May 2020
Allotment
In early May we were still eating from last year’s spinach and swiss chard beds. By late May these have bolted to seed – some of which I have left in place to collect seeds from.
From mid-May we were able to harvest the globe artichoke and have had two meals of these. There are more forming on the plant which should be ready to harvest by mid-June.
During May we harvested radish and very young zucchini, as well as red curly lettuce. Last year’s flat leafed parsley continued to produce, but by late May has started to set seed.
The rhubarb patch continued to produce and we made a batch of strawberry & rhubarb jam, of which several jars of jam were gifted to near neighbours.
Throughout May the strawberries were ripening and ready to eat (coming to the end of the harvest at the end of May). There were so many strawberries that we made two small batches of jam!
In late May we saw the start of yellow raspberry ready to eat, and the first early loganberries.
Back Patch
The bearded blue iris came into bloom and completed in the month of May 2020. All finished flowerheads were deadheaded by 30 May. These plants will have to be divided in June.
The roses under the first arbour came into bloom mid-May – gorgeous creamy yellow and pale pink blossoms, and quite fragrant.
Feverfew is in abundant flower in the shade under the cherry tree, as is also the new purple flowering mallow.
The Licorice Heuchera bed came into flower in the final weeks of May.
Peony came into flower. The three peony under the cherry tree are just starting to come into flower at the end of May – whereas the crimson peony planted along the side elevation raised beds as well as the crimson peony planted in the long perennial flower bed that runs along the railway path had come into flower much earlier in May.
Early May saw the lilac in bloom. Always a treat, if short-lived. By late May the lilac were finished.
Philosophising... 