Last winter I recorded some of the promises I had made myself about the garden and gardening. Nine months on some have worked, some have been ignored and the jury is still out on others.
This review may tip you off or give you some hints for your own set of promises.
These gardeners promises were recorded on the computer so I couldn’t escape. I also put some in a garden log book which I ‘promised’ to keep up with but seldom did – I blame the weather!

‘Inula hookeri’

Garden Promises

1. Get more scent from flowers particularly for the house. Fair progress with good Sweetpeas, that produced umpteen bunches and from strongly scented Phlox. Spring was a bit slow so I have just planted some ‘Narcissus Cheerfulness’ for next year.
2. Create a plant and seed nursery. I have again failed to dedicate even a small area to sow seeds direct into the ground or a plant nursery spot for growing-on plants or taking cuttings. I am a plonker, that is I plonk in anything anywhere. The promise for next year must be to stop being a plonker.
3. Take more care of chrysanths. I see these great flowers as high maintenance and I do not do right by them. I forget to pinch out, failed to pot on or stake as soon as needed and do not deserve to do well; nor do I.
4. Fruit area design & order. I have reduced the veg patch and ordered more raspberries, red currants and bought a thornless blackberry. This is one promise that is well on the way.
5. Rambler rose. I lost my rambler some year ago and intend growing another but haven’t found the space or variety yet.
6. Lift crown on the bamboo clump. I must look out the variety of the well behaved bamboo that I grow as part of a mixed hedge. I wanted space underneath the green canopy and so pruned out some of the lower growth leaving the top untouched. Early days yet and I have probably been too cautious. 50% of a job well done I guess.
7. Allow plants to grow old. I want to move on in the garden before plants have matured and given us the best. Again I am chopping down to early and loosing potential specimen plants before they can look old. I know I am impatient and missing out.
8. Keep a better record of names and varieties. Failed
9. Give plants appropriate space. Failed I still cram everything in
10. Use more hard landscaping. Failed still clearing more ground for more plants.