Friday Smile

Hi Everyone,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your smiley posts this last week  It's so good that in these troublesome times we can still find things to be happy about. This week I've been very busy in the garden so no trip out, except to the garden centre to buy two climbing roses, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been things to smile about so here's another Friday Smile post for Annie at A Stitch In Time.

Warning! Another photo heavy post follows.

My niece, Louise, popped in for a short visit and brought this little cutie called Kruiser, with her. He's only thirteen weeks old, adorable and loves being cuddled. Even himself quite took to him though he isn't too comfortable with tiny puppies.

And what about this one. My daughter's Jack Russell, Max, being nosy. He's a very busy wee dog that likes to know everything that is going on.

Then there's our great-grandchildren, Rhian, Lacie and Brodie. I love this photo their mum, Jenny, took one morning as they were all walking to the school Rhian, the oldest, attends. They have all just got over chickenpox so it's back to the usual  weekday morning routine.

Then there's this one of the other great-grandchild, Callum, learning to drive already. His dad thinks he shows early promise!

As I've mentioned that I've been gardening I thought I'd share just one photo from the garden because I just love this tiny tulip, T. Humulis 'Persian Pearl. I'd forgotten the packet of bulbs - they should have all been planted last autumn - but I took a chance and put them in the alpine trough when I planted it up a few weeks ago. Surprise, surprise - they've decided to bloom despite my neglect!

I'll leave you with this photo - it just about sums up my days at the moment :)

I wish you all a very happy, smiley, week.

In A Vase On Monday on Tuesday - More Tulips

Afternoon Everyone,

I've had a few days away from my desk, taking advantage of the wonderful weather we've been having to potter about in the garden - cutting back and pruning, planting out new plants, and just generally tidying up. Not to mention the time taken just sitting, looking and taking in all the new growth the warmer days have brought with them.

The tulips are doing so well this year I didn't mind cutting a few more for the vase this week. That would have been the one for Cathy's meme  In A Vase On Monday if I hadn't run out of time yesterday so it has to be a Tuesday vase instead.

The three pink tulips are an old favourite 'Angelique'. They've been in the same pot - keeping a clematis, C 'Princess Diana', company - for three years now which could be the reason they are so tiny. I think the time has come to rescue and replant them.

The name of this mauve tulip is a mystery. Looking back to a post dated 20th April 2015 I'm reminded that my husband sneaked these into a bag of 'Angelique' and 'Sunlover' bulbs before they were planted into the pot. The foliage, Dryopteris atrata 'Buckler' and Polystichum braunii 'Braun's Holly Fern', was cut from the new fernery which is coming along very nicely.

This dwarf daffodil, Narcissus 'Minnow', with it's flat pale yellow petals and deeper yellow cup looks very pretty growing in a pot.

Now it's confession time. In last week's In A Vase On Monday I named the tulip buds used in the vase as 'Sunlover'.

Wrong! I've no idea what they are called, planted by my husband and so not labeled, but it is definitely not 'Sunlover'. In fact, there are clearly two different varieties, one peach, the other orange.

This is 'Sunlover'. Totally different. And as they are a late blooming tulip they might feature in another vase later in the month.

Garden update.

I know I usually show a few close-ups of plants from the garden but today I thought I'd share a couple of long shots so you can see the mess that is our garden - there's still such a lot of weeding and tidying to do!

Back garden - the herb patch and long border. The woodland is through the rose arch at the bottom of the garden.

Front garden - circular bed. The newly trimmed buddleja is down in the wild corner by the Rowan tree.

There's more but I think this post is quite long enough. If you're still with me this far you deserve a medal!

Since the weekend the temperature has taken a dip - quite a shock after the t-shirt weather we've been enjoying. While it was so nice we took the opportunity to prune the old buddleja davidii right back and plant up two new clematis, purple C 'Dorothy Walton' and pale pink C 'Hagley Hybrid', as well as potting up more pansies and bellis. There's a few outstanding jobs to do and after a trip to the local supermarket today we now have another new clematis, this time the white C 'Gillian Blades', winter windflower, anenome blanda, in shades of blue and an alpine wallflower, erysimum 'Bowels Mauve, to find a home for and plant out.

Happy gardening folks,

In A Vase On Monday - It's Tulip Time - plus a garden update

Hello Everyone,

Well, here we are one day into British Summer Time, and we're having gorgeous weather! And as if to celebrate the sun the tulips are bursting into colour at last. Just in time to be included In A Vase On Monday over at Cathy's blog, Rambling in the Garden.

Planted by my husband, who never labels anything, these could be Sunlover tulips but I can't be certain. I do know, with absolute certainty, that the twiggy foliage is from the black elder, Sambucus nigra 'Black Beauty'.

Tucked in between the emerging leaves are the dark red flower buds which will, in a few weeks, open out into frothy sprays of pale pink flowers.

Needless to say the warm sunny days are encouraging me out into the garden to spend a couple of happy hours tidying up and noting what's putting on leaf or is just about to burst into blossom. I've also been repotting hellebores and narcissisi ... after a winter of being in the shelter of the kitchen door I thought it was time to put them in a sunny spot.

The pot back left contains dog's tooth violets, Erythronium 'Pagoda' which are just about to flower.

Here's a few other shots taken today.

Pansies planted up at the weekend.

Flowering current, Ribes sanguineum

Celandines, Ficaria verna

Spirea 'Gold Flame'

Lemon Balm

Berberis

I'd better stop there or this post could go on forever!

Have a great gardening week wherever you are.

In A Vase On Monday - Spring Bits & Bobs - plus a garden update

Hello Everyone,

Today is the first day of spring and so to celebrate I have a vase of seasonal bits and bobs  for Cathy's In A Vase.

A wander round the garden today was very cheering. Not only was there green shoots popping up all over the place, all promising lots of colour to come, but also quite a few spring flowers - among them cowslips (primula veris), lungwort (pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign'), helleborus niger 'Christmas Carol' - ready to be picked and popped in a vase.

Cowslips - Primula veris

Helleborus niger 'Christmas Carol' and lungwort, Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign'

I added, just because I couldn't resist it, the acid green foliage of an alpine aquilegia, not in flower just yet but it won't be long now.

For me this combination of blue and yellow just says springtime even though, dotted around the garden, there are just a few other colours, mainly from the old wallflowers that have been producing a bloom or two since January but are now really getting going. Here's a few shots of what I spotted during my wander.

Wallflowers

And here's the lungwort and cowslips before picking. According to the label for this lungwort is also known as "Blue Cowslip".

Lungwort

Cowslips

I couldn't resist taking a photograph of some of the flower buds that are popping up - here's a couple.

Clematis 'Broughton Bride'

Tulips

And there's no forgetting the many daffodils that are still brightening up my days.

The windblown flowers are cut to fill even more vases with their golden loveliness.

Cathy is celebrating five years of blogging at Rambling In The Garden so do pop over to see the fabulous vase, hand painted by her daughter, saved for this very occasion.