Escape

Just one week after sowing the seeds of 'Gardener's Delight' tomatoes (pictured), and also some chives, tiny green shoots have appeared already which l gaze at in awe. ln my mind, l am already harvesting the fruits of my labours.

l am deliberating whether to plant out the tomatoes when they are large enough, into Grow-Bags, or in pots. l think the pots will win. They are deeper for one thing, higher off the ground away from slugs and snails, and take up less standing room. The other option is to plant them directly into the border at the far end of the garden, but then they would be at the mercy of passing pedestrians, some of whom may like the idea of 'free' home-grown produce.

My herb border is getting a re-vamp after the winter, as it looks a little jaded. l've weeded and cut away any brown stems, and fed it with some organic pelleted fertilizer. The french tarragon appears to be dead. lt is an annual shrub, but l had hoped it would survive.

l'm in the process of ruthlessly hacking back a hypericum which has become a monster and taken over a large section of the border under the front window of the house. lt is a useful hotel for snails. They like to slide up into it's twiggy branches during daylight hours, then nibble holes in the choiysia and japanese anemones next to it when darkness falls. So, it needs to be cut down to size - around 18inches should be enough.

l was given some bulbs of an unusual plant called a Voodoo lily. lnitially, they need no soil or water at all. They can be stood on a saucer or a windowsill and the leaves and flowers just emerge. The flowers are said to have a very distinctive and pungent aroma. (Hence the name 'voodoo' ?!) After blooming, they are planted in soil and a new bulb forms in place of the old, now shrivelled one, then stored in a cool, dry place until the following Spring when the whole process begins again.