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In today’s gardening division of labour my contribution was weeding the back drive, while Jackie continued planting, weeding, and watering.
My main focus was on the bed alongside the new fence.
This involved clambering between dead stumps and the fencing and digging out stubborn brambles and sticky Willies. I had not anticipated needing to use a fork on all this, but, most unusually for April, there has been so little rain that the ground is rock hard. Consequently I didn’t get very far. For those readers interested in the scale of things this drive is 75 yards long and the width of a terraced house plot.
Jackie filled the Rose Garden urns – one on the brick pillar we have just rebuilt – with compost
in readiness for these lilies bought from the Hordle Post Office a couple of days ago.
Other plantings in the Oval and Elizabeth’s Beds and the Rose Garden are mostly represented by labels.
In this corner of the Palm Bed we have tulips; a yellow Japanese maple that clearly needs the pruning treatment;
and a pink rhododendron just coming into bud.
A yellow tree peony competes with the latter over which will be the first in full bloom.
Daffodils, honesty, and hellebores continue to thrive.
This cream verbascum stands on the Back Drive bed,
and this clematis Montana spills over the front garden wall,
behind which a yellow potentilla is flowering. Can you guess what, when I put the first of these pictures of it up on the screen, got me rushing out there?
This evening we dined on Mr Pink’s fish and chips, Garner’s pickled onions, and Tesco’s gherkins. I drank Doom Bar beer.
none the wiser…
Dead-heading, Geoff :). Thanks.
Nope ……….
Dead-heading, Pauline. 🙂 Thanks for trying – at least you didn’t find an owl.
I was hunting for a butterfly or insect that might have piqued your photographer’s eye …….
Jackie made the same observation 🙂
It looks as though it bloomed in front you…
Thanks, Oglach. It must have been the dead-heading
Is Jackie a gardener by trade? I see the chicken wire for the clematis to climb over, which is brilliant, but had never occurred to me.
Not by trade, but by inclination, assiduity, and problem-solving ability. Thanks, Jodie.
Excellent answer. Thank you.
So what made you race out there?
All the dead-heading required 🙂 Thanks, Jodie
Oh, of course. Enough to keep you quite busy.
Goodness! You rushed out there to see the seed. And did you see it? You seed it indeed!
Now I seed it now I don’t. Thanks, Bruce
!!
Whatever made you rushed out rushed away 🙂 Sounds like my whole property can fit in your driveway with room to spare so don’t expect me to feel sorry for you 🙂
I do envy the space you have but don’t envy the work you have to do. Still I am jealous that you can grow peonies.
Very many thanks, Mary. What you do with your space is amazing.
🙂 Nice observation, Mary. I’ll forgive your meanness 🙂
Derrick, I admire yours and Jackie’s dedication. Great Photos. 🙂
Many thanks, Terry
Our azaleas and now rhoddies are popping, too–but we have a lot of rain here still. Good work.
Thanks, Cynthia. Our April must be the driest on record.
Sorry to hear it–maybe it will rain bucketsfull later.
No doubt 🙂
Derrick, I am watching your back drive for the first time. It seems a perfect place for releasing a soliloquy in the night air. As for the difference, you seem to have removed dried up stalks, the potentilla on the top left has opened up. Also, moving from left to right, your focal length changed from 7.344 mm to 4.5 mm, and you have allowed more light by reducing the shutter speed from 1/400 to 1/200. 😀
PS: There seems to be a problem with the theme of your blog —I had trouble posting a comment today. Or is it that my Nvidia display driver is throwing tantrums at me? Anyway, I am deeply disappointed by Windows 10.
Thank you dear D for cutting all last years dead flower heads off the potentilla , I have been looking at that each day but not getting around to doing it! I can cross it off the list now!
You guys are so cute. : )
I admire all the work you and Jackie do in your garden–and it shows!
This seems to be a bad year for ticks here, so we’re going to have to be careful. Daughter discovered her yard is infested with them.
Many thanks, Merril. I hope the ticks disappear.
Thanks. We do, too!
Very nice, I must say I am finding that verbascum to be rather fetching. Isn’t it wonderful to have all this life around us, and within us. Cheers, Harlon
Many thanks, Harlon. Good to see you posting more often
I’m on a bit of a roll, spring is happening and it’s hard not to be inspired 🙂
I wish my garden looked like this haha beautiful!
Thanks very much, Lynn
That was a long drive to weed Derrick – it’s very tidy and pretty, can just imagine how beautiful when everything is in bloom. I haven’t seen a blooming rhododendron since we lived in Maine, can’t wait to see yours in bloom. Garden is looking great – love seeing Jackie working the pots!
Very many thanks, Mary.
A joy forever 🙂
Many thanks, Lakshmi
Garden is looking lovely. I’m off to the garden centre now, and trying to restrain my enthusiasm for new plants. Looking at your garden and going to the garden centre is a bit like food shopping whilst hungry – dangerous!
🙂 Thanks ever so much, Quercus.
🙂
So much work to make it this beautiful. 🙂
Many thanks, Amy
I saw brown “bugs” which turned out to be old blooms or possibly frostbit buds. Derrick, this really does help the picture and the life of the potentilla plant expand and improve its future growth. 🙂
Thanks a lot, Robin
You trying to drive me bonkers? Got those two pics up large as life and couldn’t pick a thing to set anyone arunning!
I had to run out and do the dead-heading 🙂 Thanks a lot, Brian