Spring

Everything in the garden has responded to the warm sunshine and rain. My partner took this photograph of our Rowan on 31 March.....

.... I took this photograph today, 3 April.

Acer Palmatum 'Suminagashi' buds

My next door neighbour has a beautiful plum tree in her garden. I can see it from my bedroom window and it's one of the highlights of Spring.

The birds are gathering nesting material from the garden. This cheeky pigeon has finally worked out how to get the fat out of the coconut shell on the Viburnum. His beak is covered in fat.

Sunshine

Warm sunshine and birds singing has made working in the garden such a pleasure. We did consider having lunch in the garden but I was in the middle of tidying and potting and it was too much trouble to move everything.
 

Primula vulgaris

Pulmonaria 'Cotton Cool'

I have finished cutting off old stems, flower heads and leaves. I have moved Aster frikartii 'Monch' and planted Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'.
Honeysuckle and Winter Jasmine have very long flexible stems which root easily if they have contact with the soil. I found quite a few plants that I've been able to pot up to give away.

Flowers In The House Monday

Today is Flowers In The House Monday.  I don't have flowers to pick from the garden at the moment but I do like to have a jug of something of the kitchen sink. I bought these Cornish Daffodils from the supermarket. As you can see Fridays lovely weather hasn't lasted.

Seed collecting and sowing

With the garden looking after itself  I have been able to do some seed collecting and sowing. A couple of years ago I planted Lychnis coronaria in my front garden. It has appeared again this year at the bottom of the wall dividing the garden from the pavement. I'd forgotten how nice it is. I have collected the seed to sow in the garden.

Another surprise addition is this lilac poppy with a purple blotch. The flower only lasts a day or so but I like the seed heads. I am drying some stems for winter use, they are hung upside down in the garage with a paper bag underneath to catch the seed.


I have been sowing seed for next years plants. Lunaria annua var variegata (Honesty) is a lovely variety of a plant I'm normally not too keen on. I was reminded of it when I was looking through some old photographs. I have also sown Dianthus barbatus Single Flowered Albus (Sweet William) and Erysimum 'Ivory Giant' (Wallflower) for late spring flowers. Both are scented. There will be plenty for the garden and a vase. I don't have to worry about sowing Digitalis purpurea or Myosotis sylvatica 'Deep Blue Tower' as they both seed themselves. I will move them to their flowering positions in the autumn.

In my garden

I haven't spent much time in the garden lately. The weather has been cold and blustery with at least one day feeling more like autumn. We have had the coldest May nights for ten years.

The past couple of days have seen the weather become less cold and with some sun. It's much more pleasant, and I have been able to catch up.

The grass was cut for the first time in about three weeks, some weeding was done, seedlings potted up, clematis tied up. 

I have some 'Thalia' narcissi in pots. They were a late purchase after I read about them in a magazine. I am really glad I bought them. They have a delicate white flower with a lovely scent.

Today I caught up with the front garden. Linaria purpurea and Aquilegia have seeded too much so they came out. In their place Eschscholzia 'Purple Gleam' which I have grown from seed, and a geranium sanguineum which may be 'Max Frei'. 

Despite the chilly weather the spring plants are looking good. One of my new plants is Epimedium  youngianum 'Niveum' which has been on my must have list for a while. Unfortunately, it was wrongly labelled. Thankfully, it is still a beautiful plant, with deep pink flowers.

Three baby sparrows visited the bird table with their Mother this week.  

The weather forecast for this week is for increasingly warmer weather and sun. Thank goodness.