We're another step closer to getting our new hedge in the ground (for new readers this is why) as I have now taken a heap of softwood cuttings - more than we actually need - and stored them in the shadehouse.

The plan is that these will develop roots over the winter months and hopefully we should be able to repot them into individual containers by spring. With this time delay we probably won't be putting these in the ground until Spring 2008 which leaves the garden bed barren until then. However, we will most likely opt for some flowering annuals just to fill the beds this season.

It might have been easier, though definitely not cheaper, to have bought the lavender plants as 200mm pots now but I'm keen to get started with some more propagation. It's been almost 4 years since I have had the space to propagate anything so I'm 'itching at the bit' to get more plants on the go.

I'm also keen to develop my own seed-raising mix using the compost I've made. It seems every Tom, Dick and Harry has a formula for making their own but they differ greatly in their ratios. So, I'm testing some varied ingredients some using river sand, others using cheap bags of potting mix that I've modified but all incorporating the compost. So, we will see how this all ends up. Hopefully some will survive.