Finally, after so much rain here in Essex, England, the weather is beginning to warm up and the past few days have been beautifully sunny.

Today I’m direct sowing Zinnia ‘Zinderella Peach’ seeds in both containers on my west facing wall. Zinnias like the heat and flower from July to September.

I’m also planting a birthday gift for my wonderful friend Tina. It’s a miniature Ficus Tree (Weeping Fig) called ‘Kumani’ and it has a really attractive braided stem. Ficus Trees can either be an indoor house plant here in the UK, or we can leave them outside during Spring and Summer and take them inside for the colder months. They love bright light but best not to put them in the direct sun during the hotter parts of the day in case their leaves burn.

For Woodland Courtyard I am planting up my hedgehog planter with Apple Mint (don’t plant Mint directly in the ground as it’s invasive and you’ll live to regret it!), and for my bird planter I have done gorgeous scented Sweet Basil.

Finally, I am adding some lovely ground cover plants. All love full sun and heat. The Thymes can also withstand cold temperatures down to 10 Celsius (44 Fahrenheit). The Ajugas and Phlox can tolerate even colder temps of 20 Celsius (4 Fahrenheit):

Golden Thyme (CITRIODORUS Aureus)
Thyme (Vulgaris Silver POSIE)
Thyme (PULEGIODES FOXLEY)
Ajuga (Black Scallop)
Phlox (McDaniel’s Cushion)

If you’d like to join my Facebook page, also called The Enthusiastic Gardener, you can find it by clicking this link:

  / theenthusiasticgardener104622541169305  

I am also on Instagram @the_enthusiastic_gardener

Have fun in your gardens!

Janette, The Enthusiastic Gardener

   / @theenthusiasticgardener  

Today’s music:

“Santa Teresa” by Patinlo

“Et Voila” by Chris Haugen

Bassa Island Game Loop Latinesque by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty...

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

All available on the YouTube Audio Music Library