Leggy seedlings and longing for summer

Late January always feels like the point where my patience starts to wear a little thin. I am very much still running on deadlines, caffeine and the vague hope that summer might hurry itself along, even though I know perfectly well the garden is not interested in my schedule.

The seed trays are already keeping me humble. Some of my cerinthe germinated beautifully and then, because I left them indoors too long, about half of them shot upwards and are now looking far leggier than they should. So this is my reminder to myself as much as anyone else: as soon as those seedlings appear, they need cooler, brighter conditions and to get outside quickly.

That is the thing with January gardening. It is not especially glamorous. It is compost on the kitchen floor, checking trays before work, muddy paths, and lots of little jobs that do not look like much on the day. But they matter, and usually much more than the big dramatic jobs later on.

Whenever I need a break from all of that, my mind goes straight to summer flowers. Sweet peas, scabious, airy whites and all the armfuls I convince myself I will cut very sensibly this year 😄 Looking back at those sorts of flowers is often enough to get me through another cold week and keep me sowing.

So late January in my garden is looking a little scruffy, learning a few lessons, and keeping one eye firmly on the months ahead. Not perfect, but good enough for now 💚