Friday Photos

I am off work for four days now.I can spend my time gardening, going to the allotment, baking, and shopping.I have just made some Scones to go with clotted cream and strawberry jam.I have been out with the old camera taking photos of flowers in bloom in the garden today. The first one shows a Red Astrantia with a Bee resting on it.This is the second Bee I have seen today alighting on a plant.Do they get tired and have to stop for a while?

The Oriental Poppy is flowering away beautifully in the pot on the corner of the greenhouse.Its red/orange petals look like silk.The centre is very ornate like a sweet.The seedhead looks like a pepper pot I think.This is a perennial so has flowered for the last two years.It gets bigger the clump every year.It may need re potting after it has finished flowering.

The David Austin Gertrude Jekyll Rose has finally began to bloom.There are about eighteen Rose buds on the plant.I bought a support ring for the Rose to grow up.The Roses smell so divine, this was Britain's best loved Rose before.The scent is heavenly and every time I go past I have to stop to inhale the Roses fragrance.yum.

The Rose is a flower of beauty grown for centurys.A garden must always have at least one if not more.I think I have eleven rose bushes so far.Every time we go to David Austins I buy another one.

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The Red Hot Poker is looking fiery likes its name.The bottom flower buds are beginning to open to reveal yellow petals.I am so pleased that this plant is flowering now in its third season.I was worried it would never flower.I hope that it attracts the Bee's.

The Clematis by the backdoor has three flowers on it now.The plant is slowly scrambling up the Trellis that i planted in the pot.The flowers are a lovely light lilac colour with jewel like centres.I cannot remember what the Clematis variety is called.

The last flowering photo is the Astrantia Major, my favourite flower.It is the one I first saw at Harlow Carr (where the blogs title photo came from) and I have loved them ever since.I bought the Ruby coloured one from the Gardeners World Live show last year, and the White one from Hampson's.

The Bees love the pin cushion type flowers and are always flying up to them.The weather is decidedly unsettled but I hope that I can get to the plot whilst it is not raining to check on my vegetable plants progress and to do some weeding.

The Tomato plants need sorting out in the greenhouse,Half are going outside in planter bags, and the more delicate Cherry Tomatoes are going to be grown inside the greenhouse in grow bags.

I need more garden compost to be able to do this.Maybe I will go to Hampson's tomorrow.I saw some lovely Festuca Glauca grasses that would look lovely next to my Stipa Tenuissima, my Pony tails grass on the concrete base by the greenhouse.

There is one more day left of the Chelsea flower show.I need to watch the programs that I missed whilst I was working.I have started to formulate my highlights.

Whilst the eyes of the world have been at Chelsea I have been enjoying my own little patch of earth.It may be small but it is tended with an equal amount of passion, but costing much less.I have seen some plants at Chelsea that I think would look good.

The next thing I'm looking forward to it the return of Spring Watch from Wales.I love Chris Packham and Kate Humble.They make the every day things around us more exciting and makes you go looking for it.It starts on the 30th May.

I hope to have a good weekend outside in the garden and allotment.