28th day of May; current temperature 11 degrees Celsius and in a fresh northwesterly it feels more like 8 degrees. 147 days of the year gone and 218 till we’re back with a January.
It has been an average spring, meterologically speaking: sunshine and showers, thunder and lightening, late frosts, and rough winds a plenty to shake those darling buds.
RHS Chelsea has come and gone, Chatsworth kicks-off next week whilst here on our own little green isle the biggest event in the Irish gardening calendar gets under way once more in just 3 days time when the Bloom festival in the Phoenix Park opens for its 13th year. The spring Bank Holiday was observed yesterday across the pond, while next Monday sees us here in Ireland celebrate the Whitsun holiday and with that the official onset of early summer.
We’ve not posted anything at all since the Greenfingers reminder in early April. We’ve had a little time on our hands of late, an imposed time-out necessitated by our own incongruant numbers of sorts, but, we were paying attention; idly perhaps, but definitely nonetheless. Did you know that there was a total of 27 medals awarded at this year’s RHS Chelsea show? Did you know for instance, that the greatest number of consecutive gold medals ever won at this same show was 60, by Hilliers Nursery, Romsey, from 1939-2004? and something you may not know is that left with the time on our hands we discovered that we have 79 different varieties of flower and vegetables on the monster’s measure this year, and in remembering that we still have some late varieties of swede and cabbages to go out, and late tenders for the polytunnel still to sow, well, that should tip the our sowing diary over the 80 mark before too long.
The curtailment in physical activity the last 6 weeks at least directed dirtdigging interest elsewhere. We now know the 10 Top Pots for Summer Patios and the 20 Best Gardens Along The Wild Atlantic Way. We also now know 5 Fiery Blooms for instant colour and 7 sure-fire steps to a greener lifestyle. We are also reliably informed that we can have 12 months membership of the RHS for only 9 months subscription, oh! And that the number 1 plant at the RHS this year is a sedum (one of our favourites btw) sedum takesimense ‘Atlantis’. It’s all about the numbers. You need a score of 27 points for a gold medal award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and just to make things a little more challenging from next year those wishing to win one of the coveted medallions and seals will now have to score 30 points.
Monster in the corner set out its stall 9 years ago, and a little over 2 years ago had to endure a forced move and relocation, but it all came good, so much so that awards for best in category and class were presented to the monster in 2015, 2016 and 2017. We’ve a little catching-up to do but not too much, the Monster’s measure is well laid, and Mrs. Dirtdigger’s fingers are truly greened. We will stake-out the planting paddles this weekend and once we bed the French beans and pumpkins in the coming fortnight we will be all set for summer 2019.
Last year’s monster bounty saw us make (among other things)120 jars of jam, 9 jars of chutney and over 40 jars of tomato sauce and salsa, and the first preserves of this year’s season should be jarred in the coming days. So just as the Sowing Diary entries wane, the Monster’s Mouth pages now increase.
50 pots of purple cascade sown; 6 greenshaft courgettes, 7 black beauty, cucumbers and almost everything else put to bed. 25 days left till the full-bright, midsummers day and still plenty of time to get the kicks. But look after yourselves as you’d look after your garden, take a little time to garden the self, for as grumpy ol’ Sam Beckett once surmised there are More Pricks Than Kicks about the place; indeed, and as the good book itself records in Acts chapter 9 verse 25, it is hard to kick against this worlds pricks.
Hopefully we will have some long hot days to look forward to in the coming weeks, a few weeks the likes of those experienced last summer certainly wont go amiss but whatever the coming summer season brings, chill out, and we’ll post more anon..
Monster In The Corner... 