wedding presents

at this time of year things change so quickly that there's something new to see every day.............latest excitement is the first mange-tout pea!!......about to be manged...........the purple clematis came out a couple of days ago, paeonies almost there but despite watering not quite out............red oriental poppies making a fine display but the pink ones are later. the Himalayan poppy has flowered, not as spectacularly as last year, but my book said it would flower once then die, so it clearly hasn't read it. nor has the Chilean glory vine, an annual, back for its third year........
.................i've tidied the back, put everything away, all plants now potted up..........hanging baskets doing really well, i've forgotten what i put in them but the tomatoes are looking good and starting to flower..............the potato plants are enormous and as usual there is a fine crop in the compost heap...sigh. i've risked putting the morning glories out, have never succeeded in growing them out side but it's warm, and the dry weather is keeping the gastropods at bay i think.............small lemon balm plants from last year in the herb bed, some new small thymes by the patio junction to try and soften it and keep the weeds down...........Isabel's alpine strawberries are in a pot or the alpinery.............still quite small but the main strawbs are flowering already............
................major task of tidying the front accomplished yesterday, to the accompaniment of Katisha and the neighbours' ginger boys having a frank exchange of views...........she looked very impressive all fluffed up like that...............they clearly thought so too because they sidled off again.............the front always looks such a mess once the bulb foliage dies down, rampant weeds everywhere...................but it seems to have decided it wants to be a cottage garden and is growing lovely frilly aquilegias which must have blown in from the neighbours; welsh poppies, and campanula.............i've got the Redhall woodchip down and it looks better, though i need some more for the back. the bit under the tree always looks a bit sad with nothing growing in it once the bulbs have gone...............maybe i should try some hellebores............