[jambutty]

Last year I treated my garden to a liberal dose of Weedol to try and kill off all the grass and weeds that reminded me of the African Veldt. My number one grandson lifted some 30 concrete flags and then used a rotavator to turn everything over.

I sowed a large “V” (for victory) area with Poppy seeds as my memorial garden and the remainder with Meadow Flowers and sat back to await a floral display come this summer.

So what happened? The grass grew back as tall as ever and swamped the new seedlings and the slugs got the rest except in one corner where a few meadow flowers bravely greeted the summer. Although one monster shot up like a rocket with a wonderful display of delicate blue flowers, which the passing bees enjoyed. I’ve gathered some seeds for next year. A few bedding plants did put some colour into the garden but my attempts to grow hollyhocks, foxglove and lupins from seed just made the slugs and snails fatter still.

My next door neighbour gratefully received the flags to lay down a patio and in return I accepted the soil that was removed to make room for them. Fair swop I thought.

My grandson was called upon to do some digging. Right in the centre he dug out a circle about 5 feet across and as Focus were having a ‘get rid of all stock’ sale I got 500 litres of general compost. The 6 inches deep circular hole was half filled with compost and right in the middle we placed 24 white and yellow daffodil bulbs. Around these in a large circle went 80 white, blue, purple and yellow crocuses. 200 snowdrops surrounded them and were neatly buried in more compost. The rest of the garden got zapped with Weedol and after a couple of weeks anything green that poked its head up got nuked.

I also managed to trace some English bluebells and I await their arrival. So my slave dug out a section in one corner to receive these bulbs. I put 30 foreign bluebells in to await the arrival of the genuine article. The zapping of green stuff continued and will continue until next spring when the centre bulbs will start to show.

Meanwhile I sowed more hollyhocks, foxglove and lupin seeds in bio degradable pots, placed them in two trays and every morning when I got up I would take them out and place them in a sunny spot and come evening bring them back in again. No slugs were going to get this lot. They have now been planted out now alongside one fence with a liberal dose of slug pellets all around them. The half time score is slugs nil me 2. Meaning that 2 fat slugs have paid the ultimate price for trying to eat my seedlings.

By pure chance I was driving along Mosley Street in Blackburn when I spotted poppies growing on some land where houses had been demolished. (I have very good long vision) I harvested lots of seed because they were Opium Poppies and you cannot buy them now. I blame the Taleban. These together with some packets of normal red poppies that I have bought and the seeds from some yellow poppies that will grow anywhere like the crack in a brick wall, will get sown next spring to form a memorial garden surrounded by meadow flowers.

I am looking forward to next spring and summer.