Spring in the air! Time to think about the garden.

The violence of spring: Paolo Uccello's The Battle of San Romano

Jonathan Jones chooses his favourite springtime artworks – in Uccello's battle scene the male energy of spring surfaces in a carnival of violence

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 April 2012 11.24 BST



Spring fruits and flowers add to the gaiety of this battle scene. War is a chivalric pageant: colourful lances and banners, feathers on helmets, trumpet blasts. Knights and archers are seen in the ploughed fields beyond the clash of metal at the heart of the fight. The colourful floral display and big round fruits recall Botticelli’s Primavera and, with its celebration of male energy, this too is a depiction of spring – here seen as a season of violence

The National Gallery

Easter

Katharine Tynan

Bring flowers to strew His way,
Yea, sing, make holiday;
Bid young lambs leap,
And earth laugh after sleep.

For now He cometh forth
Winter flies to the north,
Folds wings and cries
Amid the bergs and ice.

Yea, Death, great Death is dead,
And Life reigns in his stead;
Cometh the Athlete
New from dead Death's defeat.

Cometh the Wrestler,
But Death he makes no stir,
Utterly spent and done,
And all his kingdom gone.

We've had just a suggestion of early spring sunshine in London. Bought a small sack of multi-purpose compost this morning in Crisp Street market, in anticipation of this year's balcony gardening. It's probably a little early in the season to do much yet, though.

Because of last year's torrential rain, all the Crisp Street stall holders must have taken a hit on gardening merchandise. I couldn't find a medium-size flower pot today for love nor money.

I spoke too soon. Winter has returned to London with a vengeance. I'd planned on putting up some netting to support the variegated ivy, clematis and white-flowering jasmin but the gale-force winds of the past couple of days would have torn it to shreds.

Spring is certainly late arriving this year, Eddie; the cherry plum tree in my back garden normally produces blossom around the first week of Feb - a welcome harbinger (occasionally, it appears even earlier!) - but this year it has only now put on a reasonable display. No other blossoms are visible yet

I've risked the netting, but I notice that a few of the repotted container plants seem to have resented the unforseen return of winter. I'm hoping that the late winter/early spring sunshine will rescue and revive them, but it's possible that I've made my move too soon.

Last year we had no summer: rain, rain & more rain. This year, I hope the jet stream gives us a break.

Better a late spring than never, so up bright and early for a spot of container gardening on the balcony. Tied up the bamboo & netting supporting the white-flowering clematis with garden twine. Moved a red geranium outside and repotted it.
Bit of a disaster with the old aquarium I'd been using as an indoor propagator for some packets of RHS seeds, relics of an 'Underground in Bloom' prize at Rotherhithe. Green shoots visible, so I thought I'd shift it outside to the balcony, but it proved to be too heavy (all that gravel/compost) and unwieldy (3' x 1' x 1 1/2') for one person- and part of the bottom smashed en route- glass & soil & gravel everywhere. Luckily, the rest of the old aquarium glass remained intact, so it's still a perfectly servicable miniature greenhouse/cloche/flowerbed. Sunflower and poppy seeds and other delights sprouting away merrily. Spot of pruning on the other container plants, then stood back to admire the effect. Looking good.

Pic: aquarium/cloche/miniature greenhouse/flowerbed on the left:

Here's the front garden. Not much room for a lawn or a nice bit of topiary on the kitchen window sill...

Clematis is blooming on my balcony in the May sunshine:

New additions: 'Blood, Fish & Bone' feed kicking in:

glad to see the pictures and read the gardening updates, Ed. They've cheered me up.I was feeling a little low because Elisabeth has been experiencing ups and downs. Dont know if its just teenage girl angst or something more.

Elisabeth has tended to the raised garden beds in the back of the yard and I have been helping her. It's too far for the hose to reach so we lug out water everyday. So far everything but the basil has come up.Wehave arugula, lettuce, parsley, one string bean plant, quite a few cucumber, Chinese spinach, scallions, beets. In a few weeks well put in tomato plants and probably pepper and maybe eggplant. Today it finally rained so her garden got a good soaking.

E cried about her life last night which has me unnerved.Most indicators are good (sleep eating, school, appearance) but I've had her seen the schol psychologist twice. She is willing. Few friends, an introvert but very close to me. Im glad she has the garden for comfort and she has been doing a Lot of cooking. She is into eating healthy and pours over recipes on the Internet before deciding what to make. Yesterday she made baba ganoush and Monday she made turkey tacos.

so Ed are you going to have any tomato plants?

Anyone else planting a garden?

Just normal teenage angst, Constance. From what you describe, Elizabeth sounds much more together than I ever was at that age. Nothing to worry about, I'll be bound.

Impressive-sounding vegetable patch! I've never attempted much vegetable-growing myself, preferring decorative plants for some reason. But there's no reason why I shouldn't try it; the limited space on my balcony needn't be too much of an obstacle if I use 'gro-bags' in lieu of an actual vegetable patch, so perhaps I ought to give it a go this year.

I've recently discovered the near-miraculous properties of 'Blood, Fish & Bone' plant feed. Sounds sinister, but you just sprinkle a little on the soil (sparingly, following the instructions on the packet), fork it in, water, then stand back to admire the results. Promotes health, growth, greeness, flower colour etc. It's good for vegetables, too (it says here).

Another suggestion: try a longer hose!

All the best, Constance, and happy gardening. Promotes health & well-being.

Ed x.

I hope you're right about Elisabeth, Ed. she had another bad night last night, two in a row. She cries and complains that she is worthless, no good, all sorts of nonsense that seems to come from nowhere. She wants me to lie down with her and hug her and then she pours out all her thoughts. I took her to a therapist three wks ago but she wouldn't go back for a second visit. she is seeing the school psychologist whom I am communicating with. She still sits at the kitchen counter with me in the afternoon and doesn't hide herself away which is good. And she is certainly communicative. I had her checked out by her MD and she has a vitamin D deficiency and she is slightly anemic. She isi taking I supplements now. she has not had her period in four months which might be causing havoc with her hormones. She used to come home from school and sing all afternoon and I miss that.

The garden is coming along very nicely and we are excited about that. I have already pinched off and tasted the arugula, scallions and Chinese spinach. t rained yesterday and there is rain in the forecast mixed with sun and clouds both today and tomorrow. Madeleine has exams inthe morning and comes home early which is nice. She had calculus yesterday and English today. In Septemberj she will be going to Union College in Schenectedy NY (about two hrs north) where Theyy gave her a big scholarship. She is second in her class and will make a speech at graduation. One of three litters of puppies is being born this wk, the second around the 24th, and the third dog is bred this month. Can you imagine how the breeder can handle so many puppies at once?

A sunny few days in London, and the balcony garden is coming along nicely:

It's a jungle out there:

Bumble bees loving the flowers. The white-flowering climber in the background is jasmine. If the heat-wave continues, the tall spindly thing left of centre will eventually (I hope) morph into a Van Gogh sunflower.

Bee on sunflower this morning, first I've grown:

I'd christened my (Self-) Publishing company "The Yellow House at Arles", after Van Gogh:



...so I'm interpreting the emergence of this flower as a good omen for its first imprint:



Details here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Well-Shadows-Underground-ebook/dp/B00CPRIEU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368255755&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Well+of+Shadows%3A+Underground+London%27+Ed+O%27%27Regan

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My friend Eccles telled me that dead heading is good for your garden.

I hear them sing

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you trying to scare someone?  
María Dolores is not even listening



Because I love you so, oh because I love you
I left my door one morning and started the walk
Because I love you so, because I love you
I left those mounts and came by the sea

Your name tastes like the grass
grass that grows in the valley
from gusts of water and sunlight

Your name keeps me tied
to the waistband in your clothes
on the cross of your underskirt

Because I love you so, because I love you
although you're far away I feel you à fleur de peau
Because I love you so, because I love you
the way becomes shorter

Your name tastes like the grass
grass that grows in the valley
from gusts of water and sunlight

Your name keeps me tied
to the waistband in your clothes
on the cross of your underskirt

Because I love you so, because I love you
my voice breaks like the sky clears up
Because I love you so, because I love you
I left those mounts and came by the sea

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