Blooms And Baskets

I spent the whole day today in the garden tidying up,cleaning the greenhouse up,planting my baskets, and taking photos.It was twenty degrees centigrade in the shade.The mystery Poppy in the planter box finally opened its crimson and black petals.It is very silky on the outside,and only opened in the sunshine.When it got cooler the flower was shut back up again.

There are about six smaller Poppy's with single flowers.This is a double flower, and is twice the size of the others.Is it a genetic cross between two Poppies?This is what they bred, but the other flowers are smaller and less showy.Maybe they lose vigour as they self seed and revert back to their parent plants.

The Lady Emma Hamilton is not blooming spectacularly like Harlow Carr, or Darcey Bussell. The LEH blooms are perfectly formed and scented so sweetly.The Apricot flowers seemed to glow today in the bright sunshine.She may not be performing as well as usual, but her blooms are perfection.

The pond has its edges softened now by planting around the pond liner.The pond plants have established themselves in the water, and have started to oxygenate the pond.The water is finally clearing after it became a green watery mess.It has now only been topped up by rainwater.My Norfolk Reed is also acting as a water filter.The pond is bordered by my Wildflower mix.This is a draw for many flying insects.Its busy air space around the pond.I have not seen any Dragonfly's yet this year.

This is a rare daytime photo of one of the Newts that is living in the pond.Tonight by torchlight I counted three frogs and two newts.Earlier I saw some lightning fast dark coloured Newts.They were extremely jumpy.This olive coloured Newt moves slowly through the water and between the oxygenating pond plants.I wander if the Black crested Newts are males looking to mate? They were so quick darting to the surface, before diving back into the deep water of the pond.It is so nice to sit by the side of the pond and look to see whats swimming, or chilling.My water Lily has made itself at home and is widely spreading its kidney shaped leaves.I saw a big frog tonight resting against the edge of a leaf.

Injecting some colour in the sun is the Armeria.It is a small clump of grass, that looks like Chives.It has these lovely pink football type flowers hoisted aloft over the grasses.I put this plant with my other Grasses for contrast to the airy light grasses.

The Rose Margaret Merrill has finally opened a bloom.It is the purest white with a lovely old rose scent.I watered all the Roses tonight with some Rose food.I want to try to keep feeding the Roses so they bloom all summer long.The Rose Flowers are for the eyes, and the scents for memorys and dreams.

The Starlings continue to brawl over the fat balls.There are three fat ball feeders around the garden.The Starlings shriek loudly and fly up to each other in aerial combat.They intimidate each other and eventually one retreats for a while.These are all fledglings I think that are arguing all the time.They are like the Keystone Cops waddling around the garden and pecking each other over the food.

I made the hanging baskets up today.Eight baskets and one wall mounted box.I used up five trays of plants but that did not even dent all the plants I have been growing on Petunia's, Pansy's,and Busy Lizzie's.I planted the Fuchsias and some French Marigolds as the centre plant in some of the baskets, and used different combinations of the three types of plu plants that were growing in the greenhouse.I added the granule food and water crystal mix.My baskets always end up drying out and dying.I hope the water is held in the jelly.

The pathway is lined with pots and planters.I added two brackets onto the old fence,I never realised that I had put these brackets one way, and on the opposite fence fixed the brackets on the other way.Cat told me before she went to work.

Two of the new Baskets are cone shaped.I love the rustic feel off the woven Rattan and black cord that makes the basket up.This was put up near to the Clematis Angelique.

I spent all of my day off in the garden.I have to work tomorrow before going to Birmingham on Thursday night.We have passes for Gardeners World Live/BBC Good Food Show on Friday.I have sorted my camera out.I just need to charge the battery's up ready for the NEC show.

I may well buy a few things to bring back.

The garden is looking lovely now.I just need to try to learn how to sit still.But there is always something to deadhead/trim/water/re pot.A garden is best when its not fully done.

I loved working outside in the sun with the sound of birds singing (and fighting), and the wind blowing through the tree tops.It was a blissful day off.

April Sunshine

I was finally off work today and able to get outside into the garden. We have decided to get a builder to lay down a concrete base, near the shed for the greenhouse to be moved to. When the plastic covered greenhouse has been finished with, I will buy a glass one to sit on the concrete base. I love how the colours of flowers can compliment like the Yellow Daffodil, and the Orange Tulip. Colours can be similar or contrasting. As plants grow they seem to draw the eye to them in certain combinations. I like the colours of these two together.Like a pair of professional dancers together at Blackpool. The sun was shining today and the sunlight illuminated the Tulips like Chinese Lanterns. These looked like the ones from the Disney film Entangled. I can imagine these floating up, up, and away. The late planted Tulips have grown on really well so some of those may flower too this year. I want my Queen Of The Night Tulips to flower. Fingers crossed! Growing on in a rectangular planter on the path is this Double flowered Daffodil. It is unique as all the others in the garden are single flowered. At the Autumn Flower Show I will try to look for double flowering Daffodils as they are very pretty. This one is gorgeous to look at.

This was the garden in the top corner at the end of today. We had to move the pots from the side of the shed, and move the full compost bin across the garden onto the path to join the first one. It was full of black gold (Compost), and funnily even some small potatoes that had sprouted from the Potatoes in there. The material near the top that was not composted down got moved into the left hand bin. The stuff that was nearly composted went into the right hand bin.

We are having a concrete step built as well on our path to be able to sit two water butts snugly to collect water from the sheds down pipe which currently just runs into the ground.

I have about five bags of compost fresh from the bin. This needs putting onto the sunken border or into pots. I'm planning on digging a border that runs along the pathway to be able to plant lots of Asiatic Lily's.

I wanted a watering can for the greenhouse, so I bought the Asda children's red watering can with a Ladybird on the side of it. It works though.

I bought a Frog weather station too, basically a Frog holding a thermometer, and a glass tube to measure rainfall. I would love to keep a gardening diary to refer back to. Dates I sowed seeds, dates the flowers bloomed, and so on. I can start recording temperature and rainfall. I had a surprise visitor in the pond today. The planting around the pond has been altered to accommodate the greenhouse base. I had to move a Teasel and a Echinacea. I looked under the water and saw a flash of movement. It looked like a baby lizard..

It dived from the Norfolk reeds roots to the bottom of the pond. He stayed very still and you could barely see his outlined form. It was a Newt and im so proud that we have attracted one to our little pond! I do not know which kind though.

The reflections of the sky, and overhanging flowers. The ripples that move across the still water. I like looking to see if i can see any beasties floating around the water, or walking across the top. It is good therapy after the stresses of a working week to relax by the pond.

We have put the bench now between the Pond and the Strawberries raised bed. You can sit and watch the flowers in the border, the birds on the feeders, or the still waters of the pond.

Tomorrow I will be sowing seeds, planting Lilys in Pots, digging the path border once the concrete base is laid down. I will goto the allotment to plant Potatoes,Onions, and Garlic . We will collect some free manure tomorrow from a local stables.

I have baked some Double Chocolate Chip Muffins this evening. Time to eat one, drink coffee and relax on the garden bench.