Welcome to Elmsgate Design

I’ve been separating snowdrop bulbs this morning. The little nodding beauties have declared nature’s intentions and now they’re off for a long snooze. I put them in when we moved into Elmsgate, ten years ago, one of the first things I planted and they have spread beautifully since. They look lovely with the hellebores and are also one of the reminders in my gardening calendar that the ground is about to get warmer.

For me, it’s a prompt that it’s time to deploy those nematodes. The slug is my nemesis. I have lost carefully collared hostas, well-established delphiniums and I never count on the full lettuce crop making it to the plate. The little monsters can devastate a whole bed overnight. Do I sound slightly obsessed? You know they have 27,000 teeth, right? I even bought 50 Ways to Kill a Slug by Sarah Ford back in 2012 in my desperation. It’s a fun book btw. But for all my late night bucket raids in the garden and copper tape around the pots, I found the only sure solution is my microscopic little saviours.

If you can front the raging eccentricity of using the watering can in the rain, best time to nematode, then these are the guys for you. The ground has to be about 6° or they will stay dormant, and it will need another two coats before I’m happy, but I feel I can plant those carefully nurtured delphis with some confidence soon.

Another job reminder is the yellow haze enveloping the forsythia. To me that means the gauntlets go on and it’s rose pruning time. I have a Royal Velour clematis and Buff Beauty rose, which tangle together in summer to give the loveliest contrast of colours, so they get a good trim at the same time. I’m a bit ruthless with these two as they find their way over the fence into my neighbour’s drive. The rose is creamier in colour than it looks here but takes on a blush from the sun filtering through the purple. Great performers and worth considering for a sun-drenched fence or wall.

Next job is to plant the dahlia tubers a little later in March. I’m trying our a couple of new varieties beside my old faithfuls like Yellow Star. It had to be lifted and divided this season as the usual blousy over-abundance of blooms was lacking last year. It’s no wonder. Its tubers have filled two trugs.

I look forward to posting pics of the new display much later in the year and I’ll let you know how planting goes, but for now, there is some pottering about to be done.

Keep growing.