May Day

Spring handily has a number of Bank Holidays for us to enjoy (weather permitting of course).  This year as Easter was later, we have 3 long weekends in quick succession.  Read 3 long weekends to spend gardening!!

We lifted a couple of dicentras from our previous garden.  They look like big pink exclamation marks at the moment because the beds are a little, shall we say, sparse.  I have a cunning plan though as tomorrow we are going to a plant sale at our local Botanical Gardens...They have such great plants and such great prices!

 The large pot of spring bulbs has been replaced by this tub of lilies.  They have a while to go until they bloom, but the tatty leaves of the spring bulbs need to die down naturally, but not necessarily in sight.

Oh yes and in the last couple of weeks we have had a visitor to the garden.  It is digging in from next door, and coming along under our deck. We did try to stop the creature by putting large rocks over the hole, but the creature removed them, so it's a strong one! This large hole has been edged with bricks to try and stop the soil falling down it until I can get some more plants to knit the soil together a bit more.  

 And at the bottom of the garden a corresponding hole has been appearing.  Since this shot was taken it has increased in size and we have edged it with bricks too.  We have put a layer of sand down to try and catch some prints, but none were very clear.  So we put up some double sided tape to catch some hairs.  They were mostly black and white so we figure it is a badger.  It has also been disturbing the plants a bit these last few days, which is a bit annoying.  

On a brighter note, this beautiful acer is one of two that overhang our deck from our neighbours.  It's such a beautiful colour.

And finally the ash is in flower and awash with the hum of bees.

 I am very excited about the plant sale.  I do hope to get lots of lovelies so watch these back garden spaces! 

Spring

Spring in the UK can be very unpredictable.  One day warm sunshine, the next cold and foggy.  The fog here though, was caused by an unusual combination of high pollution and sandstorms whipped up from the Sahara and deposited on us.  It covered the cars, the gardens and left a film on the windows.  It lasted a few days and made it feel like November.

Once the 'smog' had cleared it was a good opportunity to get back out in the garden with my camera.  We had a great show of daffodils in all sizes and colours.  However, April was certainly the month for the tulips.  These yellow tulips came with us from our old garden and have survived the move.  They are in pots either side of the arch down to the pink garden.

Blossom also featured heavily in April.  This is the apple tree.

And buds breaking on our birch tree.

 In Bumblebee's veg plot, things are stirring.  You can imagine how excited he was when the first shoots appeared.  He is being very vigilant with weeding and watering.

 Spiraea has a pleasant faint honey smell.  Now we have seen it in bloom, it can certainly stay.  It will go well in the divide between my pink garden and the patio.

 The ash tree has sprung into leaf and it seems that within the space of a couple of days, all the trees in view have followed suit and everything looks green.

 Who can help but love the unfurling of ferns.  It is almost as synonymous with spring as blossom for me.

The first of the two inherited azaleas is a very pretty lilac.

 And now.  May I present my bright beautiful spring front garden.  All of the tulips have come by car and hand delivered from the Netherlands with our friends who came to visit last summer.

Before the remaining petals fall I thought it prudent to take a snap of this cherry blossom.  It is growing in the street outside our house but the council are going to remove it.  I managed to get them to wait until we had a chance to enjoy the sight.

The first flowers on the scented honeysuckle over the arch are making their presence known.  Their perfume is amazing.

Oh yes, and the other azalea is indeed pink.  Much more pizazz than the lilac one.

Bergenia in flower.  They last a good while before fading.  I wasn't sure any of them would flower this first spring, so this one was very welcome.

Another scented treasure.  Unfortunately to appreciate it, because the shrub is still small I had to pick some of the tiny blooms of this Osmanthus burkwoodii.  We planted this only last autumn, so in time it will be easier to sniff it.

New growth on the Sumach (Stag Horn).

So much to see every day.  I love spring!