End of month view : April
April has not been the cruellest month this year. It has been warm and sunny and the garden has exploded into life.
This is the side garden, with the hellebores still flowering away. Everything else has emerged in fountains of foliage. The hardy geraniums, of which I have loads, are all in leaf and the day lilies have spurted up. The paeonies are huge and covered with buds. Conventional wisdom says that paeonies hate disturbance but these were moved last year as part of the making of the side garden when the building work had finished and even last year they flowered. There are all sorts of things coming up here: eremurus, lots of aquilegia, the sedums and catmint and, against the stone wall, lots and lots of dusty pink oriental poppies. It is quite stunning the difference between this end of month view and last month's
Leaves are appearing on the apple tree. The Tenby daffodils have finished flowering but the Thalia is still flowering around the fruit trees.
And here is the view up towards the cutting garden. All of the trees in the little orchard have come into leaf now apart from the mulberries. I think I shall have to start including a closer picture of the cutting garden. At the moment it still looks fairly empty, waiting for the cosmos and the zinnias which are still in coldframes to be planted out but there are seventy five sweetpeas planted down at the base of the frames which will eventually produce three walls of flowers.
Here is the bank, the quince tree in leaf now and the primroses still flowering. There are pinks and valerian in here which will start to flower soon and penstemons and sedums for later in the summer.
And here is the kitchen garden, with salad stuff under the cloches, garlic by the greenhouse and tulips and hellebores mixed in with the herbs and salads. And again, just as last time, taking pictures of the garden from a distance makes me long to show you the detail of flowers: tulips and late daffodils still flowering and erythronium Pagoda for the first time looking as if it belongs. In fact I might have to cheat and do another post with the close up stuff, just to show you.
How lovely to see the change as the garden springs to life only a few short months after I visited - I will have to come again when the cutting garden is going full throttle.
ReplyDeleteThe hellebores seem to be lasting really well this year don't they. Your kitchen garden looks very productive.
I do enjoy the longer views of the end of the month posts.
K
I'm glad you showed us a long shot of your kitchen garden. It made me feel all homey. Everything looks so neat and well-tended.
ReplyDeleteI've just come in for a wee break from weeding. I can see that I shouldn't be taking any breaks at all if I want anything resembling what you have there! Beautiful - tidy- luscious - blooming things. Love it!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing the way everything has just burgeoned (I think is the word).
ReplyDeleteOh, I just love your kitchen garden! No dandelions though; would you like some of mine?
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would ever leave home if I lived at your house.
ReplyDeleteI have always wanterd a green house. Great Post.
ReplyDeleteMay 1st is our Derby Day. at 4pm
I have picked two horses Lookin Lucky and Super Saver, we'll soon see.
yvonne
Karen - I was thinking the other day how much better the garden is looking now than when you were here and it was all bare! It would be good to show you in summer.
ReplyDeleteHelen - now that is an advantage of the long shot, it disguises the weeds!
Pondside - it is beautiful but not really all that tidy. I am going for a natural look!
Fran - burgeoned, burgeoning, great word!
Rachel - I didn't show you the dandelions. Come back a few feet and there would have been plenty by the steps in the kitchen garden.
Rois - I sometimes feel like that myself and have to make sure I get down off the hill so I don't turn peculiar!
Yvonne - good luck with your races. Let us know if you win.
Hi Elizabeth - thanks for joining in again this month.
ReplyDeleteI think the theory about peonies is rubbish as I have moved them with no problem, I think that what happens is that people replant them too shallowly (or is it too deeply?) and the plants dont like it so people assume it is moving the plant that was the problem.
Looking forward to meeting you next week
Helen
Hello Elizabeth. I am still frantically catching up on blogs and have loved seeing what is happening in your beautiful garde. April has indeed been kind; let's hope May follows suit x
ReplyDeleteApril has definitely helped you create a lot of beauty in your garden or, truly, gardens.
ReplyDeleteI love the long vistas that you show, and the overview of that kitchen garden, and ... am now greedy in a desire to see some close-ups.
Happy May Day! xo
Love that bank - and the lovely kitchen garden. Yes - everything is growing like mad now, isn't it. I have just come in from sewing a row of giant sunflowers and watering them in.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about everything suddenly sprouting - with me, unfortunately, it seems to be mostly the things I haven't wanted to sprout, like the marestail I thought I'd dug out of my allotment last winter.
ReplyDeleteAm so envious of your paeonies - I love peaonies, but have had no success at all here. What is your secret (don't tell me - I have to move to Wales?) Am doing ok with geraniums and shallots, though, so far, so not all bad.
HI Helen - wasn't sure whether people plants paeonies too deeply or too shallowly so went searching (thank heavens for Google) and found that if you plant them too deeply they do not flower. Yes, I've had no problem moving them and looking forward to meeting you too!
ReplyDeletePipany - I am behind with blog reading too and must come over to yours. I love May, my favourite month, so hope the sun shines.
Frances - thank you. You are always very kind. One day I will be lucky like Chris and get to meet you. I will do some close ups too.
Weaver - ah, you have reminded me that I have not sown any sunflowers and I love them. another job for tomorrow.
LBD - I can't take any credit for the paeonies as they were here when we came. They seem quite tough if they like your soil. I have quite a few root cuttings going spare if you want to try again and can work out a way of getting them!
I love leaning over the gate and looking at your garden, Elizabeth it's so lovely.
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth, hope to meet you at Malvern in the bloggers meeting place. Have a safe journey. A.
ReplyDeleteOh how I would love to have a garden like this. Here we we live in Oz it is still dry, I have lost more trees and autumn is upon us. I am sick of drought and would like a slightly more normal year with rain.
ReplyDeleteYours is a delight to see.
Of course kitchen gardens dont thrive very well because of the peacocks, they eat anything.
Oh, for a greenhouse!!!! How wonderful!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post Elizabeth. Your kitchen garden looks so inviting. Simply the best time of the year!
ReplyDeleteYou are such an inspiring gardener. I have at last a greenhouse although as yet it hasnt had its roof put oon but I am hoping it will allow me to grow more here and get an earlier start on things, by the time spring is warm enough to plant out half the season is over otherwise!!
ReplyDeleteI like to see larger views of the garden - it gives better feeling of the garden. Long shot of the kitchen garden is beautiful - how large is the growing space there?
ReplyDeleteGreetings from rainy Poland :)
e.