Garden: Late Frosts

Usually by this time in April the outdoor anti-slug shelving will be laden with tomato and chilli plants jostling with melons, aubergines and other tender vegetable plants getting hardened off before being planted out in the garden. But this year, after a really warm spell in the early part of the month they are yet to spend a single night outdoors. We are still carrying out the twice daily plant shuffle, which becomes increasingly difficult as the plants get potted on and take up more and more space in our salon-sejour.

Oh for a heated greenhouse or conservatory!

This April, as well as being incredibly dry - again - it has also turned really cold, culminating in frosts the last two nights. While the tender veg was smug and snug indoors, some things just can't be moved, like this gorgeous fig, Madeleine des Deux Saisons, which, by the look of these frosted leaves and fruit will only manage the one crop for us this year.

 

The fig will recover and the second bigger crop later in the summer is unlikely to be effected. I am much more worried about my newly planted walnut.

This has damage to both the leaves and shoots, most notably the leader which have become brittle and will not now grow. The tree will chuck out new growth from below the damaged plants, but the shape will have been drastically effected. The plan had been to prune the leader out once established to create a more manageable and bushy plant so I guess nature has just got in ahead of me! 

Let's see what she creates.