Category: Spring

Blooms in the Breeze

Published on by Catherine33 Comments

Here on the Ayrshire coast, we’ve had a good week of mostly sunny, albeit very blustery and cold, days. The chilly temperatures were bearable as long as I was bundled up, and I did my best to be outdoors at every opportunity. Although I grumbled (a lot) about the cold that the strong north-easterly wind was bringing, I’ve got to admit, it was better than the constant rain we’ve been enduring. It was wonderful to wake in the morning to sunshine filtering through the windows and the birds twittering in the trees.

However, another Saturday has arrived, so let’s get on with this week’s selection of garden images.

Six on Saturday

Tulip humilis. Despite being in the shade, a beam of low sunlight has illuminated one of the emerging tulips, giving it a lovely glow. The hazy effect surrounding it was created by the nearby leaves blowing wildly in the wind. Despite the wind, Tulip humilis stood its ground. A surprisingly strong little flower! I’m looking forward to seeing the other flowers pop up in the pot.

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The Den

Published on by Catherine17 Comments

A few years ago three of my younger grandchildren discovered they could walk under the Japanese Acer at the back of the garden. It became a fun hiding spot. I thought it would make a good Den for the children to play in so we laid a path using a few stepping stones, added a base with old decking squares, and then topped it off with a lot of bark. A few logs became seating and my husband cut down an old wooden chair to make a table. I also discovered to my surprise, that this neglected corner had a few lovely ferns and hostas growing beneath the trees. Perfect.

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Time

Published on by Catherine15 Comments

A long time ago, when we first started working on this garden, I went to our local nursery to buy a conifer. They were all the rage back then. I found one that caught my eye, and the elderly gentleman next to me glanced at the plant in my hands and said, “That plant grows very, very, slowly.” He pointed to a few others that he thought would be a better purchase. He was trying to tell me to put it back and choose a faster-growing plant. I knew he was being kind, and his knowledge of plants had to be much greater than mine. I knew nothing. But I was drawn to this tiny plant, so I thanked him, went to the till, paid and returned home to plant it.

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Purple, White and a Splash of Orange

Published on by Catherine27 Comments

This will be my last Six on Saturday for a few weeks. Next week I’ll be busy doing final preparations and starting to pack for a trip to the US to visit one of our daughters and her family.

The biggest job will be in the garden – trying to get the remaining plants into the ground, moving potted plants from their sunny areas into more shady areas, and leaving loads of instructions for various family members on how to look after everything.

Here’s my Six for this week.

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Farewell Tulips – you’ve been amazing.

Published on by Catherine17 Comments

I couldn’t let the tulips leave without posting at least one final shot of my absolute favourite of the year, Tulip ‘Ballerina’. She looks as though she will last for another few days, after which she’s being planted into the ground. I’ve been really pleased with all the tulips this year, but I should have bought some more late flowerers to keep the show going a little longer. Lesson learned.

We’ve had some great weather this week, with only one day of wall-to-wall rain. There’s been an isolated shower or two, but otherwise, it’s been warm enough to discard jackets and change out of my gardening sweatshirt into a lightweight shirt. That’s great for mid-May in our area.

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