A few days later than normal this month. Not sure why but the month seems to have run away from me already! Had two marvellous days in the garden this weekend and the greenhouse is now sparkly clean and set up for the new year ✨

First of March is St David’s day, 5th St Piran’s day. These are the patron saints of Wales and Cornwall.

8th of March marks International Women’s day (and St John of gods day who is the patron saint of booksellers)

Sunday the 10th marks Mothering Sunday and this also marks the start of the Ramadan at sundown (this is the start of the Islamic month of fasting, prayer & reflection – Ramadan Mubarak 🌙)

17th is St Patrick’s day in Ireland and either side of this day I have my sister in law’s and my husband’s birthday to celebrate.

On the 20th we have the Spring Equinox at 03:06 which marks the start of the astronomical Spring! 🌸🪻🌷 Pagans celebrate the start of spring with Ostara.

On the 23rd the Jewish Purim begins at sundown, followed by the Hindu spring festival Holiday that starts at sundown.

Christians celebrate Easter on the 31st which is also when summer time begins when the clock “springs” an hour forwards.

This month’s full moon is called the plough or worm moon and falls on the 25th this month 🪱🚜🌕

My beautiful lavender is no more 😭

It’s been a long time coming and it was needed. It was time. I have to say though, I’m sad. I’ve lived having the see of fragrant flowers to brush through every time I went into the garden. I planted these plants 6-7 years ago and until 2020 they were never pruned. This is where the problem lay. If lavender goes unpruned it grows woody. Woody growth does not produce new leaves or flower stems. Resulting into the skeletal plants I ended up with. Not helped by my cats loving to lie in it (thanks ferrous 🤦‍♀️). So today way the day that they got the chop. I decided a couple of years ago that I wanted to replace them and just couldn’t 🥹 they’re my first surviving garden plants and well, you know, feelings and stuff. But as I was going through the bushes I saw that the wood was half rotted in places, soaking wet and just not in a healthy condition. Next steps are to remove the stumps as much as possible, weed the cr*p out of this section and when funds allow, buy new lavender bushes. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go without it in the garden 💜

It’s amazing what a bit of sunshine can do for your mood. Specially starting the day in the morning sunshine with a coffee in hand walking around the kitchen garden and planning this year ahead. Visualising where things will go & grow.

Last year my brother helped me make these two raised beds. They were for narrow gaps in the greenhouse and whilst they worked in theory (and fit physically into the space), they just didn’t do it for me. So this year, I’m wanting them to go outside and I think I like this little set up (see above). I may need a support or trellis to make sure they’re not going to blow over in the next heavy wind 🌬️ though.

I’ve also set the greenhouse up for this years growing bonanza. A new layout and I am looking forward to be able to walk around the centre bed for a change! This is what I love most about the raised beds I created, not a single year is the same. This means the greenhouse can adapt to my needs and likes and all because I put my beds on wheels. Everything looks nicer in the sun too and morning coffees in the greenhouse seem to be making a come back.

More days like this please! ☀️