Spring Gardening

Here in the South of England we have been enjoying some much needed sunshine and the days have been warm and summer-like.

The earth in the garden has been replaced by an explosion of green and sweetly scented hyacinths.

I have many pots on our patio, filled with spring flowers.

 In the flower beds the tulips are beginning to bloom.

 I have been pottering in the greenhouse.  These are dahlias that I have grown from seed this spring.  I have also overwintered the tubers from last year and will now start watering them again.

 Also sown this year are sunflowers,

 cosmos,

and Californian poppies.  I'm also growing bells of Ireland, linaria, nigella, nemesia and zinnias for the garden.

I have several varieties of salad growing in the greenhouse,

plus some onions

and dwarf peas.  This week I have sown my beans, sweetcorn, gourds and squashes; possibly a little late, but I'm hoping that the warmer weather will help them along.

Indoors my window sills are full of tomato and cornichon plants and some Chinese lantern seedlings.

At my allotment we harvested the remainder of the parsnips so that we could dig over the bed.

The purple sprouting broccoli is now ready too.

Also the rhubarb season has started.

The garlic

and overwintering onions are growing well.

The broad bean plants have survived the winter.

I found several caterpillars munching my veggies!!

This year I am hoping to grow some potatoes in an old water butt.  This is Bonnie, a second early variety.  My husband grows most of our potatoes on his allotment.  He also grows our peas, sweetcorn, cabbages and squashes on his allotment as there is more space there.  We have a larger fruit cage there too.

In our front garden the Amelanchier blossom is taking over from the purple-leaved plum

 and the crab apple blossom is almost open.

Spring is such a beautiful time of the year!