Well what can I say about May: its been a bit chilly, its been chuffing hot and we had a mahoosive thunder storm as well. The upshot of this is that everything is growing well though also looking a bit frazzled in places.
On the front doorstep is a new purchase: the Elephant of Happiness. I saw this in a local garden centre and it jumped into my trolley, literally jumped. Now I confess this is not the elephant planter of my dreams, the one I lust after costs more than £500 more. So you can guess why this is the one that I have and in truth, I am sure it makes me just about as happy as the more expensive one would. Even if it didn't it will have to.
The summer hanging basket is now in place. I bought a ready planted one and transferred it to the basket frame that I use. It is just starting to flower and I have high hopes for it.
The planting in the front garden is settling in. The ballerina rose that refused to die despite being run over by a digger multiple times is flowering well. The new Souvenir Du Docteur Jamain rose, that I planted before I knew the Ballerina would resurrect itself, it also flowering well. I am trying it in the north facing front garden to see if this will suit it better than the south facing back garden. The ones in the back garden have never really performed well.
The side border is also looking quite colourful but really this is a photo of the tiny glimmers of lawn daisies that I transplanted from the back garden and the pink clover that I planted as plugs. A lawn without daisies and clover is not a lawn I want.
This is the Bunny of Happiness, this bunny originally cradled a solar light which made him topple over once too often and the glass lamp smashed. I thought that he would work as a plant holder and lo and behold it looks like I might be right. I am so glad to be able to re-use him.
This is the current state of the veg garden, which is now a container garden. These are french beans, some peas, a courgette and a couple of dahlias. Yes the dahlias are edible, no I am not going to eat them.
The Smell me and Dye Garden, used to be the veg garden but I prefer its new use. The white peony was planted a year or so ago and is flowering for the first time. It was part of an offer so I don't know its name and I didn't know what colour it would be. Thankfully it works perfectly with the Rose 'Its a Wonderful Life', (Rose of the Year 2022), which is flowering away merrily. You can also see some teasels in the background, I always have a patch somewhere in the garden that moves itself around. This year it is in this part of the garden.
The roses are really flowering well despite the recent baking temperatures. This is Rose Hyde Hall, which forms the hedge between the Smell me and Dye Garden and the rest of the back garden. Every year I use the hedge trimmers on it to reduce the height and every year it rewards me like this.
The clematis are also flowering well. I have three that climb up different oblelisks in the garden. This one is perfectly positioned to pick up the mauve flowers of the Abutilon vitifolium. Of course I planned this to perfection, it is not an accidental planting at all........ much........ ok it is pure accident but I am claiming it anyway.
Meanwhile in the Courtyard Garden, a few houseplants have moved outside as they are looking rather sick. I have a couple of struggling peace lilies, an underwatered Christmas Cactus and a sickly looking spider plant. I think the peace lilies and spider plant have been over-watered, which is really quite annoying. I am hoping some time outdoors might rebalance them - or finish them off, either way....
The pelagoniums are looking nicely healthy. Some were looking a bit shabby from overwintering in the conservatory but they have perked up nicely now.
This philadelphus is a cutting from one of the few original plants in the garden when I moved in here. The original plant was by the rowan tree that was by the side of the house. Luckily I took this cutting before I had the tree removed. It is not a shrub I would have chosen because of its yellow colouring, which I think is its natural colour not a disease. However I don't like this type of yellow foliage generally as I think it makes them look ill. Anyhoo, the scent from this shrub is incredible and so I forgive the yellow leaves.
I am pleased with the main borders at the moment. They have colour and different textures, this I have actually planned.
I am very pleased with the Coal Bunker border at the moment. The purple clematis was a gift from a friend some years ago and it adds good colour and height. In the background the Peony Coral Sunrise is just sheer joy.
The Conservatory Border is looking positively frothy. There are oriental poppies, the yellow Blythe Spirit rose, a wonderful white peony I have no memory of buying but there it is and a mauve clematis and dots of ox-eye daisies that spread themselves through this border. I am very pleased with it generally.....
... the Euphorbia mellifera is too flipping big! It will get pruned.
The Spring Border has passed Spring and is now in its green moment. There are some moments of colour but it generally spends the next nine months of the year being green.
The Exotic Border is doing ok. I was a little worried about the tree ferns as the fronds did not get very big last year, but this year they seem better. I have been watering them a lot. The big bamboo flowered this Spring and I was concerned it was dead. They can die after flowering. I did console myself with thinking I will probably never need to buy a bamboo cane again.
But look, there are green sprouts and where there are green sprouts there is hope.
The cornus I bought after my holiday in Cumbria a couple of years ago is looking great. A living memory of that time.
and the pond? Well the pond is full of flag irises because someone did not thin them last year (or the year before). I know this needs to happen and maybe this year it will; but I sit on the bench drinking tea watching the bees pushing themselves into the irises. There are worse things not to have tackled in the garden.
Until next time
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