Spring clean

is is less cold this year or am i getting tougher? since i met Carrie i have certainly acquired more outdoor clothing...........and the imperative of having two gardens to do instead of one has forced us out early..................what's so nice is to see the signs of growth already, even so early in the year. a lot of things that i thought were dead have turned out not to be after all, clipping and clearing the dead vegetation reveals little shoots at the base. i did very little tidying before the winter...........wildlife garden you know.........and was rewarded by Dorcas bringing in a frog (alive), and by visits from a handsome great spotted woodpecker. the birds are quite spoiled and have a luxury circuit between me and my neighbours with plenty of courses to choose from.........the old apples have been a great success with the blackbirds, but they're not so sure about the turkey stock.........
since i don't have any notes from this time in the year before, i don't know if it always looks as bare as this. apart from the bulbs there are huge gaps, and it's hard to remember how big some of the plants will get later and resist the temptation to throw more things in. and of course, there are never enough bulbs. however............i've stocked the problem bit by the lilac with Christmas roses and a Christmas box............last year it just became a mass of weeds and grass and i need to keep a closer eye on it this time..........
..............turning scientific, i tested the soil for the first time ever.............with some interesting results. the right-hand bed turns out to be acid, which may explain why some things have done well there and some haven't. i've stuck in a pyracantha, given the vinca a severe haircut because i don't want it swamping everything, tidied up the ceanothus which looks very nice but didn't flower last year. the Himalayan poppy may be dead as apparently they only flower once, but i've put in the ones i grew, which look absolutely nothing like it and may turn out to be a lovingly cultivated weed. the oriental poppies are still going strong, but there are still some gaps......it's early yet though so worth waiting to see what else is in there.........
Catmint Corner looks a bit scruffy but has benefited from a tidy.............no sign of the lemon balm, but it may still be alive............the hemerocallis is flourishing already, i remember it did this last year then grew absolutely huge in the summer and filled that whole space........
............let us not forget the carefully constructed and beautiful new veggie beds at the bottom through the arch...............one lone occupant in the form of the bronze fennel so far, but great plans............
Hopetoun's search-and-rescue corner has provided a mystery chaenomeles, a white currant, and a mystery rose. i've just put in another chaenomeles at the front but it's a bit of an experiment, hopefully one of them will make it. one of the pot clemati has gone to SQ and i've planted the other at the front - again a bit of an experiment. we also rescued a nice wee hebe and a perfectly healthy-looking escallonia for Carrie's garden, plus a mystery variegated bush, we know not wot but it looks quite nice anyway.............
..............plans include the mini-pond and the indoor hydroponic garden........and now that we have our COLD FRAME the sky's the limit............

how embarrassing

OK, so it isn't rhubarb..............but it's Chinese rhubarb so an understandable mistake.........no wonder it's grown so much, it apparently reaches a height of 6 ft so i think it's going to have to move house at some point...........
...........the new arch looks good and the rose and jasmine appear to be surviving. this is a long period of drought............we refilled the pond yesterday because it was almost empty, and put the log from Hill House in a strategic spot...............some of the thymes etc at the front seem to have died of thirst and the water barrel is very low.............grass in the wild area all yellow..........strawberries ripening nicely and the courgettes have sudenly grown to a massive size, no flowers yet tho..........some of the new things like the veronica and the angel's fishing-rod looking a bit unhappy and requiring more home-made compost, i must say it does look rather nice.......
........we got a free tree at Hopetoun House summer fair.........a rowan to keep the witches away, now planted at the bottom by the bins..........runner beans now moved to hang on the new arch so they can climb up it................

the new arch - my 10th and Fiona's 60th! 

day lilies in full bloom 

another passion flower!! 

amazing what the blackbird fertiliser does for your rhubarb...... 

just to show how tall they are......... 

day lilies now flowering................ 

we're just so proud of them........ 

worth waiting for.............. 

don't look at me in that tone of voice........ 

eye to eye............ 

sunflowers 

10 today!

.........so my birthday present to myself was an arch for the bottom by the compost bins...........not quite sure what's going to go in that bit yet but i've created an entrance.............very hot and humid today, and next door having a garden party, very Homes and Gardens, with a little band and a buffet.......Fiona's 60th apparently............so i put the arch together to the accompaniment of light music and chatter and the sound of champagne corks...........much to my amazement it all fitted together and no swearing was involved..............
............a rose "Compassion" for the base at one side, and a pink jasmine like the one Katty and Mark have for the other.........and some annual climbers till those grow up...........
............was at Klondyke yesterday too, i still feel sick at the thought of their cafe and they don't have a great stock, but i got an Ipomea called "Sweet Caroline" and another wee thyme............and a tropaeolum for the corner by the bins...........
...........sunflowers now taller than me and big brown flowers, more coming...........the Morning Glory had one morning of glory and that seems to be it............

flaming july

the hottest few days of the year so far..................how relaxing to be able to wander about in not too many clothes, pottering about and pulling the odd weed............i've eaten five strawberries off the three plants, all different flavours, the Elsanta was the sweetest. took Katty and Mark a big bunch of sorrel and chard...........the chard is growing like mad and looks lovely. the sunflowers have shot up and are now eyeballing me in a menacing kind of way, soon they'll be able to look down on the top of my head. bought a variegated vinca for the front in the hope that it will spread.............with the paper down and all the weeds covered, it still looks a bit bare and patchy and could do with some more ground cover............
,,,,,,,,,planted some more thymes and a couple of Pratia in the gravel by the pond..........and put in a new blue grass and angel's fishing-rod in that gap, plus the new veronica divided in two.........
cut down the Himalayan poppy, there is new growth at the bottom and i wonder if it will flower a second time........if i cut the Oriental poppies it will leave a big gap, might need some cheapo annuals.........
.........the pernettya looks to have died and i really should dig it out...........the white Astilbe looks nice and that would give it more room...........
.........courgette plants still growing mightily................morning glory soon ready to flower........tomatoes now have flowers so hopefully fruit soon.........planted the new variegated lavender.............fennel seeds growing apace indoors and should be ready to go out soon.......

first passion flower! 

herb garden and sunflowers......note the hanging herbs and admire the chard.......... 

patio rose now blooming...........lilies soon......... 

this is what you call determination........ 

a rhododendron having a cup of tea.......note the new paeonies...........