Tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show

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Tulip 'André Rieu'

Melissa officianalis 'Aurea' (Variegated Lemon Balm)

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While I may be sick and tired of rain the garden revels in it. My soil is light and can absorb any amount of water without becoming waterlogged. Bare soil is fast disappearing as the plants grow.

Borders filling out

I have tidied up the small rock garden – essential if it is not to become overgrown.

Rock garden

Behind it is a raised bed with some blocks of  Tufa in which are planted Sempervivums and tiny Ferns. I emptied the bed this year, added fresh soil and gravel and replanted. The bed had been rather neglected so now I have space for some small alpine plants.

Raised bed

My Amelanchier is flowering for the first time. I chose this variety because it has an upright habit and should not grow too big. It replaced a very old Pyracantha which I was sorry to lose. The foliage is supposed to have good autumn colour followed by black  berries that are attractive to birds.

Amelanchier alnifolia 'Obelisk'

Amelanchier alnifolia 'Obelisk'

Unfortunately we did have a frost early in the month which caught the buds on my Wisteria. Sadly we will only get few flowers this year. Here you can see one live bud surrounded by brown crispy ones!

Wisteria

Luckily no other plants were affected by the frost so if I turn my head away from the Wisteria I can see lots of colour other than brown. The first hardy Geraniums have started to flower – Geranium phaeum, reliable as always.

Geranium phaeum

More showy are the Bleeding hearts……

Dicentra spectabilis

though this one has bled out :-)

Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba'

One advantage of all the rain is that the pond is full. We gardeners must always look for the silver lining.

The pond

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Narcissus 'Rainbow'

Tulipa 'Spring Green'

Sanguinaria canadensis multiplex 'Plena'

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Now I have lots of space to put the seeds but am constantly worried about the tender plants outside when we  have a frost. So far they have survived and next year I will not be so impulsive. Here they are up by the house, covered with fleece. As I walk by I can here them grumbling “Why do we have to sit here instead of in our warm greenhouse”.

Tender plants covered with fleece

Inside the greenhouse all looks well. On the ground you can see my electric fan heater which keeps the greenhouse frost free. I have had it for over 15 years and it has served me well.

Seeds and seedlings

Here are the Tomato and Chilli Pepper seedlings.

Tomatoes and Chilli Peppers

The Digger’s Brassicas – Kale, Cabbage and Sprouting Broccoli. I like to eat them but tend to leave the growing to him.

Brassicas

The rest of the seeds include Squash, Courgettes, Herbs, Lettuce, and various Flowers.

Assorted seeds

I also have some cuttings mostly Pelargoniums and these Penstemons. I bought a few new Penstemons last year and wanted to make sure I had replacements if I lost any over the winter. As it happens the original plants survived so now I have even more!

Penstemon cuttings

How I wish I had two greenhouses :-)

A Dandelion

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We have had wonderful sunny weather for the last three weeks and I have concentrated on giving the garden its yearly Spring clean. For me this is the time to tidy up, clear away weeds and dead foliage and trim or prune any plant that needs it. I can also see which plants have not made it through the winter.

I pruned the plants growing on the trellis behind the Cercis and Eucalyptus trees. The Clematis montana, Japanese Quinces and early Rose Canary Bird were in a complete tangle. For some reason the one of the visiting Squirrels takes delight in pulling off the Quince buds, taking a bite and dropping the remainder on the floor. The soil was covered with them.

Bottom of the garden

The Witch Hazel in this border is difficult to see but it has now survived two winters and has established itself well. Behind it is Magnolia stellata giving a beautiful display as usual.

Witch Hazel Border

Here is the wooden seat with the small wildlife area underneath.

Wooden seat

No frogspawn in the pond this year which is a disappointment.

The pond

Moving towards the house the large revamped borders divided by a new path are looking less “new”. The Solanum on the post survived the winter without protection much to my surprise as it is rather exposed to the elements.

New centre borders and path

The Libertia is creeping across this gravelled area. It is a beautiful orange colour. I will fill the old tin bath with some colourful annuals once there is no more chance of frost.

Gravel garden

The Ginko tree in the small raised bed is heavily pruned as it is near the house and I use it to hang the bird feeders that I leave out over the summer. Sadly I have still not learned to look which way my shadow is falling before taking a picture.

Ginko

Two things that did not survive the winter were an Olive tree and a large Grevillia shrub by the side of the garage. This has allowed the border to be revamped and an Acca and Pyracantha have been installed as replacements.

Garage border

All nice and tidy at the moment though I know that will not last for long.

Tomatoes are red like Rubies.

Tomato 'Bloody Butcher'

And while they may not be as priceless as Rubies they are much more tasty! I love growing them.

Tomato 'Bloody Butcher'

‘Bloody Butcher’, a heritage tomato with a name very unsuited to a vegetable – but easy to remember :-)

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Here is a picture from the Chelsea Flower Show. This was part of “A Modern Rock Garden” where grass and succulents were planted against a background of  small black stones.

Chelsea Flower Show 2009 - The Modern Rock Garden

At the ArtDeJardin Sculpture Garden a metallic sculpture is surrounded by grass and foliage.

Allium

Finally – a soft furry black cat on a hard wooden shelf!

Halki asleep

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