Thursday 24 April 2014

The April Garden

Suddenly everything is growing in the garden!  The forget-me-nots are out en masse, turning the garden blue.  There is hardly a bare patch of soil showing at this time of year!
The tulips have been putting on a show.  This one is a little more yellow than I expected, but it fades as it ages.
I think this one is New Design.

I have had some of the tulips for so long, that I have forgotten their names!
Queen of the Night.
Not everything in the garden is pretty - inside this tulip a white crab spider had captured a bumble bee.  Interestingly these spiders can change colour to camouflage themselves.
Last year I threw out a lot of my hardy geraniums as they were taking over the garden.  Previous years I had passed them on to friends, so they didn't want any more.  The few that are left are now flowering and no doubt will spread again! :)
This is Mourning Widow.
Often amongst the blue forget-me-nots are a few pink ones,
but this year I seem to have some white flowers.
 Geum rivale.
 My lilac is flowering again this year.  It didn't bloom last year as it was recovering from being pruned.
Cerinthe major Purpurascens sows itself freely around the garden.
 Tiarella
Centaurea montana
Clematis Fragrant Oberon is in bloom by the patio door.
 The wisteria is looking glorious again.
This male Orange-tip butterfly was flitting around the garden this morning.

I seem to have run out of room in my greenhouse!  I have improvised more shelves in the middle by laying canes across from one staging to the other.  I just need the threat of frost to go away and then I can start planting out at the allotment.  Or that maybe my Husband's job as I have injured myself again! Middle-aged or what!?! :)
He has cut the lawn and treated it for moss and weeds, so it will start to look rather sad for a little while.
Roll on summer!

4 comments:

Vintage Jane said...

Wow, a riot of colour. My garden is still mostly just varying shades of green and brown. I really need to get it sorted for next year!

Crafty in the Med said...

Hope you recover from your injury soon!

Lovely lovely flowers and photographs!
all that floral glory brings to mind Rudyard Kipling's quote "Our England is a garden and such gardens are not made by singing ---Oh! how beautiful!
and sitting in the shade..."
It is so true England is a garden ... and so beautiful!

keep well

Amanda xx

Maria said...

Hi PJ,
Goodness this is a pretty post..I watched Monty Don on his gardeners world program the other evening and he agreed the gardens at this time are bursting with colour and new life..YEY! I am wishing my self a garden like yours..hehe!
LOVE little kittie coming in for the shot too..Hugs Maria x

thesnailgarden said...

Thank you all for visiting. Maria, I always watch Monty too. That is Maurice running towards me in the photo. Best wishes, Pj x