May is a stonker month for maturing plant life. I had taken a bit of leave the last week of April and when I walked through that garden wall for the first time in ten days, I was dumbfounded with the surge of growth on the trees, the bushes and especially in our PYO flower garden. As I did my Monday morning walk around the sunlit stone walls to see what I needed to prioritise for the week, the list seemed endless. I needed to catch up. The recent good weather was a blessing and despite the lack of rainfall, everything seemed to be blooming at a rapid rate.
This is the month every gardener gets excited about. It is finally the time to really get tearing at those seed packets, a month of endless sowing of seeds, daily watering checks, pricking out, potting on and if the soil is warm enough, sowing directly into the ground which needs weeding, raking and drill prep. There is no greater joy for a gardener to see those first seeds pop up through the soil.
The polytunnels are now bursting with various salad leaves, broad beans - nearly a metre high and in just the last few days are now showing off their baby pods, (did you know you can eat the top buds that are usually picked off to prevent blackfly? They’re extremely tasty sauteed in butter, garlic, a splash of white wine vinegar and lemon juice or made into various combinations of pestos, added to soups, quiches or omelettes) herbs that have self sown and are now luxuriating in the warmth and freshly spread compost, and of course housing several trays of seedlings.
I’ve transferred the peas to a new bed, five cane structures being their framework and training ground. Mangetout, Sweetpea and Oregon Sugar Pod, soon to be added to Chef Darren Broom’s Spring Menu. In the smallish top beds, I’ve planted Leek Tadorna, Spring Onion, Mixed Radishes, Mixed Beetroot and Beet Leaf. Pink Fir Potatoes are in a new bed this year. I’ve cleared one of the old ones, and fingers crossed, it’ll yield a good crop.
The challenge is the Pick Your Own flower patch. With 36 beds, they all need weeding, straw paths laid down and staking. The hundred and fifty or so tender Dahlia tubers need putting back in the ground after having spent the winter buried in soil and hibernating through the coldest months in the glass house. Keeping on top of the mowing and strimming for the influx of events that are now streaming in, is also keeping me on my toes.
This month's star flower is the Camissia Leichtlinii. I can’t begin to tell you how many times guests have asked for the identification of this gorgeous herbacious perennial. Bees can’t resist the nectar rich flowers, so this makes it a great asset for wild areas in the garden, meadow or mixed borders. Did you know that the bulbs of the Camassia species are edible and nutritious roasted or boiled. They must be properly identified as they are very similar to the meadow death - Camas, which grow in the same habitat, so please be careful!
I leave you here. Your homegrown meal shall soon arrive, and there are wines to taste and new flavours to introduce to your palate, (Our non-alcoholic Sprigster, a popular cocktail to try), stories to catch up with among friends and family and the best of views from the conservatory windows or terrace to feast your eyes on.
I wish you the most splendid of meals, with warm service and a generous smile.