As I’ve written before, in Japan the seasons are broken down into 72 micro seasons and given little titles.
I find it quite delightful and, although their seasons may not be the same as ours, I like to see what they call them. So just a few examples from these two months:- April 5-9 Swallows return, April 15-19 First rainbows, April 25-29 Last frost, rice seedlings sprout, May 10-14 Worms surface, May 21-25 Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves.
I was starting to get very downhearted- the pernicious weeds in the garden are having a field day- ground elder in almost every flower bed firmly entrenched in root balls of plants, monstrous bindweed colonies (both varieties), the dreaded green alcanet whose only redeeming feature is that the bees like its early blue flowers, nettles and a creeping ground ivy of some sort. Yes, my energy level felt a bit feeble and I became despondent.
But yesterday the sun was shining and I had the best gardening day with a helper. We lifted lots of clumps of perennials and pulled them apart, ditched the ground elder, in some cases we even washed the roots of what we were putting back, and now it looks much better (in that one place!).
And this morning the sun is shining and there is splashing in the frog ponds. I marvelled at the beauty in the garden. In the meadow (i.e. the bottom lawn which now remains uncut) the primroses and scillas have spread. There are lots of cowslips showing and there is a big patch of violets which have got there all by themselves.
Suddenly the weeds were of no concern at all and I was aware of just how much I love this piece of ground which is ours to look after. Surely these two months of April and May must be some of the loveliest in our English calendar. Enjoy.
And I’ve discovered a new plant- new to me I mean. Speirantha convallaroides – a relative of the lily of the valley, from SE China. Described as having scented white starry flowers, spreading gently to form a patch in shade/semi shade. I bought it at Pan Global Plants which is a paradise of unusual plants. The owner goes on plant expeditions to far flung corners of the globe and in many cases brings back seed which he raises at the nursery. I can’t wait to see if it likes it here. And I’m waiting for May 10-14 when ‘Worms surface’ in Japan. I could do with seeing more worms in my flower beds, so I’m hoping that they are deep down where the soil is warmer. I’ll let you know….
Barbara McNaught