First clematis flower

On April 19th, which I think is late.....................we have had some very hot weather but quickly followed by colder winds and this evening a chilly haar...........things are happening in the greenhouse as tomato, squash, courgette and cucumber seedlings make their appearance..........basil, sunflowers, antirhino and mimulus also starting to sprout. In the veg beds: beetroot and potatoes are in along with salad mix, rainbow chard and bull's blood, a few runner beans in the ground and climbing French beans in a pot. Dill planted, herb pot revamped, pineapple mint planted. Begonias into pots, glads into the ground, Livingstone daises into the hot bed. At the front some small plants to the gravel at the side, it looks so much better since I cleared the winter jasmine..................most of the spring bulbs are over and the bluebells are starting to appear, but we have a glorious display of tulips almost to rival George's...............

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la (again)

At this time of year things suddenly gather speed, and there's so much to do it's almost impossible to drag yourself away from the garden to go to work..............not that six hours of digging and weeding and planting and hoeing isn't work of course. It all looks really rather nice. the daffodils have been fantastic, some of the new ones have turned out to be double and are really beautiful, and the new tulips at the front are almost out. Chionodoxa finished but fritillaries out and bluebells on the way, violets and clematis in bloom........we had a very hot weekend which brought everything on really fast, although it's now reverted to the usual chilly winds. I mounted an assault on the winter jasmine at the front and chopped it right down, that bit has always looked a mess and just catches lots of litter and dead leaves, so I've tidied it up and planted some mint in the hope that it will a.) bind the gravel and stop it sliding about and b.) smell nice when we run it over by mistake. It put up quite a fight but I managed to wrestle it into the compost bin eventually and I hope the Council appreciates it. At the back the leeks from Hill House are in the veg bed, the other contingent are still up there so we can have a leek race and see which are ready first..............in the greenhouse are squash, cucumbers, tomatoes (2 varieties), sunflowers, antirhinos, mimulus (first to sprout), courgettes and basils - now moved indoors cos it's too cold. Pink fir apple potatoes are chitting in the downstairs toilet; I have also tidied the shady corner and planted three coreopsis, a variegated aubretia and some lobelias in the perennial bed. Tree peony has grown huge and is preparing to flower, so are the non-tree peonies. And most exciting of all........... WE HAVE TADPOLES!!

Daffodil "Ice Follies"...............

Amaryllis in the shade........I actually planted this last year and it sat sullenly in its pot and did absolutely nothing. This year it decided to grow..........very fast, once it got going, and this is the result...............worth the wait!