Contrasts

Sometimes in the garden random groups of plants when in flower, form beautiful contrasts. This Dandelion was lit by the spring sunshine against the electric violet of the tumbling flowers behind it.
This was pleasing to my eye and made this photo....
I spent yesterday and today moving stuff down to the new house. I roped in Hil's yesterday, and Cat's parents today into helping me move boxes. The house is slowly being transferred a mile down the road in boxes.
Its typical bank holiday weather, cold, overcast, and wet. The skies keep emptying every so often. The garden here was full of Blackbirds, Goldfinches, and Wood Pigeons this morning.
The new garden will have a massive injection of life,from the many plants here, along with my potted Apple and Lilac tree's. I will be digging them up and transferring them into plastic pots to wait for the move day. The bird feeding station and the bird table will come with me to entice the garden birds in the new garden. I need to buy a large bird bath, preferably cast iron like the one we found here.
I will blog soon the before pictures of the new garden. I'm trying to visualise it in my head first, then I can start a plan in earnest in my head gardeners notebook.
I want wonderful contrasts of colour, shape, and form in the new garden. It must be wildlife friendly too.

Snow Bliss

The garden has this shrub in it from the previous owners. Its white bell like flowers are totally covering the green leaves. It has the look of an Azalea or Rhodadendron.
The photo shows how white the flowers look, like fallen snow in April after my second night shift.
I'm working nights so today's post was after a walk around the garden, pure bliss. The Tulips are forming buds, and the Aliums. The Roses are growing beautifully in the pots ready for moving.
The fruit trees are growing their leaves now, ready for the mass of sweet smelling blossom soon.
Even the Peach Tree is growing gorgeous pink flowers. The sunshine has made everything grow on..
The dawn chorus is playing outside the patio doors as I write this on the laptop. I have just watched three Greenfinches on the feeder. That's the most I have seen in one sitting..my regular Goldfinches are dining on niger seeds.
All these things seen will help me sleep, and look forward to my days off when i can explore the garden with my camera.

Colours Of The Day

The Eucomis has grown a flower spike this year. Last year it had only grown the red strappy leaves before the frosts killed them off.
I took the potted bulb to the new house and left it in the greenhouse. It has regrown with vigour and been replanted.
The Pineapple bit is all the flower buds not yet opened...
The rain has come today after my nights. I hope the next two days will be dry enough to get to the allotment to continue clearing it.
The garden looks lovely with all the Sunflowers, Gladiolus, and Geraniums flowering away.
The bird feeders continue to attract masses of Garden Birds.
The Eucomis is also called the Pineapple Lily, and is a native of South Africa.
I have a red hot poker plant but it has done nothing in the dry bit of the border. It obviously likes some moisture :)
After my night shifts its nice to enjoy the sunshine on your face, the wind blowing the plants around, and seeing the colours of the day in technicolour.
Its the first of September already, where did the summer go?

In Flower Today

These are a random selection of some of the flowers in bloom today.I have picked out nine of about sixteen plants.This is a beautiful pink/salmon coloured Geranium.I love the white edging contrasting to the dark leaves below.

The Catnip Six Hills Giant.The purple flowers are good for attracting butterflies to the garden.I did see a baby one today though so maybe the scented flowers and leaves are sending out Butterfly Pheremones.

The Orange/Copper coloured Broom.These flowers are gorgeous and a complete contrast to the other Broom which had white flowers but has finished flowering now.The sunlight illuminates the deep warm colours.

Four Dutch Iris are in flower now, only another fifty one to go!I love the Iris flower shape on the long stiff edged strappy leaves.These were almost turquoise in their colour.I want some bearded Iris for next years garden..

The plants awaiting a hanging basket.A pink panther Fuschia in flower.The Blue flowered Winston Churchill has not bloomed yet.I also have the Candy Pink Fuschia from last year that survived the damp flat.I have taken cuttings and planted them around the parent plant.They have taken too!

A pink flowered Verbascum from Hils plant stall.It needed staking to keep the floppy flower stem aloft.I love the detail of the flower and the pink colour.It flowers from the base upwards..

Virginia Stock....

Another Virginia stock with a hitchhiker on the second photo.These smell sweet during the day, and the night stock is supossed to smell in the evening.These are growing in front of the kitchen window in the box.

The last photo from the garden is these Sunriver Daisys in the Hanging basket by the outhouse.Daisys are so cheerful, thats why I love them.