Perhaps naively I’ve been anticipating the arrival of spring, those brief skin tingling sun rays, the sight of a robin with a feather in his mouth, a splash of yellow from an early narcissus. My house once again has all south facing window sills adorned with trays, and pots, and toilet rolls (as shown in video). Seeds buried in warming moist soil. Germinating glints of green. Quickly towering forests of vibrant broad beans (Aquadulce Claudia) looking for a stray sunny beam. Wanting to grow more herbs this year I have set the pod exploding germination process going with Chives, Parsley, Tarragon and Basil and whilst the chives are already beginning to spindle their way through little black nodules, the rest of the seeds sit happy, closed, a chemical war occurring behind their innocuous surfaces. I’ve run out of room, but green fingeredness calls me on, my passion becoming a little out of control!

Aquadulce Claudia is a great, all-round broad bean

However, my plight to protecting my plants has been far from successful this year, with my lack of assertiveness once again losing many osteospermums and putting my echium webbii in clear and present peril. Though covered from the snow and frost for most the season, the impact of heavy snowfall has scorched my poor little gem, killing its leaves and leaving only sporadid green noticable through its dead, sad outlook. In a rather late bid to attempt resuscitation I have brought it inside for a little warmth but I wait with baited breath to see if a miraculous recovery can be achieved. The star of my garden, my horticultural prowess will be ruined if I’ve killed the thing in less than a year, and whilst I’m sowing, sowing, sowing in a bid to appease my guilt, my echium looks sadder by the day.

Will my poor little echium webbii survive?