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.

Battening down the hatches...

...in preparation for storm Ciara which is whipping up in the Atlantic ocean as I type.

We have 16 trees, most of which are still quite youthful and needed their stakes and ties checking, and the ground firming.  The roses were also firmed in and had a bit of a prune to help prevent wind rock.  We will check them again after the storm has passed, particularly as snow is predicted for next week. 

Since the sun was shining, it was a good day for a bit of a tidy up to allow the spring bulbs some room to show off.

We have removed the ivy from the boundary wall 

Pruned the clematis that intertwines r. Maigold.

Cleared the old foliage from around the pond, scrubbed the waterfall and removed some pond weed.

Given the Acer Crimson King a little trim to remove crossing branches and any growing in the wrong direction.  We also trimmed the staghorn branches.

Pruned all the later flowering clematis.  The Montana looks good.  We gave it a hard prune last summer/autumn as it was getting out of hand.  It won't take long before the fence is smothered again.

Juicy fat sedum buds are pushing through. 

And the hellebores are looking amazing. 

The Yen had a tiny spruce up, by vacuuming the fallen leaves.

Rhododendron Christmas Cheer about to burst open it's bright pink blooms. 

We spent 2 and a half hours in the garden, working together.  Good for the body and soul.  Time to get warm and wait for the storm to pass.

Summertime.....and the living is easy

However it's a bit soggier than last year!  The waterbutts have been fully replenished and the gardens are well watered.

The irises beside the pond are forming flower spikes. 

Bumblebees happily foraging between showers.

A couple of astrantia clumps.

The alliums seem to have been short lived this year.

However so far, hydrangea Blueberry Cheesecake is faring better in temperatures closer to the average British June.

Above r. Gertrude Jeykll in full swing and below r. Mum in a Million is just beginning.

The fancy aquilegia with upturned bells.

Above a sugar-pink hardy geranium and below another astrantia, paler pink this time...

...join a white lamprocapnos spectabilis in Mugwort's Retreat. 

In the Yen the red grass contrasts well against the fern. 

The Hakonechloa macra is just settling in at the back, while the heuchera lime marmalade has really found its spot beneath rhododendron Christmas Cheer.  The bees love it's tiny flowers. 

These little grassy forms belong to dierama.  I purchased two pots at a plant sale at the Botanical Gardens a couple of years ago but they've been reluctant to send out their fishing rod blooms.  I suspect they were overwhelmed to be honest by the huge peonies below so I've dug them up and popped them in this lead-look trough edging the Yen.  I'm not convinced this will be their forever home, but since removing the azaleas in the spring, The trough has been bereft of plants.

Clematis Armandii apple blossom in the Terrace Border above has had a prune as it wasn't covering the trellis correctly and the new growth was reaching into the neighbour's acers.

Another clematis, this time Montana Rubens, has received similar treatment now it's finished flowering.  It's not called "mile-a-minute" for nowt!  We can now clean up the fence and attach new wires.  This clematis will cover the fence again in no time.

The other clematis in the Long Border are growing at great pace now.  They are pruned each March as they flower late.

By June frosts are not unheard of but by and large are rare.  It's therefore safe to plant out bedding plants.

In the hanging baskets and containers, we've gone for varying shades of purple with petunias, nemesia and lobelia, with white pelargoniums.

Gloriously scented dianthus, creeping phlox and some pretty pink daisies which I think might be marguerites have been planted in the terrace seat along with some petunias.  There are a number of low growing perennials in the garden that I can split and add to the display to fill the gaps.

It shouldn't take long for these to fill out and bring joy to both us and the pollinators.