A Get Well Present

These have to be the nicest get well present!  Janine gave them to me a couple of weeks ago - anybody would think she knew me!  A tray of mixed Violas - so many, I was able to fill all these pots plus 2 more not photographed!  Now they are flourishing and will do so for many weeks to come. Thanks very much again Janine.  More Violas

The prettiest of a very pretty collection!

Forest Flames and Flaming Fires!

Pieris Forest Flame is really living up to its name in the Woodland Border especially in the evening sunshine. Nearby, the Under Gardener was enojoying leaping flames of his own contrivance. These bright red new shoots begin life in these vivid colours and then fade through pale lemon and pale green before turning a darker green.. The flowers hand like bunches of mini grapes.

A few yards away, our Under Gardener could just be seen through the smoke stoking his own flames and burning brash from Elderberry and conifer pruning.

The Song Thrush of Pear Tree Cottage

This indifferent bit of video wouldn't win a single prize but it's really worth listening to.   Mr. Thrush is singing from the top of our 60' conifer at the bottom of the garden.  He took no notice of me at all and when I played back my recording to him, he sang all the louder!  At this time of year, his concerts are held every morning and evening.  As from Monday 13th, he is sometimes joined by a cuckoo down in the valley.

Spring Fever!

We can REALLY say it's spring now as the cuckoo (not my photo) has arrived!!  Well, he arrived on Monday 13th, to be precise.  Funny how we love the cuckoo when he's not exactly a bird of nice habits!  The other local arrival has been the first asparagus and I can say it's truly delicious.  Other arrivals include bats which have been much in evidence flitting around in the evening twilight.  The magnolia is in full bloom and the only awaited visitors are the swallows.  The grass is growing apace so mowing is back on the twice weekly gardening agenda not to mention edging!

At the end of the day...........

Sunset over Martley Hillside

...on a rare warm spring evening after a busy day's work in the garden; what better than to enjoy both the sunset and a well earned sundowner whilst listening to our resident thrush high up in the conifer singing his heart out?

Wisteria Vandalism!

In an effort to discourage our bird population from vandalising our Wisteria again this year, we moved all the feeders to the end of the house and put them on the terrace - away from the Wisteria.  It's been a complete disaster and they have decimated it from one end to the other!  They have eaten all the plump and obviously delicious flower buds and stripped it bare.  The only remaining flower buds on 50' of Wisteria are shown below.  Can anyone out there come up with a practical suggestion for next year?  

Wood Preservation

Elsewhere in the garden it's been preservation and tidying up! Most of the bare wood has had a coat of creosote including the barn and the Herb Garden fence - it's a good job I like the smell of it!!  I think I could have been a professional wood preserver in a previous life! Again, my collection of boards comes in useful for catching drips.  You might notice the Dogwood stems awaiting re-use as plant supports.