Areas of Concern

It is just under two months until our Garden Opening and I feel like I'm flying. Not in the sense of gliding or soaring as happily and nonchalently as the buzzards mewing overhead, but more in the sense that I think we'll probably be all right but there is a chance we might crash and burn.

With the warm weather everything is threatening to peak too soon. Usually our roses would be looking good at the end of June - the NGS day is the 24th - but if this weather keeps up it will all be over with only us and a handful of guests having seen them. But hey, the people who visit gardens are usually gardeners themselves and they will understand won't they? Won't they? Or will there be frowns of disapproval and mutterings of "Hmmm how disappointing" ?? If only we didn't have to be so visible. (We have to wear badges stating 'Garden Owner' - it will feel like a badge saying 'It's all my fault' or 'Direct your criticism at me' It would be so much easier to bear if we could just blend in with the visitors and tut and pass comments such as "I don't know why they've planted that there" (And indeed we probably don't)

There are three particular, or four particular, no maybe five or six particular areas that are causing me concern.....First why, in seven years have we still not managed to camouflage the sewage tank at the end of the Not the Daffodil Bed. Second, why does Not the Herb Garden still not look quite right? Third, will anyone actually find the Not the Sweet Pea garden so does it matter that it is empty? Fourth, when will we come up with some decent new names for these areas. Five, will the wildflower area under the apple trees actually ever germinate this year or will it remain bare for both the June and the September opening. And six, will the Buggery have anywhere near enough in it to attract more than a couple of lone bees?

And I haven't even mentioned filling the gaps left by things that have died over the winter. There is an area where a big old buddleia, that used to cover up an awkward slopey corner, has just died. We decided to tackle it at the weekend. What shall we do we wondered while sipping our coffee staring unenthusiastically at it. "Why don't we get some of those big stones and pile them up and plant some aubretia in them and plant a philadelphus over the top?" "Good idea - let's get to it." Half an hour later - hey presto - it looked...well ...like someone had piled up some stones and planted some aubretia.

When things aren't going too well in the garden I am glad I can at least take pride in my B&B business and one of the very nicest things about it is having people say how much they love it here - inside and out. And so I guess it can't be all bad out there. In fact I know it is not. There are some lovely bits and on the 24th June I shall stand by the lovely bits wearing my 'Garden Owner' badge with pride and cheerfully agree that some other bits are actually really awful and need to be better next year.