New Shoots

The big spring tidy up was completed this weekend. The dead, dying and sick were brutally ripped out to make way for new growth.

Violas were pretty much spent so the baskets and tubs were given a good tidy up. This box below is a favourite for our wren.

I had a bit of a mishap while cutting off the old foliage from this Japanese Anemone...I sheared off the whole stems of the clematis Montana which had found its way into the plant!  My only hope is that I have planted it deep enough and some dormant buds are forced into growth!

The fuchsia behind the washing pole has been given a hard prune; the oldest stems harder than the youngsters. Already there are some healthy buds sprouting. 

Hidden behind one of the water butts are some flower buds that are poised to burst open. I can't wait as they're supposed to be scented.

Around the garden there has been a good tidy up of old stems, leaves and

weeds.

Peony shoots, fat and red. I'm hoping this will flower this year.  Behind you can just make out the fresh new shoots of dicentra spectablis. 

The front garden needed very little weeding, but we have moved a fair few plants from the far end. The fence is going to be replaced and experience tells me that workmen's boots and plants do not mix. 

The dark pink hydrangea has been permanently moved to the back garden to replace the hypericum, the latter which already has new leaves smothered in tell tale signs of rust - so out it went!

The blue hydrangea has been given a temporary home in a pot of ericaceous compost.

White astrantia temporarily finds a home on Bumblebee's plot.  It needs splitting and some of the divisions planted in the pink bed. For now it will be happy enough.

Back out front, the rose 'Tall Story' has had a good prune.

All the ivy has had a haircut.

And the snowdrops have been divided and replanted.

Oh yes, and that aubretia planted.  Let's see how it fares.

Nothing better on a sunny spring morning than a colourful pot of bulbs.

Mother's Day

Last weekend was a good gardening weekend for some.  The Saturday was sunny despite a brisk wind.  We took advantage and visited a new garden centre...well new to us. It was quite a big garden centre filled with jewellery, kitchen ware...oh and plants!  We're planning on visiting again, perhaps late spring/early summer when we will take a walk round the gardens, visit the petting farm etc.  We bought just one plant (this time). A white hellebore.

Now I say it was a good gardening weekend for some because the Sunday was cold and wet - Mother Nature reminding us who is actually in charge.  So planting of the new hellebore was postponed until today, Mother's Day.

Now since it was Mother's Day and I am a mother (I'm a mom rather than a mum), I wondered if I could get away with visiting our local garden centre, only for a mooch around of course, maybe pick up a plant for mother-in-law, maybe pick up one of those kneeler-come-seat contraptions to assist with getting back up once down (I'm starting to feel my age now).

Now I'm not entirely sure how it happened, since Bumblebee was in charge of the trolley, but a few other things jumped into the trolley along with a pale lilac hydrangea we bought for mother-in-law!

Above is Viburnum bodnantense dawn, now planted in the pink bed. Something that has been on my list since starting our current garden...so an obvious must-have.

Below is a good looking pink scented rose, r. Mum in a million...which apparently I am. Also now planted in the pink garden, beside the arch over the secret door.

And finally 3 aubretia. The final time I am trying these. They just don't seem to like me. I've tried to grow these in all my gardens and the only place I managed it was in my first garden from a gifted clump. Each purchased trial has failed since, so this will be my last attempt...

But we ran out of time today to plant them as it was Mother-in-law's turn to feel special. 

I was pleased to see the hydrangea in the corner of the pink garden had new fat buds emerging. I had worried the the winter had killed this gift from my work colleagues.  It'll take a few years to get to a decent size but it'll look grand once it does.

The scented honeysuckle is kicking into life...

As is this tiny rose alongside some miniature narcissus. 

The large shrubby fuchsia too is budding up, another week or two and I'll cut this back hard again. It reached a good 4 feet in response to similar treatment last spring!

Most of the clematis have good healthy buds along the stems. This year they will have the full length of the fence to scramble along since the neighbour fixed it last autumn.  The only clematis that has yet to show any sign of life is the c. Montana we planted late last year to train over the roof of the bottom shed.  I'll give it a couple more weeks.

I gave the pond a good tidy up, netting all the old foliage and leaving it beside the water to allow any critters to get back in. There are still lots of plants that survived the winter, although as predicted it has sunk to the bottom. My notes inform me that the weed will carry on doing its thing and the water soldiers will rise back up as the temperatures do.  I did spot two tiny transparent bugs, so I must be doing something right.  I had to wait a few hours to take the photo to allow the silt to resettle, but I am happy to report our little puddle will hopefully be home to some rehomed frogspawn soon!

Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow moms