Almost ready to go for it!

What a wonderful long weekend. Some rain, but mostly warm, balmy days. The seedling Cannas in their pots look healthy in their polytunnel, and the collection growing directly in soil in the large polytunnel have never looked healthier this time of the year. The aches in my back and knees are easily overcome by the feeling of sheer pleasure at starting gardening again in warm weather!

The Cannas have all had several doses of fungicide since the New Year, and yesterday I also gave them a dose of liquid seaweed fertilizer. The outdoor borders, where the collection will grow this summer have been dug, pelleted chicken fertilizer has been added in large quantities, and they have been covered with clear plastic sheeting. The sheeting will serve to warm up the beds, which are still cold and wet, and will also quickly germinate any seed on the surface. A couple of days before planting out I will visit them with a hoe, so we start the season without needing a hard weeding session.

The temperatures are fine, and the 10 day weather forecast shows a minimum night temperature of 9° C. over that period, so no frosts threaten. Yet I am hesitant to move the collection and seedlings outside yet. There is still time for wind from the north to bring frosts with it, and that would be the demise of the collection, with so many new tender shoots in evidence.

So, I intend to wait until next weekend and review the 10 day weather forecast then, and if it looks good then I will go for it! It will take two weekends to move the 200 large pots outdoors, and to transplant the collections 200+ specimens in their prepared borders, but I am looking forward to it so much after 6 months of hibernation.

I am not looking forward to the body aches that I will pick up, but the pleasure of seeing the Collection growing outdoors again will override the discomfort!

Another recent acquisition that I am looking forward to watch growing this year