Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
9th March 2024
Mum’s the Word
Happy Mother’s Day Mum, for tomorrow (10th). Although it is always on a Sunday, the date of Mother’s Day changes each year as it is determined by the lunar calendar. It is always held on the fourth Sunday in Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter, which is usually towards the end of March or beginning of April. It’s early this year – and I hope that hasn’t caught any of you out!
Whilst it might be cutting it a bit fine to be shopping for your mum today, I did think that the gardening app that I mentioned last week – ‘Fryd’ – might make a good present for the keen gardening mum. And you don’t have to wait for it to arrive in the post! You can sign up for free here https://fryd.app/en and then upgrade (for a more generous present) to include more of the options.
Full of Wonder
As well as providing great pleasure, produce and pretty flowers, gardening also gives you lots of time to think. That can be a mixed blessing – it definitely pays to be able to manage those thoughts. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”
These days I find myself wondering about things more. Helpfully, Socrates said, “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom” and Quora suggests that, “Thinking is the more rational action, one that includes analysis, planning and other processes. Whereas wondering is a cross between curiosity and savouring the amazing aspects of life.”
That makes sense, as this week I have been wondering why daffodils are so tall this year and are moles happy. Having noticed that daffodils seem to be taller than usual, I picked a few from my garden and measured them. The average stem length was 21 inches – almost 2 ft in old money. They’re not all that tall but that is definitely taller than I recall them being. And then I wonder why that is. It doesn’t matter, of course, but I’d like to know. Is it connected to all the rain we have had – does the extra moisture make the bulbs perform better, have more ‘oomph’? I also have three tubs of ‘blind’ daffodils – ones that are all leaves and haven’t flowered – and I think that’s because they dried out too quickly after flowering last year. Ideally daffodil bulbs should be well-watered once they have finished flowering, in order to replenish the goodness in the bulb, for next year’s displays. Or maybe my super-tall daffodils have just been determined to keep their heads above water in the wettest Welsh February on record.
Looking at the ever-increasing number of molehills in the fields that back on to another garden I look after, I wonder what’s going on underground. Moles are solitary creatures and are only social when looking for a mate at this time of year, hence the increase in travelling and therefore all that extra soil removed from tunnels being pushed up as molehills.
Averaging three to the litter, the young are born from late March to early May, spending spend about one month in the nest. Moles are very rarely seen above ground as they are obviously extremely vulnerable to predators when out in the open. Adults only come to the surface to collect nesting material and to look for food when the soil is very dry but the young moles will come to the surface to look for new homes when they leave their mother’s burrow. I have never seen a mole above ground but will be paying more attention to the areas of molehills from late April to see if I can see one.
Notorious as the enemy of a keen gardener – and any ‘lawn rangers’, moles are fascinating creatures. I have just read A Life In Nature: Or How To Catch A Mole by Marc Hamer. I love Marc’s writing and have read and enjoyed all three of his books. This part of his memoirs chronicles his time as a gardener and mole-catcher in the Welsh countryside, telling of the experiences that have shaped him and of the wonders that he encounters each day. He also wonders about the fascinating ways of the mole and the myths that surround this curious creature.
Marc also wonders a lot. Maybe Einstein’s quote, “Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living,” should have read, “Be a gardener. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living.”
Pavement Gardening
I love spotting flowers that are blooming in the most unexpected places – this daffodil (photo) is growing out of a dry stone-wall. I suspect the bulb was put there by a hungry mouse who then forgot about it. But who knows …
It reminded me of the video I saw last year of a Chinese lady who had sown veg seeds in the cracks between paving slabs – with the most incredible results. Plants like erigeron, creeping thyme and saxifrage will grow quite happily in very little soil – as will buddleia of course – but this lady had successfully grown watermelons, kale and even sweetcorn in the joints between her pavers. It is quite remarkable. If you need inspiration, have a look at www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkdB0VVEA9w
Weed ‘em and Reap
Well, the arrival of March means I’m officially back on maintenance after all my extra-curricular winter projects. It’s nice to get ‘back in harness’ and into a sort-of routine, and definitely rewarding to leave a garden looking like this on a regular basis (see photo).
Make a start on your own garden as soon as you can – there were plenty of weeds already in this garden despite ‘putting it to bed’ late in October last year. Polls show that most people wait until Easter before they start work in their garden but if you can get a few weeks head start, you’ll be glad you did when it all starts growing madly and the weeds find their feet.
There was no ‘wondering’ how Speedwell got its name and whilst most purses are feeling the pinch, the Shepherd’s Purse in this garden certainly hadn’t been affected by the cost of living.
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