While Puck is on the balcony munching my Verbena Bonariensis (selfmedicating, she's nauseous) and the promised sun is hiding itself again behind grey rainclouds, I am trying to keep my spirits up.
 |
| Seen from the compost heaps |
So: as my plants are unconcerned, so will I be, tralalalala!
And to be fair, inspite of the wettest month of May ever recorded by the KNMI, it also was the warmest!
This is going to be a positive blog, despite the grey cloudcover and slug infestation, don't you worry.
Here we go.
This week I harvested the first punnet of strawberries, and they were lovely. Since they grow on a layer of old bark in between the other plants, that was a pleasant surprise. I share them with the birds (and slugs), which is fine. Only I'd like to see them eat a whole berry instead of taking two pecks and then going for the next one...My neighbour Hans has netted his bed, but then he is a proper veg grower.
I am enjoying his Peonies very much, absolutely gorgeous they are, right?
 |
| Peonies from Hans |
 |
| Tragopogon porrifolius |
The one on the left is called purple Morningstar in Dutch. Another neighbour, Arie, gave it to me. It's easy to see it belongs to the Aster family. Origin is the Mediterranean, where the root is eaten, and the leaves can be cooked like spinach. Harvest is from Oct til Feb, according to Wikipedia, and you should only eat the root in the first year after planting, as it turns too woody in the second year. It contains 48mg Calcium per 100gr. The plant can take light frost. Because I took the photo from above, you cannot see it is 80cm tall. And I will not eat it, I only have the one!
 |
| My drumstick Alliums |
Perhaps you'll remember I had planted a mass of Alliums (Nigrum), and that I was afraid they had all rotted away because my plot was flooded in Winter. Well, I worried unnecessarily, they are fine! The Nigrum has been in bloom for over a week, and the purple drumstick variety is in bud, as you can see. Only the Allium Hair, who already disappointed last year, has now disappeared altogether. That was a waste of money.
 |
| White Lychnis |
The Lychnis Alba is doing well. The silvery leaves match beautifully with those of the Artichokes. I'd like some more, so I will collect the seed.
Where my Clematis are not happy at all in Hunky Dory, the one on my balcony is doing great. It is climbing the trellis and is in bloom. I had not pruned it (the Wallflowers were in the way), but it didn't mind. Great, as I am a Clematis fan.
 |
| Pelargonium and Clematis |
The balcony garden is very lush and green, but with enough flowers to keep me happy. The Gherkin is producing fruit and the Tomatoes are full of flowers.
All they need is some sun. As do Puck and I.
Right. I hope you enjoyed this story. Have a lovely weekend!
