Not a Great Gardener.

Considering that we live in the middle of a suburb

and have 16 neighbours around and about the place,

we have quite a bit of land...well nearly an acre.

So people think that I am a good gardener

as there are a lot of flowers and trees in the garden.

Well part of the truth is that a lot of what you see at the moment...

...was there before we came.

So the question is,

  after the lemon and yellow of early spring

is it only our patch that starts to turn blue?

All of the bluebells were there already, so I've just let them multiply and shed their seeds and spread themselves about.

I've heard people say that they're a menace...they take over if you turn your back.

And also say that they aren't even English,

the Spanish have somehow infiltrated them!

Oh, that's exciting!

I love Spain.

So...then...there's another thing,

why is it that in the middle of all of this blueiness

suddenly

arrives an anarchistic

orange?

Now I like a bit of complementary colouring

with the best of them,

but I didn't plan this .

And blow me if it isn't another country getting in the act with the Iceland poppies!

Forgetmenot?

How could I ever!

You spring up in all the right places

just to be seen with the right companions.

Well I just had to compete.

So I went out to Beetham Garden Centre and got me a pile of blue and, well fairly nearly, black.

Beat that you  pesky,  pretty, pop-up everywhere beauties...

[hope they come back next year! ]

Spring has sprung!

At last, at last the spring flowers are here.
We took a trip to Dunham Massey in Cheshire today.
The sky was sunny and blustery...just how you want a spring day to be when it's nearly March and it's about to come in like a lion!

We bought ourselves National Trust membership last year.
 The new snowdrop walk at Dunham has quite a reputation already, so  we went off to see the results.

They stretch in magical swathes under the trees and the petals shine and almost glimmer in the light.

In clumps as well

and all sorts of shapes and sizes.

I'm no expert on the different types, I just want to see the beauty of them, both singly and in crowds.

This triangle of trees and snowdrops takes your breath away.

Pure white bark of Japanese birch underplanted with hundreds of snowdrops.

The regimentation of the layout of the trees against the scatter of the flowers..just beautiful.

but as we say in Befast.."there's more"!

lawns full of scillas with their ice blue flowers...

                                      early miniature irises of all hues...

all pushing their way through the dead leaves of the old season of autumn.

New life from old.

more...

and even more to delight the eye.

And of course it could only be spring with daffodils.

These early miniatures dancing through it all in the winds.

What else could I do after that......apart from a nice cup of tea....

but buy a couple of pots for the garden.

Three different miniature irises in the bud.

Grow little plants grow!