Seeds are in, get ready for take off....

After reading about the greenhouse industry of purple podded peas I decided it was about time I got on with this year's seed sowing today. My long list of things to grow this year include lots of salad crops and beans, peppers and sweet corn - which I only grow to make paper from - as well as the usual fruit which is well under way. For flowers, I often grow herbs every year and always try some architectural plants for cover, stature and usually, magnificent leaves which lend themselves to printing from. This year it will be Ricinus 'New Zealand Purple', Pennisetum 'Purple Majesty', Nicandra - or Shoo-Fly to the rest of us - as well as loads of my favourites, dark red and orange sunflowers.

Of course, a greenhouse of soil filled pots is not that exciting to look at at the moment but the garden is full of seductive promise today so I couldn't help but take in the cherry blossom on both of our trees......

The damson and the pear tree are also starting to blossom well and today, I missed our apple trees which we had to cut down last year. I hope we are going to have a good summer crop of everything this year and that the glorious weather is a good omen for it. Our little pig cott has been cleaned out and hopefully, the swallows will be returning to it again soon. One of our 'heads' stands duty on the door keeping it safe for them. Apparently they have already sighted swallows in Amroth on the coast about 5 miles away. Unbelieveable. The earliest ours have ever come home is mid April, arriving on the same date two years running! When you think that the swallow has a brain no bigger than a pea isn't it mind boggling how they can fly 6000 miles and come home to breed in the same place at exactly the same time. I am in awe of this feat every year. They never fail to amaze or charm me.

Lastly, I noticed these euphorbia purpurea by the door and thought about how many 'greens' there are in Nature's palette. When you start to look at the plants around you, the variation is enormous. Too tiring an activity for a sunny Sunday afternoon though. Time to just enjoy what's on offer and give thanks.