First of the Irises

After waiting a full year for these beautiful blooms ,the constant winds of the last 3 weeks has smashed them to bits. I only hope the next ones due to bloom are a bit luckier

The oldest and the youngest Roses

This is the oldest Rose in the garden . it was here when we came here in 1973 .I spoke to the previous owner of the house and he told me that it had always been in the garden  he was born about 1920 so it must be over 100 years old. When I took cuttings it had a huge trunk but was very week and spindly . It only flowers once but has the most beautiful scent that reminds me of Turkish Delight 

 This is the youngest Rose called Crème de la Crème it is a climber for the arch coming into the garden .I bought it for its extra strong perfume .They are sitting in their pots waiting to be planted but already the are full of beautiful blooms

Up date on tomatoes

Due to the unusually warm weather during all of April my tomatoes have had a really good start  and are growing away really well. So many times in the past I have planted the tomatoes into the greenhouse then the weather has turned really cold the tomatoes turn blue and take weeks to recover. This year everything has gone right for them and they are already setting fruit although lovely red tomatoes ready for eating are still weeks away.


I have finally used all the Cabbages and Cauliflowers from the side bed in the greenhouse and I have sown Broad Beans into the bed . They do really well here the bumble bees easily  find them , pollination is always good and we get really good yields. There is a bonus from sowing broad beans alternate years to tomatoes and this is the Broad Beans excrete something from their roots that kills verticillium wilt,that can be so devastating for a tomato crop.

This is the small white border at the end of the garden with Paraweb each side to protect it from the wind There are green Philadelphus and the left and golden Philadelphus  on the right  dark green Yew on the left and golden variegated Yew on the left and variegated Holly in the centre large white Calla lilies  and variegated plants and a white rose and white lupins in the border in front I have ready to plant to Nicotiana Sylvestris to extend the flowering period. There will be more pictures to follow

Plant House

The plant house is really filling up now and I am desperate to start planting everything outside. the wind has been blowing very strongly from the east for about 10 days. Yesterday it turned to South Westerly but still too strong to plant anything out it would be smashed to bits in minuets. Meanwhile all the plants inside are growing taller and taller not good. I have nowhere to harden them off prior to planting out so the weather has to be really calm. 

A Lilac for Josie

Minature lilac Josie 

I bought this beautiful lilac a few years ago in memory of a wonderful friend Josie who died too soon . A lovely lovely lady who we greatly miss

Aqualegias

I have been under the weather this last week , but the garden just goes right on without you.

What a treat it was to see these lovely flowers today.

Amazing Azalea

This Amazing azalea was a birthday present 3 years ago It was planted outside in a huge pot. It is now almost 4 feet across and although you can't see them it does have leaves.

Soft Fruit

The soft fruit in the garden really needed a make over this year. the Blackcurrants had been planted in one of the raised beds over 10 years ago and had become really huge , producing far more fruit than I could deal with. 

I lifted them and gave them away and I now have 4 new young  bushes planted in the field. The  Redcurrant Bushes are full of small fruits and should crop very well as long as I net them in time so that the birds don't get to them first.

Gooseberries had been sharing a bed with the Raspberries . Big mistake.The Raspberries had grown right through them . the Gooseberries have been lifted and transplanted into the field and the Raspberries thinned out and tied into the wires. I'll grow Cauliflowers  and Cabbages  in the rest of this bed after I have added manure and fish meal .
The strawberries were replaced last year with new plants.If we can keep the Blackbirds from eating them we should get a good crop.

The rhubarb is looking a bit week this may be due to lack of rain , but it is desperate to have a new home. I must move it next winter before it comes into growth.

Loganberries Tayberries  and Blackberries are grown against the concrete wall along wires in the field . these are only new  plants and produce some fruit but not a great deal. (this may be due to the grandchildren eating them)

Cotoneaster horizontalis

 This plant has covered the wall in just 5 years ,it is just coming into flower . The flowers are pretty insignificant but  both bumble bees and honey bees adore it and it literally buzzes on a warm day. In the Autumn it is a mass of red berries that the birds love .

Tomatoes planted into mesh baskets .These are the kind usually used for planting into ponds .Hopefully it may ? stop the voles eating the roots from the Tomatoes as they did last year .