Today the weather was fairly gloomy. Early rain gave way to overcast clouds and oppressive warmth. Our own garden seemed the best venue.
Bees, nevertheless, were busy plundering the amanogawa cherry now in full bloom.
Tulips, which, until now have kept their collars tightly buttoned, are beginning to think about loosening their ties.
Avian courting continues in the weeping birch.
The golden Japanese maple glows despite the lack of sunshine.
Dicentra joins primulas, hellebores, daffodils, fritillaries, and honesty in the West Bed.
Honesty is a biennial bloomer. The transparent medallion-shaped seed pods, so attractive when backlit in the autumn, as effective as a careless sneeze, scatter the germs that raise these spires of colour everywhere in the spring. This is its year.
The daffodils in the above photograph of the Cryptomeria Bed are later blooms which will delight for some weeks more. Others are past their best.
The vinca is a plant which, given free rein, would dance over all the beds and consequently requires a certain amount of containment. When we first arrived the garden was choked with it.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s flavoursome sausage casserole; creamy mashed potato; crunchy carrots and cauliflower; and tender green beans, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Juicy Assemblage.
…..Tulips, which, until now have kept their collars tightly buttoned, are beginning to think about loosening their ties.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a wonderful description?
Thank you Derrick for the beauty you sharing to us!!!!
Tulips, which, until now have kept their collars tightly buttoned, are beginning to think about loosening their ties.!!!!!!
What a wonderful description?
Thank you Derrick for the beauty you sharing with us!!!
Very many thanks, Efi
I absolutely love the cherry trees! Gorgeous photos, Derrick. Thank you for brightening my day! 🙂
Thank you very much, Jill
Terrific alternative to a ride in the countryside. Everything is blooming beautifully – taking advantage of what we consider “bad” weather no doubt.
Thanks very much, GP
I’m with Jill. Gorgeous photos!
Thanks very much, Laurie
Our honesty has been great the white especially
We don’t have any white. Thanks a lot, Geoff
I love honesty! Most especially the autumnal seed pods. Your garden is really waking up now and it seems everything else is trying to keep up with your spruced up tulips!
Thanks very much, Pauline
Today in Cornwall was wonderful. We went to the List Gardens of Heligan which were fabulous!
One of our paths is named Heligan because we didn’t know it was there under the jungle that was the garden. Thanks very much, Andrew
A lovely post, Derrick–both photos and word play. 😉
The flowers in your garden clearly brightened the day. I love the “avian courtship” photo.
Thanks very much, Merril. Much appreciated
I can smell the cherry blossoms from here. I might hyperventilate from all the rapid breathing.
Thanks very much, Susanne
Most colourful.
Interesting that vincas also become a bit over-enthusiastic your side of the equator.
Thanks a lot, Leslie
Derrick you have a beautiful garden. Sadly, unlike my late mother who was a gifted gardener, I don’t possess so much as a green fingernail! Now I just have a terrace with pots full of succulents which thrive on my indifference and neglect.
🙂 Thanks very much, Sheree. Jackie is The Head Gardener
Same as with my late parents
Lovely Spring captures. Thanks Derrick ?
Thanks very much, Val
Beautiful 🙂
Thanks very much, M.B.
A garden of delights.
Thanks very much, Gary
Hard to be gloomy in your garden!
Thanks very much, Luanne
Stunning
Thanks very much, Gary
How delightful to see your garden come to life once again. I love the flowers on the amanogawa cherry tree.
Thanks very much, Rosaliene
Spring is such a great season because it brings our gardens to life.
Quite so, Gary. Thanks very much
Love the rain drops on the tulips
Thanks very much, Mrs W
Your welcome
Honesty is a biennial bloomer. Is the sarcastic pun intentional or it’s the handiwork of my sickly consciousness? Gorgeous photographs that go hand in hand with glittering commentary.
Very many thanks, Uma. You got it
So beautiful! Your words, your photos, your garden!
Love the buzzin’ bees and courtin’ birds!
‘Tis a very cold Spring day here and very rainy…so your post brings smiles and warmth! Thank you! 🙂
HUGS!!! to you and EXTRA HUGS to The Head Gardener!!! 🙂
Many thanks, Carolyn X
“Tulips, which, until now have kept their collars tightly buttoned, are beginning to think about loosening their ties.” Wonderful, Derrick! A wonderful simile. Or do I mean metaphor? How I wish our English teachers had been better at keeping my interest.
Thanks very much, John. A metaphor. A simile needs something like like. I was lucky. I had a superb A level teacher who encouraged my writing – especially poetry.
I’m sure you could spend many days wandering that garden without needing to visit more distant places. 🙂 Beautiful shots.
A short time ago i was looking to identify a plant that had white leaves so i tried googling for it – to no avail. Lo and behold the very sort of plant i was looking for is shining brightly beneath your dicentra (which are wonderful – i love that capture you took! 🙂
Would you or Jackie be kind enough to give me their name if it is known? – The one with white leaves with the green border, creeping plant.
Many thanks in advance. 🙂
Thanks very much, Bob. It is a lamium White Nancy, otherwise known as dead nettle (doesn’t sting) – excellent ground cover
Thanks again Derrick! lamium huh?
I was just researching more flowers and saw an image of your Honesty (Lunaria) that has the ‘negative’ leaves of the Lamium! – Green leaf with white border! they must look wonderful together. 🙂
They do, Bob.
Lovely flowers. In full force now I see.
Thanks very much, Sherry
I love Honesty seedheads. Last year, I didn’t get any flowers but the herb garden is graced now – and like you we’ve got some late-flowering daffodils!
Your Honesty display looks very good with the surrounding plants.
Thanks very much, Helen
The spring gardens are beautiful, Derrick and Jackie, especially that cherry tree! Our fruit trees are slowly coming into bloom here. Oppressive warmth is something we are not experiencing, yet.
Many thanks, Lavinia. I don’t think you would find what I was describing ‘warmth’ 🙂
Such a beautiful garden.
Thank you very much, Lakshmi
Such poignant, poetic descriptions of the marvels of spring… I find the garden is always a refuge. Yours looks wonderful even in rain-drenched gloom.
Thank you very much, Anna
The Japanese maple sure made the day sunny
Thanks very much, Pleasant
Your garden is Paradise, Derrick. My compliments to the Chief Gardener!
Many thanks, Dolly
My pleasure, Derrick
I find it quite fascinating to see what plants flourish when a garden is abandoned.
Ours was covered in brambles. Thanks very much, Widders
“Tulips, which, until now have kept their collars tightly buttoned, are beginning to think about loosening their ties.” Excellent! It makes me want to draw a cartoon.
I had to look up honesty. My mom had a money plant, which I think this might be. I had no idea it had such pretty flowers.
Here’s a question for the head gardener: Plants like these that come up wherever they please: do you leave them be? Do you dig up the errant ones early and put them where you’d like them better? For so many years I was just happy to have anything other than weeds grow, so I left things be. But now I am wanting to put a bit of shape into the scene. I like a carefree look, but I also like a cared-for look.
You have described exactly Jackie’s attitude – i.e. same as yours. When I read the digging up early sentence she said, as I knew she would, ‘certainly’. She takes many from the gravel paths, and has a talent for recognising plants when very small. Thanks very much, Jodie.
Awesome – I was just out there today doing all of that. Glad to know I’m not alone. I feel bad pulling the little ones up – never sure if they will survive or not. But I also don’t want them EVERYWHERE. Carefree yet cared-for girls unite!
🙂
I love honesty but we don’t have any in our garden, yet. I know that once it arrives there is no getting rid of it! I love your photo of the vinca!
Thanks very much, Clare
What a wonderful wander through your rainy-day garden – in words as well as pictures. I think plants often glow more in dull light. This was a delight, Derrick, thank you! 🙂
Thank you very much, Sandra. You are right about the light
Lovely flowers. Honesty is a great addition to the winter compositions. Love it.
Thanks very much, Inese