weet uit welingelichte bronnen dat een groot deel van de 'Geuzen' en 'Spanjaarden' die elkaar op 1 April woest bevechten óók niet in hun wiegje binnen de wallen hebben gelegen en vaak ook niet eens binnen de gemeentegrenzen. 1 April is van iedereen die zich geroepen voelt zich in een pak uit '1572'  te hijsen en dit jaar al helemaal.

Sinds ik in 'Boerenwormkruid' de maanden na de inval van de Geuzen in 1572 heb beschreven, ben ik extra gefocussed op hoe de inwoners van mijn stad het 1-aprilfeest beleven.

Afgelopen jaar viel de dag op 2e paasdag en waren er erg veel toeristen, mede geholpen doordat de zon na máánden van regen eindelijk doorbrak. Als je wilt weten hoe mijn bejaarde speurneus (okay, bemoeial) Noor 1 april 2024 doorkwam, zal je deel 2 van de serie moeten lezen. Ik beloof je dat je je niet zult vervelen! Maar wel even geduld nog, het boek is nog niet uit.

Dit jaar viel me op dat mijn stadgenoten massaal de geuzenvlag ophingen, eerder dan normaal en meer dan normaal. Er hing ook meer wasgoed boven de straten, de Nieuwstraat leek wel een wasserette. Ook werd mij verleden week meerdere malen zenuwachtig gevraagd of ik wist of er nog aan 1 aprilkledij te komen was?

Wat gebeurt hier? Is dit soms een reactie op de verwarrende en verontrustende berichten vanuit de rest van de wereld?

(Want zeg nou zelf, zelfs als je alleen maar de uitspraken van De Trump en sycopanten een beetje volgt, raak je het spoor toch volledig bijster?)

Laatstaan wanneer je nog enige belangstelling kunt opbrengen voor wat er in onze binnenlandse politiek gebeurt; als Taalcafé-vrijwilliger heb ik me deze week zo woest gemaakt over de lintjesaffaire dat ik er niet van kon slapen. Of zal ik het lintjescrisis noemen? Crisis vindt het nationaal niet-stempelkussen een lekker woord.

Mijn theorie is dat Brielle massaal een zucht van verlichting slaakte: hè, hè, lekker even Geus of Spanjaard zijn, de uitkomst van die strijd ligt gelukkig al 452 jaar vast, WIJ gaan winnen! En na afloop sluiten we onze vijand in de armen en zuipen we ons gezamelijk gezellig klem. Leve de Geus!

Bij de Kaaipoort stond de mobiele camera als Big Brother waakzaam te zijn.

Wel een beetje zonde dat de kade van Maarland ZZ nog niet af was...Nu moest men zich tussen hoge hekken en rijen geparkeerde auto's door persen. Ik was in de afgelopen weken een paar keer getuige van bijna-aanrijdingen daar en heb een beetje medelijden met 't Swarte Schaep en Dixi, want die zullen die bouwplaats voor hun deur ook wel zat zijn. Maar we krijgen er wel een mooie kade voor terug.

En wat hadden we een mazzel met het weer! In geen jaren zulk heerlijk weertje gehad! Onze mensen in het blauw liepen met blote armen, waardoor het me extra opviel hoe stoer zij eruitzagen en ook hoeveel attributen ze aan die koppelriem meedroegen, een wapenopslag was er niks bij. Ik hoop dat ook zij een gezellige 1 april hebben gehad, ik gun het ze.

Kortom: het was een supergezellige dag, ook voor import-Brielsen. Wij hebben onze vrijheid weer gevierd, die uit 1572 maar ook die uit 2025 en dat we dat, mèt de mensen waaraan wij als vrijwilliger taalles geven, nog maar heel lang mogen doen!

Wil je 'Boerenwormkruid' bestellen, volg dan deze link: Trichis Boeken 

Groetjes,

Renée Grashoff 

2025/14 - Going up, up, up!

 So far climbers have not done very well in Hunky Dory...but I am nothing if not extremely persistent. ( Or stubborn. Call me foolhardy, in fact you can call me anything you like except boring)

After some lovely sunny days today started foggy and then turned misty. I swear I was driving in and out of clouds that were hanging on the fields, on my way to the nursery. Very atmospheric.

I wanted to get some climbers for that frame I built some weeks ago, and for the frame I built two years ago. You know, the one where all climbers I have put there so far have died within months. Why? Frith knows.

The idea was that I would have somewhere to sit in the shade, as there isn't any in my garden. So I built the frame, put the chair in and waited for the plants to scramble up. Instead they all died, two years in a row.

This time I put two Lonicera against it, a red one and a yellow one. Fingers crossed!

This time I used a pot!!!

   As you can just about spot, the Trachelospermum is yellow with brown spots, definitely ailing. There used to be brown beans in that plot when I took over the garden...I blame them by lack of a clear culprit.

   So this time I put the Lonicera in pots! It means watering them, but hey, anything for a green canopy.

   

   The other climbers, the ones against the new frame, are in large pots as well. At least that way I can control the soil. My summer concrete is not very friendly to some plants.

Front left is a plant I had never heard of before, it looks very fresh. It is a Stephanandis Tanakes.

Next is my sugarsnap, which has doubled in size in one week, goody! Next to that is a kiwi. The large pot in the back on the right is a Schneewitchen rose. I used to have one years ago and it shot up the pergola then, so hopefully it will now as well.

The kiwi. It is a self-pollinator, so that's handy.

That grass needs mowing already!

I've moved the obelisk from the frog pond to here, and will put two perennial lathyrus against it, but first I want to give it a new coat of paint.

My veg and seedlings. It has been quite hot already, so they are shooting up. But the beans will have to stay in the greenhouse until May, so I'll need to repot them.

My spring bulb border next to the greenhouse is looking good. A lot of those seedlings will be put out in here when those bulbs are spent.

The lime green of the Euphorbia makes the back bed zing! Especially next to the fresh Artichoke leaves, which I adore.

I cut off the spent flowerstalks last week, and managed to hurt my knee in the process. I thought I'd push over the largest stalk, and did, but lost my balance and twisted my knee. I have been hobbling for a week, such a drag.

Right, I'll leave you with another pic of my Artichokes.

Have a lovely weekend, won't you?

Renée 

2025/ Boerenwormkruid Nieuws - 4

Vrijdag 21 maart, was het dan eindelijk zover: ik mocht mijn boek signeren bij boekhandel Hoofdstuk Een.

Het is bij zo'n gelegenheid uiteraard heel erg afwachten of er wel iemand zal komen opdagen en stiekem ben je bang dat er niemand komt...ik in ieder geval wel.

Maar tot mijn grote vreugde kwamen er wel degelijk mensen op af! Zelfs helemaal uit Rotterdam, wow.

Iets dat mij dan weer erg opvalt in mijn capaciteit als geboren observant, is dat het overgrote merendeel van mensen dat een boekhandel binnenloopt vrouw is. Nu vind ik dat niet alleen opvallend (en intrigerend, want waarom?), maar in dit geval ook helemaal prima, want mijn boek draait om twee vrouwen.

Gelukkig krijg ik als feedback dat ook mannen het een goed boek vinden, poehé! Zelfs mannen die nóóit lezen, of mannen die wel lezen maar dan alleen non-fictie over zeevaart. Geweldig!

Petra en Jan van Hoofdstuk Een zorgden ervoor dat ik een superleuke middag had.

Dit is voor herhaling vatbaar.

Wat geregeld kan worden, want deel 2 in de serie over Noor is in concept af en wordt nu gelezen door mijn Drie Eerste Lezers*. Spannend! Wat gaan zij vinden van mijn twee nieuwe hoofdrolspelers? En van de nieuwe moord? In ieder geval kunnen ze tevreden zijn over de couleur locale: Brielle speelt in al haar glorie wederom een belangrijke rol. 

Het verhaal hou ik lekker voor mezelf, maar ik wil je al wel verklappen dat Noor een nieuwe huisgenoot krijgt. Het is er eentje met een groot ego, groene ogen, prachtig haar en een voorliefde voor knaagdieren. En meer zeg ik lekker niet.

Wordt vervolgd, dus 😊

Ik wens je een fijne zondag!

Renée Grashoff 

* Jazeker, ik heb er nu 3. En daar houd ik het bij. Hieronder de link naar

Trichisboeken

2025/13 - Blooming Balcony

Frosty nights, but gloriously sunny days, so my balcony garden has woken up. I have taken a chance on the weather and dared to hang up the planters on the railing again. It could mean a dash in the night to take them down again when there's a storm brewing, but I'll see it when it gets here. 

Blossoms from the street

The many blossom trees in my neighbourhood have woken up too, lovely!

I woke up at 6 a.m. as is my habit, and was greeted by a gorgeous citrussy scent, so I thought wow, that blossom smells divine! Until I noticed that Puck had molested my lemon pelargonium...Her breath smelled very un-doggielike for the rest of the day, which was good, but I watched her like a hawk to see if she would not suffer any ill effects. Fortunately she didn't.

This morning I watered the balcony plants, and saw that many of them have started growing. 75% Of my pelargoniums have survived the winter, which is bloody marvellous!

I did buy some forget-me-nots, as I adore that colour blue. I have combined them with pelargoniums (bloodred) and aubretia Antique Rose Imp (pink), so that I have some colour.

But there are also creamy white primulas, the ones on a stem. They are next to the Maroccan mint, bergenia, astilbe, parsley,  thyme and sage in the ground planter. By the time that mint takes over the primulas are past their prime anyway.

In one of the railing planters there are a few digitalis which have self-seeded. That will be interesting to watch when they grow...

Stipa and Pelargoniums as well as ....?

Because the veg did quite well on the balcony in 2024, I planted some endive next to the grape hyacinths. When the gh are spent, I will put a cucumber in as well.

And I also have a sugarsnap, for the first time. Let's see how that fares. I have one in Hunky Dory as well, so I can compare their performance.

Endive to the left, bulbs to the right

   There is rapeseed behind the sugarsnap to try to lure the pollinators. I tried some runner beans in 2019, but I had exactly one bean...

   The salvia and fuchsia are showing signs of life, and the mini rose is looking promising.

   But what is the star at the moment is the yellow wallflower. From a small plant two years ago, it has practically taken over the entire trellis planter. Totally crowded out my white grape, that is a shame. But the clematis is putting out new growth as well, so that doesn't mind that wallflower one bit.

Isn't she cheerful?!

The purple clematis

   I am really looking forward to the next few months. My gardens never cease to uplift my spirits.

   I hope you will have a great weekend, wherever you live. Especially you over there in Singapore, Hong Kong and Mexico though! You are my best readers at the moment, thanks very much. I would dearly love to visit your gardens. Perhaps one day...

   Greetings,

   Renée 

2025/12 - Wakey, wakey, my green lovely!

 We have had days and days of sunshine, hardly any wind, and though the nights were all below 8°C, no frosts. So my garden is definitely waking up!

The warmest part at the moment is the bank of the ditch. It is in full sunlight for hours on end, and it cheers my soul.

Another plant that is profiting from that sunny bank is my rhubarb. Last week a mass of almost black plant matter still, this week it has woken up, hurray!

Isn't it gorgeous?

I have four plants, so a glut of rhubarb is coming. Rhubarb crumble, rhubarb sauce, rhubarb jelly, and plain old rhubarb as a side dish. Delicious.

This plant is also showing its eagerness to get going. I believe it is called red pimpernel in English, rode pimpernel in Dutch. It was a gift from someone else's garden, and she didn't know the Dutch name.

Could not resist more of these happy faces... They make me forget all (well, I lie, not all) troubles in Europe and the USA. (Still called the USA? Or is that a forbidden word now? I can't keep up! Breast-feed is a no-no, but tit, totally acceptable, as is pussy. Well, obviously).

If you look closely in the corner on the left, you see the self-seeded  aquilegias. And a lot of that pesky grass that is self-seeding as well...grumble. But I will come with the trimmer very soon. For now I will leave it, as the nights are still very cold and my wildlife needs all the shelter it can find.

I say 'my wildlife', because when you pour all of your effort and frankly love into a garden, it is hard not to get possessive about it, right? So I can say I pray that this year my resident mice will leave MY seed trays alone!

My neighbour says "why don't you put some traps down?" - ehm... because I am the one who has to empty them.

I've tried to be clever and left the outer rims empty. Perhaps it will fool them. Probably not.

Since my first batch of spider plant babies froze (so, so sorry...), I have potted up the second batch. My plant at home provides me with a never-ending supply. There is a cyclamen there as well, also from a plant in my home.

Grape hyacinth

  Some grape hyacinths have turned up next to the frog pond, so sweet. They are very welcome.

   Oh, I have moved the obelisk from there, and put it more to the front of the plot. It was being crowded by the shrub next to it. They (I have two) need a new lick of paint. Another job.

   Talking of jobs, the winter quiet of the allotments has vanished. I was 'greeted' by the sound of hammering, sawing, drilling and tilling from all sides. But I have my little secret: I go early, before most people arrive. And then when the enthusiastic cacaphony starts, I leave. And what does that say about me, eh?

Simply that I like my peace and quiet.

Have a lovely weekend, and if you happen to be in the neighbourhood of Brielle, don't forget I have a 'meet-and-greet' in bookshop Hoofdstuk Een, Nobelstraat 16, Brielle, 15.00-17.30 at March 21st. My book 'Boerenwormkruid' will be available and I will gladly sign it for you.

Groetjes, Renée Grashoff 

 

2025/11 - Getting ready for Spring

 All of a sudden our weather changed from the usual dank, grey, dreary stuff to lovely sunshine during the day and frosty nights with a gorgeous waxing moon and 7 planets in a row.

My mini greenhouse

   Obviously a sudden and immediate urge to start gardening came over me, but...those frosty nights! So I compromised and sowed some Cosmos seeds in my mini greenhouse at home. The seedlings are shooting out of the ground!

   This morning at 06.10 we spotted a field owl flying from the cover of the trees along the old football grounds towards the ramparts. It always gladdens my heart to see or hear an owl. I grew up with a family of screetch owls in the hollow willow tree next to my bedroom, so I have a fondness for owls, any owls. They nestled there for years.

I tidied up a part of Hunky Dory already. My Hydrangeas got a trim, I weeded the border along the greenhouse and took stock of how my many bulbs there are doing. I fear the tulips I planted there a year ago will not be as numerous as in 2024. But the 4 different kinds of narcisi are looking good, and the flag iris and day-lilies have survived.

I then decided to clean out the leaves and snot from the pond, and what did I drag up out of the depth? A salamander! I saw its spotted yellow/orangey belly in between the leaves I had left on the bank (I always do for a day, so the beetles etc can crawl back into the pond) and felt so guilty for disturbing it, that I quickly put it back into the water. Silly me! I should have taken a photo! But its cold, wet body gave me a shock, so it was back in the pond in a second. Anyway, I am very happy that it is living there!

It isn't much to look at, and I have a problem with that pesky grass that is trying to choke it, but still, I enjoy that frogless frog pond and gladly top it up every week. 

So: plans for the coming days is to start clearing the rest of the garden.

I hope the mice will leave my seeds alone this year!

I sowed cosmos, nasturtiums and calendula in plugs. But have kept back half of the seeds, just in case!

I will sow my salad greens tomorrow.

These were some of my tulips last spring. They were 'fresh' then. I left them in the ground...so I wonder what will come up.

This bumblebee flew from the lovely sunshine into the shade and was cold immediately. It did not stop long there, but flew back to the hellebore in the sun. I can relate. In the sunshine it is lovely, but in the shade you still need a coat.

One of the women I help with their Dutch told me she was amazed when she saw us Dutch throw off our wintergear at the sight of the first ray of sun, flock to the terraces and behave as if it is mid July. Hahahaha, yep. That's us. We usually are so tired of greyness and rain, that we celebrate every minute of sunshine we get. To illustrate, I'll finish with a sunny pic.

My day-lilies. I planted six more last autumn, so here's to them!

Have a lovely weekend, I hope you will get some sun too!

Renée Grashoff