April already

But spring just can't decide whether to take the plunge as one day we have glorious sunshine and the next it is bitterly cold with some areas reporting snow.  Of course snow in April is not unusual. 

This weekend we have managed to complete the replanting as The Man That Can finished the reshaping of Mugwort's Retreat. 

Firstly he raked away an area of gravel and pulled back the weed membrane.

He then dug a trench for the initial layer of red bricks in the new shape.

After lifting the angled red bricks he relaid them following the new line.

Next he filled in the area with topsoil.

The redundant area needed levelling and weed suppressing membrane was laid, before the gravel was raked over the whole area.  We'll need a couple more bags to complete the corner where his bench will go.

And now the plants can be replanted. It looks like the only casualties were the bleeding hearts, which should be easily replaced.

Over in the Yen Garden, a pieris and two azaleas have been removed from a large trough along the edge of the area and rehomed in the border.  A couple of grasses, pink Kaffir lilies, a clump of ophiopogon, several pots of crocosmias, a Japanese blood grass-Red Baron, a couple of heucheras (a lime and a dark red) have also been planted.  The purple Emperor sedum was moved from the gravel into the bed also, where I hope it will perform better.

It'll take some time to fill out but the colours will soon shine.