Glorious Day

I was reminded again yesterday how lucky I am being able to work outside on what was a glorious spring day. The colours of the garden appeared at their most vibrant set as they were against a cloudless afternoon sky. We spent most of the morning putting up the plant supports in the main border, a job I always enjoy as you always end up with such different shapes when you build them with hazel sticks. We are late doing them this year making pushing the sticks deeply into the earth rather difficult, especially after such a dry spell. After lunch we moved onto the eternal task of weeding, now that the temperatures are rising the weeds grow at twice the rate of the garden plants and we shall be waging a constant war on them until late September.

"For in the nature of things, if we consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver"
Martin Luther

Progress

One of the areas of the garden much in need of renovation is now nearly complete. The spring garden has been replanted and although it will take a couple of years for things to settle in, it is already looking more cohesive. Giles has laid a new path with a bird bath feature at the cross section, it has yet to be gravelled and the bath cemented in place but I can already see the pleasure the birds will have using it, and us watching them use it. He plans to grow a dwarf water lily in the receptacle which would look sweet, but I have a feeling that Shandy might take a liking to the odd bath too which might be troublesome!

One of the stars of the spring garden at the moment is this little plant on the left, Mertensia  virginica  it is fully hardy and once it has flowered completely disappears until the next spring. My photo doesn't do the colour justice as the blue is really intense and brightens up any woodland setting. Placed amongst hellebores, hostas and trilliums it will make quite a show.







"He who moves not forward, goes backward"
Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe

Spring Has Sprung

In the week since I was last at Norton Conyers the garden has sprung to life, thanks largely to the stunning Easter weather, who would have thought we would be blessed with such a good spell so early. We have been busy potting up the dahlias, dividing the sale plants and mowing the grass. It is now all steam ahead for the gardening season, the tasks naturally follow one from another at this time of year, when the willow hedge has been cut we shall have to turn our attention to sowing and planting.  The clocks going forward have shaken us out of winter dormancy encouraging us to extend the working day to eight hours, that will take some getting used to again!

A new garden gate has been ordered but I think Shandy will miss the old one!

"Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee"
Ralph Waldo Emerson