spring is busting out all over …

Thanks for all your comments on my last post – the head cold has gone but left me with an annoying cough – it knocked me for six and all I wanted to do was sleep to get rid of the constant headache, but things are improving at last.

The weekend was lovely – bright spring sunshine with just a hint of chill on the breeze to remind you that it is March.  Everyday brings new signs of life in the garden – still plenty of daffodils to open yet  - and on Sunday I spotted the hyacinths blooming.  These are ones that have been forced indoors then put out into the garden – I have quite a big patch of them now.  The flower heads aren’t as large but they smell just as sweet – if you can bend down far enough to smell them!

I have practically finished all the weeding  – it looks a lot better and cared for now.  During last week I chopped back an ugly Viburnam that was threatening to take over the world – and wanted to replace it with something pretty.  I chose a Prunus Nipponica ‘Brilliant’.  It is full of blossom and the bees are all over it – I also removed a rather sickly looking Buddleia that the Viburnam had overshadowed – it was spindly and only flowered at the very top, but I have taken one or two cuttings from it, so all is not lost. 

Anyway, there I was digging this hole to plant the Prunus, when my spade struck something – buried treasure, maybe – a stash of Roman coins, I wish – but no, I dug down further and further – and found ….. two house bricks!  How on earth did they get there?  I can understand builders rubble with a new house but not one built in the 1930’s.  Good job I found them though or the poor old Prunus wouldn’t have been able to put down a tap root.

Inspired by Celia at Purple Podded Peas with a post on Primroses, when I saw these pretty pink ones, five large plants for £10 I snapped them up.  I have Primroses/Primula/Polyanthus, call them what you will, in many and varied shades – some brash and in your face, others a little more subtle.  They do well in this garden so I keep adding to them yearly.  These new ones are to be planted between the plants of my new rose hedge.  Hopefully they will be around for many years to come.

Below is a selection of the Prims I have in the garden at the moment

From pure white to lemon to bright yellow to a pale lemon double form

From white edged cerise to salmon to orange to dark pink to yellow edged scarlet  to dark red

From hot pink to magenta to lavender to violet.

One or other of them always seem to be in flower practically year round – when the clumps get too large I lift,  split  and re-plant them – such good value – they tend to get overlooked for most of the year when other more exotic plants start doing their thing but I really wouldn’t want to be without them.

Meanwhile the surrounding fields are filling up with ewes and their lambs enjoying the sunshine

 

The sky is still blue

The lawns have been given their first mowing - and spring is busting out all over

‘Til next time – happy gardening, and remember ~