A few sunny days and plenty of rain and our Spring Garden has burst into life. I’ve deliberately kept to a simple colour palette because as you know I tend to go a bit mad with a riot of colours in our summer and autumn planting schemes. It’s quite unlike me to be tasteful so I like to make the most of it at this time of year!
Some of the smaller plants in our Spring Garden are looking good this week. A circle of the primroses Primula vulgaris around the Oak tree are in full flower now. I planted just six when we moved here and now there are many more. They seed themselves around and I also divide any large clumps after they’ve finished flowering and move the divisions around too. They grow and flower at the same time as Anemone blanda which is a lovely soft blue.
We have grown Muscari in our garden for years. As you know I like trouble free plants and it doesn’t get much more low maintenance than this! Muscari bulbs are really easy to grow and not too fussy about their environment as long as they have plenty of sunshine. We have planted them at the edge of the path in the Spring Garden where they can easily be seen from the deck of my garden studio. Slowly but surely they self seed and form new clumps of bulbs with lots of flowers. I love them not only because they are easy to grow but also because they flower early and attract bees and other beneficial insects.
In my spring garden the last few flowers are still blooming. I love this fresh combination of lilac, lime and white in the precious moments before the lushness of summer sweeps through the garden.
It’s been a beautiful day here in the North West of England with blue sky and sunshine all round. We’ve done some work in the garden and also made sure we took the time to sit quietly and enjoy the wildlife. Some of us had a little snooze too.
As each year comes to a close I like to look back at my photos to remind myself of some of the best times. May in particular is often an outstanding month for me. There are some special family events to celebrate and usually the weather is warm which gives us the chance to be outside and enjoy the sunshine after a long dreary winter.
April is the month of the daffodil. It’s difficult to choose a favourite. The zingy bright yellow of Narciccus Tete – a -Tete is always the first to flower in our garden. Along the lanes grass verges are lined with tall bright daffodils trumpeting that spring is here at last.