Californian Dreaming

In my head my gardening skills are up there alongside the likes of Sarah Raven. In reality I am deluded. I have a history of announcing importantly that This Year I will be growing all our annuals for our garden [we're talking modern postage stamp size here you understand] and Oh Yes I am most excellent at choosing and buying appropriate seed packets. This is possibly where my expertise stops.

Occasionally I have been known to even get as far as putting some in compost in a seedtray [all of them you understand...spacing them/thinning them...pray of what is this you speak!!] and for the first couple of days rumour has it that I might even have been seen with a watering can in my hand....alas it's all downhill from there....for I soon forget and the poor things wither and die.

With this background in mind you can imagine why Mr GBT raised his eyebrows at me when I promised to grow poppies this summer. Incredibly I did plant both Icelandic and Californian ones, although the former germinated and then were exterminated by a shelled gastropod on a gourmet bender. Thankfully I am happy to report that I have had a little success compounded by Mr GBT's sensible decision to remove them from the seedtray and plant them on in the new raised bed he built earlier this year. They are now doing rather well despite my neglect!

Arilx