Hot trowel action

As I said back in March, I really wanted a copper trowel. After a windfall I spent some of the money on this very item, which duly arrived in the post on Friday. A first trial down the allotment proved it to be sturdy and sharp: assets any self-respecting trowel should aspire to.

During a full afternoon of allotment work with my trusty assistant, we managed to get a lot done. The tomatoes, peppers and globe artichokes are now transplanted into the cold frame, which was anything but today as the weather was steaming hot, feeling more like July than April. Finally got the last of the tatties in the ground and got some serious earthing up done of the ones that have already come up to protect the young shoots from the frost that's bound to follow such a cloudless day.

Saturday was spent mooching around garden centres with my mum in search of my birthday present. My birthday was some time ago but it took me a while to decide what I wanted, and inevitably, a horticultural theme raised its head. One of the two garden centres we visited - Wyevale in Woburn Sands - was reopening after refurbishment, and pop star turned gardener Kim Wilde was the celeb chosen to reopen the place. We steered clear of the ex-singer, the scary-looking clowns blowing up balloons for frightened-looking children and the brass band playing the worst type of jazz, focusing our attention on the shop's selection of acers. The two I chose, pictured above unceremoniously dumped on the patio, are rather lovely and a pleasing shape. I don't have the latin names to hand but will add that information once I've retrieved the labels. They'll sit, sheltered from the cold and the sun, on the shady patio, where I can see them from the kitchen window.

Comments

[Kathy]

Here in the States we call them maples, not acers. Yes, Acer is the genus name, but your average gardener wouldn't call them that. There is a brand of running shoe called acer, so I did a double-take.

[avril]

they look like Japanese maples~are they? Either way, maples are lovely all year long. Recently discovered your blog and am really enjoying it!