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 

2025/Boerenwormkruid Nieuws - 3

 

Het heeft even geduurd, ik moest heel veel geduld oefenen (niet meer mijn sterkste punt sinds ik besef dat de tijd als zand door mijn vingers glipt), maar eindelijk kan ik mijn boek vasthouden. Maar wat véél belangrijker is: jij kunt het óók vasthouden en lezen!

Onlangs kon ik in Donner met heel veel plezier (en toch ook wel trots) een exemplaar overhandigen aan mijn Eerste Lezer Cindy (zij is de knappe blonde).

Dat blijkt dus best een 'ding' te zijn, je Eerste Lezer (net als een schrijvershuisje in je tuin, trouwens. Oeps, past niet op mijn balkon!). 

Op 14 februari hoorde ik 4 Nederlandse bestseller thrillerschrijvers nadrukkelijk beweren dat een schrijver absoluut niet zonder kan! Liefst tientallen, als ik het goed begrepen heb. Nu moet iedereen doen wat zij/hij/het wil uiteraard, maar ik had er gewoon eentje en die zei "top, hartstikke leuk, leest lekker weg, uitgeven!" En daar heb ik naar geluisterd.

Op 21 maart a.s. zal ik mijn boek in de namiddag signeren bij boekhandel Hoofdstuk Een, in de Nobelstraat 16 te Brielle.

Uiteraard hoop ik dat jij, nu je de moeite hebt genomen om dit stukje te lezen, ook denkt top! Dat boek wil ik ook lezen.

Mocht je niet in de gelegenheid zijn om naar Brielle te komen, dan kan je mijn boek bij iedere boekhandel bestellen, maar de snelste manier is via deze link naar Webshop Trichis

Heel veel leesplezier!

Renée Grashoff 

2025/10 - Raisin' the Canopy

 It would make a good song title! Especially when sang with an American twang.

The before photo.

Yes folks, there was sunshine! But at home, on the balcony, it was 5°C, so I had my winter coat and hat on...Boy, was that a mistake, I was sweltering within 5 minutes!

But I battled on valiantly, quite in tune with that twang. "I'm gonna raise that canopy and have myself a glass of Tangeray before I throw an elk on the barbecue" sort a thang.

I swear all rabbits that heard me did a runner, just in case.

And after.

Hm. Not quite the romantic picture I had pictured, but never mind. Those branches will thicken out over time. And at least I can now take that path again without my head getting tangled up in that shrub, and mow that grass.

Apart from my olijfwilg, I tidied up the border next to the greenhouse, where the tulips, narcissi, lilies and primulas are showing themselves. In summer there are masses of gladioli (in a hideous mauve colour) of my predecessor there, which produce masses of leaves which then die back like straw. I pulled them out, but left the bulbs. Somehow I cannot bring myself to dig them up, they try their best to grow and can't help that someone thought that colour would be fun. I compromise by cutting off the flower stems and putting the flowers in a vase.

Yes, yes, definitely further along than a week ago!

And so are these, aren't they sweet?

I hesitated about cutting down the spent stems of the artichokes, but decided to leave them for a bit. There might be insects overwintering.

Tadaaa! One of my favourite plants in spring. It brightens up the entire corner next to the frog pond, love it.

Good times ahead!

Apart from that, I could not do much else. I was the only one there, the soil is far too cold still.

Book news

There will be a 'meet-and-greet' in my local bookshop Hoofdstuk Een by the end of March. I don't know the exact date (yet).

But I am extremely chuffed and pleased to be able to report that the people that have read it so far and made the effort to tell me, really enjoyed 'Boerenwormkruid'. Hurray!

So if you are curious, follow this link to Trichis webshop or contact me at dutchdeltagardener@gmail.com 

Have a lovely weekend!

Renée 

2025/9 - Oh, thank All the Gods that the sun is out!

 Any God can apply for the job, by the way, I'm not picky!

After too many, too long days of greyness, wetness and chilly gloom, today the sun is out! Sooooooo lovely!

I cycled to Hunky Dory to let some water out of my waterbutts, as there will be frost in the night, and I don't want them to burst. I was the only one there, so it was just me, the worms popping up out of the ground (their homes were flooded by me, sorry, sorry) and the narcisii showing colour.

Every spring it is a happy event for me to pick the first bunch to take home.

That ditch wall is the first soil to warm up, so these bulbs flower first. I took a quick look at my other bulbs, and they are coming along nicely as well. The newly planted Camassias are 10cm above ground.

After a struggling first few years, my Viburnum tinus is finally looking as if she has decided to put down roots. Good, she's very welcome to stay.

Can you spot the Camassia? Bright green, on the left. Monty Don says it is 'a bit of a thug', but I have plenty of those in my garden, so I dare it to challenge the others.

Slowly, slowly, the Hellebore opens up. I wait with great anticipation for the first bumblebees to wake up. I suspect some of them live very near that Hellebore. But this week it is far too cold for them still.

The majority of my plants and shrubs are still straw coloured. It makes the sheds and glasshouses stand out, as well as those waterbutts. Not very pretty...But oh well, it is an allotment after all. And just you wait for my roses.

Oh, will you look at that sky?! But I prefer that to the solid grey one we see so very often over here.

Puck and I braved two snow showers already, which turned her into the puppy that she has not been for 9 years. But the snow has melted away as soon as it fell, the frost is only in the night. 

Anyway, that sun lifts everyone's spirits, you can tell. May it stay with us for a while! Have a lovely weekend!

Renée Grashoff is the author of 'Boerenwormkruid'

ISBN 9789492881939

NUR 342

Trichisboeken.nl 

2025/8 - And there it is!

 It is such a cliché: my 'baby' has arrived.

But clichés have become themselves for a reason: they are truth.

When I opened that box from the publishers yesterday, it felt as if the baby of my leap of faith had finally arrived. I had worked hard for a year and then practised being patient for a year and a half, and there it was. 

Colourful. 

New. 

Mine.

Doing it all yourself certainly has its drawbacks (uncertainty about my investment, to name but one), but it has so many advantages too! I can do with it what I like now. 

I don't want to jinx things, so I'll keep my plans to myself for just a little while longer, but I do have plans, and they are (mostly) fun. And no-one is going to stop me, or demand 80% of the income of MY creativity and hard work.

And let me tell you, that is a wonderful feeling.

So. The only way is up! When doubt is creeping up on me (am I an old fool to start this at my advanced age?), I always remember a quote by Mark Twain:

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. 

If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

There is a lot of life in this old biddy, I tell you! Besides, there is no fool like an old fool, right? Here's to all old fools!

Renée 

2025/7 - 💥 Fame at last!💥 Boerenwormkruid and Gig.

 Totally off-topic, not a plant in sight (except on my photos), but it is my philosophy that if I'd like to Celebrate Life, I need to hang up the bunting myself! (That is a very useful practise by the way, at least you know there IS bunting).

In the webshop!

Update Boerenwormkruid

Another titillating titbit of news about the anticipated launch of my book: 

IT IS HERE!!!😊🇱🇺

You can order it through this link to the webshop  

https://www.trichisboeken.nl/product/boerenwormkruid

From today on you can also put your name forward to receive a regular Newsletter about my writing activities, by sending an e-mail to dutchdeltagardener@gmail.com leaving your name and e-mail address.

Yes, this blog is in English and the book is in Dutch, so this seems counter-productive, but I know my blog is read on a weekly basis by my fellow countrymen and Belgians both (in English, the clever clogs!). And they certainly are my 'target' (my apologies about that word, my Dutch and Flemmish friends, I totally appreciate you!)

Right, let me tell you about our gig last Sunday afternoon.

After a new bass player and drummer joined, and with an almost entirely new repertoire, Dusting Diamonds had practised for a year and a half before we thought to be ready. Our lead guitarist is a stickler for perfection you see, and rightly so, I see too many 'just for fun' bands perform (even charging money) that are not up to par. And I certainly do not want to make a fool of myself on a stage (unless I WANT to). 

Exactly

   

   So, there we were, Sunday afternoon, the music venue happily buzzing with those friends, family members and other folks that were not in bed with the flu. Trust me to organise a concert during an epidemic...

   Now do not think we sold out the Amsterdam Ziggo Dome; first of all it was a free concert and second muziekcafé MACH doesn't pack more than 80 or so. But enthusiastic people are wonderful! Especially when they sing, dance and sway along to your music.

   We all five brought in our darlings (and saw many fall along the way), so we play an eclectic mix of country-rock, blues, jazz and folk. 

   My personal preference is slow, steaming, swampy blues. I couldn't tell you why, as I have never visited the Mississippi area, and probably never will. But it resonates deep within me, if it were possible I would tell you it is in my blood. Hm. Probably from some past life (or utter bollocks). If you'd like an example of what I mean, please listen to the intro of Led Zeppelin's 'When the Levee Breaks', until Robert Plant changes pitch. No? Not your thing? Then try Buffalo Nichols 'Lost & Lonesome'. Still No? All right, good old Muddy Waters then: 'Mannish Boy'. I heard this at age 13, listening secretly under the covers in my bed, and was utterly blown away by it. That song was the start of a life-long love affair with the blues.

Anyway, a fellow musician from another band made my day by declaring he'd experienced goosebumps (from emotion, not horror) when I sang Lovin' Whiskey by Rory Block. Wonderful! That is exactly the reaction I like.

Have a great end of the week and weekend, won't you?

Love, 

Renée