Planting out

Today has been ideal gardening weather, with moist soil after 7 mm of rain yesterday giving perfect conditions for getting things into the ground and growing - there was quite a build up. A late spring planting gives an opportunity like few other occasions to really assess the garden and think about how its interest can be prolonged through the year. Thoughts might go something like this:

Just the place for that penstemon! Wish those tulips would die down. How have I missed that Ash sapling so long? That hellebore has black death, got to go - shame, it's Helen Ballard's 'Laura', wonder if I'm still in credit with Gisela from that 'Diggory' - it flowered so beautifully - what big roots these things have, better get them all out though: perfect place for that Podocarpus - oh look it's got a berry - hope it doesn't mind lime - need to find something to go at its foot. Must prune that, Sibylle will enquire. Wretched colchicums. What's this big gap? oh yes, candidissimum - that lily would be nice there - well perhaps if I go carefully... sorry snowdrop! (only "Backhouse"). John Weagle's black Dahlia will go with that Monarda - don't forget the pellets later. More colchicums. Can I get these chrysanths round those pansies? Have I got all that Ground Elder? - yes, stolon is dark at the end - more where that came from... Better look after this, its Adrian's. Can we get away with white here? Is that REALLY the time?