Spring has Sprung!

After our long, cold and miserable winter, it's such a joy to see the season change into a time of blue skies, birdsong, sunshine, buds bursting into blossom and leaf, and colourful flowers appearing all around us. The narcissi above and forget-me-nots below are in our village library garden, a lovely surprise beyond the black tarmac carpark there.

The akebia on the side fence by our front door is in flower, it's pretty chocolate-maroon flowers in shy, subtle clumps contrasting well with the rich green leaves it sports.

These snowflakes are blooming away in the front garden, around the base of the deep secret rosebush, like something from the flower fairy books of my childhood.

Two more pictures of the akebia, because I love it. It looks so exotic.

Of course, spring would not be complete without bluebells. There used to be a lot of them in my garden when we moved here but they are few and far between now, sadly.

My purple Snakeshead Fritillary seems to have gone the way of most of the bluebells but the white one is looking gorgeous. I think some new bulbs would be a good idea when the time comes, because it's another favourite of mine.

Why do weeds grow so much better than anything else? You can see that the dandelions are flourishing! Will have to get to work on those!

Bindweed is growing faster than anything else at the moment - it needs a daily patrol to pull out the new shoots and every year it proves a losing battle - it would be great if this year was the exception to the rule!

Yellow and blue - colours of spring

Daffodils are flowering in the garden,

Trumpeting heralds for the new season.

They brighten the corner under the hazel bush, where the pond used to be and may well be again.

The sky is not the only place to see intense blues -

this gleams from under the still-bare walnut tree.

Gorgeousness in the Garden

It may be autumn, but the wonderfully sunny and mild autumn we are having is allowing an extra period of colour and loveliness in the garden. The kaffir lilies are always welcome at this time of year, but how good they look bathed in sunlight, which reveals a pearlescent quality to their petals I'd not noticed before.

Astrantia is another favourite of mine, and here is one plant, blossoming its little heart out.

In contrast, the dahlia shouts out its fiery colours and flame-like petals, a patch of intense heat in the flower-bed.

The delphinium has spent the summer sheltered in deep shade under the walnut tree and, now that the leaves are falling, has decided that its time to shine has come. I think it might need to be moved next year: it is very leggy and the lovely delphinium blue is rather unseasonal right now.

Close by, this rose is having another flush of flowers, another flame red pool of warmth.


Love in a Mist is triumphing in the high jump over the rest of the "field" - of weeds.

Of course, it is harvest time. The roses are forming lovely red hips.

Apples on the tree - we harvested them today. Last winter they provided a winter feast for a family of mice in the garage, so we won't be storing them in there again.

The strawberry tree is flowering again as its fruit ripens, still yellow rather than strawberry red.

Another glorious swansong of pink, rosy lushness gladdens my heart.

English Garden - June

The sun is shining at the moment, so let's see what we can see in the garden before the next shower starts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind is getting up, blowing the flowers and leaves about and rolling in the clouds above. Time to put the kettle on and relax with a mug of tea and the Sunday papers.

Some Firsts

Some seasonal firsts, mostly from the garden with a brief diversion into the kitchen.

 

First rose of the summer, blooming outside the living room window. I wish you could smell it: deliciously fragrant, slightly citrus.

 

I'm very fond of this rose. It's called Sarah and I bought it because my elder daughter shares the name, just before we moved into this house seventeen years ago, so it was one of the first plants we added to this garden.

 

Another view of this gorgeous flower. The namesake girl will be 21 in a fortnight!

 

It's the first year this wisteria has bloomed. It was planted to grow over a wooden arch and has made a diversion into the apple tree.

 

This first is a gigantic Calzone, made yesterday by my birthday boys who were inspired to try to make their own after tasting them in Florence.

 

Above is Alfie on his first visit to our home, and his first experience of a trampoline. He coped remarkably well and behaved himself superbly during his evening with us. He belongs to Joe, Sarah's boyfriend, who visited with him.

 

Lastly, the first hot air balloon of the season - as good as seeing swallows or hearing cuckoos for heralding summer.

In My Garden

The garden has been battered by rain and wind over the past week or so, but there are gems to be found and wonderful scents to be enjoyed when the weather is being kinder than it is this afternoon..



I'm glad that there are more shaggy red poppies to come.



The jasmine is growing up through the grape vine along the fence.




Stocks and Pinks are communing near the house.



This Philadelphus smells wonderful during fine evenings but the rainfall is bruising its petals, poor thing.