May - a force to be reckoned with

So far it has been quite warm and sunny, however May often has a trick or two up her sleeve.  

22c one day....then a cold arctic blast reminds us that we do not control the weather. 

This was actually an empty shell, beneath Angel's shrub (Weigela Wings of Fire), in the corner of the Long Border and Patio Borders. 

Globes of allium Purple Sensation above,  and peony Bowl of Beauty below about to burst open. 

The bearded iris have begun to join in the display in the Terrace Border. 

Oh and the wisteria is in flower!

Next week, I'm going to buy some bedding plants for us, mother-in-law and TMTC's aunt.  We have a local nursery that has just released appointment times to ensure social distancing, and if your name's not down, you ain't getting in.

It's Saturday morning as I create this entry.  Tomorrow Boris Johnson and his government are expected to announce certain restrictions to be relaxed. I hope they don't go too soon and too quickly and the mortality figures respond in the same inevitable manner. 

Stay safe and well.

Easter

It's relatively easy for me as an introvert to cope with the lockdown as I don't feel the urge many people do to be out and about. I'm happy to spend time in the home or garden with my family.

Mother nature blessed the 4 day weekend with good weather so out came the cushions for the patio furniture so we were able to enjoy it.

There has been an explosion of foliage on the trees in the garden. The Tibetan cherry has even put on a display of tiny white flowers.

Before the serious business of relaxation could begin, there were a few tasks to attend to.  I removed the rotting log roll from the Terrace border and both sides of the patio borders.  TMTC cleaned the pond pump and the water butts, and between us we cleaned the trunks of the birches and Tibetan cherry, along with the seating in the Yen, Mugwart's Retreat, and on the patio.  Everywhere was watered really well and mulches applied for the roses with manure and the acid lovers with old ericaceous compost mixed with some slow release fertiliser. 

  

Time to sit and stitch in the sunshine. 

The blackbirds aren't afraid of us and come very close.

Tulip time.

And....Ellie.  She is such a sun worshipper.  Angel rarely sat in the sun and actively sought the shade, preferably inside.  Ellie is the opposite.  She will follow a shaft of sunlight around and if the door is open will sit outside on the terrace alone if she has to.

However, if she can sit on the sun lounger, pushing you into the shade cast by the parasol then she will.

She's such a diva.

Taking a breather

The weather has improved a little and the sun has inspired bulbs to emerge and bloom all over the garden.  

I'm taking a couple of weeks off work and it's so comforting to hear the birdsong in the mornings, from the tawny owl in the neighbour's eucalyptus tree before dawn, to the urgent chirping of the sparrows as they squabble over the prime positions on the feeders. 

As I take Ellie for a walk, I am so aware how lucky I am to have fresh air to fill my lungs with.  I'm a country girl at heart and never happier than being outside amongst nature.  I guess I have a little something in my blood as I come from farming heritage.  I reckon if I won the lottery, I would buy a house further into the countryside - perhaps on the edge of a village.  I don't think I would go the whole hog and have livestock but a small wood would be just perfect.  

I can just imagine sitting on a fallen log, listening to the birds and watching the sunlight filtered through the leaves moving in a gentle breeze.  Ahhh. And relax...

Gardening never stays still.  There's always something to trim, tweak or titivate.

Clematis Armandii has almond scented flowers. This has definitely found itself at home in the Terrace Border and with this warming sunshine, will soon be smothered in blooms.

Time for the cornus spring snip.  The vivid red stems are cut back hard to ensure next winter's display. 

In the Yen Garden, rhododendron Christmas Cheer is in full swing.  It clearly wasn't fazed by being moved into the ground last spring. 

The wisteria already has swelling buds all along the stems.  Last year we had a single flower and oh boy did that bring pleasure to the senses.  The plant has had a light winter prune to shorten the previously pruned stems (using the 7s and 2s process).  The very ends of some of the training stems had died back so they also received a nip.  This year I reckon the wisteria will reach the other side of the pergola.  Then it will be a case of filling out and keeping it healthy (and hopefully increasing the amount of blooms).

Pausing for a moment in the tranquility of the Yen Garden, the cherry tree also has new buds swelling.  Below the cherry is the young acer Sangokaku showing off its vibrant stems.

Over in Mugwart's Retreat, clematis Alpina Constance is waiting in the wings for its moment in the spotlight. 

Spring is almost upon us. I can smell it.

The final touches

It's the last few days of September and between showers the final touches take place in the Yen. 

The two hydrangeas, 'blueberry Cheesecake' have been planted and the euonymous elata has changed into its autumn attire. 

This gloriously tactile grass is a pennisetum and should link the colours in the opposite side of the Yen rather nicely.  It's considered a tender perennial in these parts so I'm not sure if it will delight again next year. I guess it will depend on how long and hard the winter is.

With the repositioned Buddha head and tsukubai water bowl, all that remains is replacing the setting stones "ishi wo tateru koto" which represent Buddha and his two attendants. 

The gravel has been evenly redistributed and the banana and cannas positioned in place to enjoy what is left of the frost-free weather.

As the weather is about to turn much cooler, the rattan companion seat has taken up its winter position again behind the terrace seat and is now enveloped in its waterproof jacket.

The two Viburnums are placed either side of the patio arch and the washing line has come down. 

The garden is being prepared for the quieter months.

But wait...here and there, the plants and trees are making adjustments for their exit party.  They're not done just yet.

Cotinus in Mugwort's Retreat. 

Acer and euonymous elata in the Yen. 

Old papery birch bark peels in Mugwort's Retreat. 

And the staghorn tree in the front garden. 

There is so much interest in the autumn months yet to be revealed, all it needs is the temperatures to drop a little more. 

But summer is not going down without a fight. 

Scented white phlox and blue hardy geraniums peek through the glowing weigela Wings of Fire foliage in the corner of the patio border/ Long Border 

A pretty fuchsia scrambling through fading peony leaves in the Long Border. 

And in the front garden, r. Tall Story and a magenta hardy geranium, along with the final blooms of crocosmias hang on to every last moment of summer.