Rhubarb and asparagus make welcome return to table

Despite the very cold Spring, the plants in the garden at Bracken House are finally starting to catch up. After five months of below average temperatures, plants have been very slow to burst into leaf and flower, but they are now showing signs of catching up.

In the vegetable patch, everything is now sown and planted. Asparagus has already been harvested, and lettuce and radish will soon be ready. The peas have disappointed so far, but a few new plants and more seed sowing should have sorted that out. Some of the sweet corn has also been replaced.

Rhubarb crumble (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the tubs around the patch, rhubarb is now ready, so rhubarb crumble will soon be appearing on the dinner table.

The lawns and grass paths are all looking great, but cutting is now reaching its peak. The lawns need cutting twice a week, and the paths at least once a fortnight, maybe even weekly, depending on the amount of rain.

In the flower borders, old plants have been replaced and some of the borders have been top dressed with horse manure to try to combat water logging. About half of the flower borders have now had some attention, with the large front garden now becoming a priority.

With a few days of decent weather, the gardens could soon be back to their best and all that will be needed is routine weeding and hoeing.

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