I had to go to America at the end of May and was away for six weeks. When I came back
I was amazed by how overgrown my garden was. I shouldn't have been: in June, the sun rises at 4 and sets at ten something.
I have always wanted to live in a house surrounded by a wildflower meadow -- I did get the meadow, though none of the flowers I planted came up, Only the lettuces and my herb garden, both of which I weeded carefully before I left, survived. Here are the lettuces;
I planted lots more: artichokes, poppies, nasturtium, ranunculus, lillies, sweet peas. People on the island say it takes a few years to learn how to grow things here -- and, "If you don't get your weeds under control by the first of June, you're doomed." I was in America from the end of May until the now; and people have also said June is the worst month to be away from your garden.
Next year I'll know better -- but in the meantime, at least I have lettuces and who knows, once I clear the weeds away may find that more survived than I thought at first. Maybe it will turn out to be quite a lot like writing a first draft -- get it all in and see what works. Diana Wynn Jones says she never even knows what her books are really about until the second draft. Maybe it will be the same with my garden.
I've already ordered more seeds.