spring blooms – Bloomingplaces

Transformation without the perspiration

The Vision

When my small front patch was a pile of rubble of mud a few years ago it was hard to believe that it would ever become the space that only existed in my head. Although I had drawn a rough plan of how it would be I knew that my image of the finished, matured project would take time coming and would evolve on the way. There is still the maturing of the two small bay trees, that I added, to come but apart from that the wild flowers have certainly settled into the space and have helped create a feeling that the garden has always existed as a space in time. Although I have done my best to photograph the space (it’ a new camera and am still learning about exposure 🙂 ) I always think that spaces are for feeling and there is no better way to view a garden than to walk amongst it – although you can get pleasure from viewing a garden – it’s real true sense only becomes apparent when you get in there!

from this

to this

The choice of natural stone fitted in well as it instantly gives a feeling of age – the laurels and the bays take the space back to its Edwardian roots

in two easy years

The structuring and planting took less than a week and the naturalising of the flowers settled into a feeling of “I’ve lived here a lifetime” in two years.

I love the way the moss has naturally over time created a base for it all and the stepping stones sit happily amongst it all.

The space is cyclical and seasonal – the laurel backdrop feature wall and moss carpet interspersed with natural stepping stones and planted with bays and evergreen ferns create all year round interest and greenery

Spring gently announces itself with the some pretty yellow narcissi and purple muscari, swiftly followed by a burst of forget-me-nots and bluebells, getting it all in the full swing

As summer arrives so do the yellow and orange and yellow poppies, dancing in the sunshine

The yearly work is done by nature – now that is a true gardeners paradise – all of the beauty and none of the back ache

As the spring fest fades the arrival of beautiful tall white flowers around the birdbath is anticipated and coupled with an overflowing hanging basket of white trailing Bacopa and geraniums the summer look will be complete

Now all that is left is for me to enjoy on a daily basis being greeted with a delicious feast for the senses as I walk in and out of the house every day. Oh the joys of nature – how could we live without it!

The Alliums Have Landed

The shift in seasons has meant that everything in the garden is blooming about a month later than usual. But thankfully this year they are all still doing their thing. Last year during March it was so wet and soggy and lacking in sunshine that the alliums (which are from the onion family and prefer dryer conditions) didn’t even bloom at all. However this year they have come back in full force and whilst their usual habit is to bloom at the end of April early May, they didn’t bloom until end of May and are still in bloom even though it is nearly mid June.

The Bluebells came and went in April

the forget me nots are still lingering on well into June – insisting not to be forgotten

The orange lillies under the apple tree which have bloomed the first week of June every year like clockwork since I planted them there 10 years ago, still don’t look like they are anyway nearly ready to come into bloom – another couple of weeks perhaps? So the general feel for everything is the blooming time has shifted forward by about a month.

The Poppies seem to be enjoying themselves though and are flowering abundantly and prolifically for the past month with no signs of fading just yet

Yellow and Orange Poppies

Golden Wonders bringing in a ray of sunshine even on dull summer days

The unseasonally cold weather for this year might be keeping us all indoors but I am happy to say that it has not stopped the flowers in the garden coming out to play and cheering me up no end. It might not feel like summer outside but when I look out into the garden it is giving me hope it might arrive any day soon!

Party on Plants!

Plant with Passion

Whether you have an expansive football pitch or a tiny terrace plant it with passion. Planting an evergreen backdrop and a rotation of perennials (plants that will relentlessly pop up every year) for each season will ensure your space has colour and vibrancy all year round. It is a formula that will work in most spaces. Planting en mass is always an eye catcher and keeping your selection of specimens to a minimum will ensure your space looks relaxed and natural and doesn’t end up looking like a mismatched patchwork. Keeping the colour palate simple will also help make sure that plants will make maximum impact with minimum effort. Start simply – it always easier to add on afterwards if the desired effect hasn’t been achieved first time round.

An expanse of tulips interspersed with primroses would make an equal impact on a small patio planted in containers, troughs or window boxes.

For early spring a simlar effect could be achieved using narcissi interspersed with snowdrops and muscari or for late spring try planting bluebells and primroses. Forget-me-nots are also a useful self seeder that look great with all the spring flowers. The combination of colours and plants is yours to choose.

May Peace Be With You

White Tulips and Chrysanthemum

White Tulips and chrysanthemums

Pretty in Pink –

Tulips and Wallflowers

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

Yellow Tulips and Orange Wallflowers

Spring is the visible beginning of the gardening year and a good time to excite your interest for the rest of the year. Mark your calender for next autumn to remind you to plant some spring bulbs for next spring or get some ready grown ones in for this year before it is too late. The daffodils are already beginning to fade but this can only mean they are making room for the tulips and bluebells to have their proud moment on stage.

Don’t be afraid to pack them in!

Happy Spring Planting

The Show Must Go On

ahoy me hearties

It’s a long time coming – Spring. The unseasonally harsh cold weather has kept the blooms at bay, which is probably a good thing as in previous springs that have burst forth early in all their glory, blooms have been nipped in the bud days after their splendour has arrived depriving us of the crown, the many more blooming weeks that should have been to come. So far it is really only the primroses and daffodils that have been brave enough to poke their pretty heads through in the garden. The muscari are trying hard and heres hoping that before long they will make it through, which may be a sign that we can all thaw out and enjoy some warm spring sunshine. Winter may not have left us left but nature is still doing it’s thing albeit at a lot slower pace than usual.

“Break on through to the other side”

The daffodils have made it!

Pop a daffodil bowl on the patio table

The narcissi have now naturalised around my garden – truly making it feel like Easter even if the uncharacteristic cold weather isn’t

This planted up Easter window box of polyanthus at the back of my garden is just about surviving the long cold snap, some of the blooms are looking a bit frost bitten (so were my hands when I quickly planted them last week!)

whilst this pale of the wild primroses that pop up every year seem to be standing up to it all with a smile on their face

The muscari which have naturalised in the garden are struggling through with frost bitten leaves, whilst the ones in the window boxes have decided not to brave it at all yet. Usually by now they are giving a spectacular display alongside the narcissus

Did you speak?

Nature is not giving up as the drake chats up Ms duck

Neither should we

It’s never too cold for a chat and a stroll, with the lovely Asheebee

Looking Lush

At the moment if feels like we are living in the times of Noah’s ark – it started to rain nearly two weeks ago and has hardly stopped since with no end currently in sight but nobody still seems to be sure whether or not the hose pipe ban has been lifted???? Not that we need to use them anyway given the current climate conditions. Despite the predominant overcast skys spring is still blooming away everywhere you go and seems even more vigorous fuelled by the heavy downpours. A recent lunchtime pop to the sandwich shop revealed different blooms with nearly every step. The plants are so grateful for the rain but I am hoping it will move on soon – anybody know how to do the sundance? In the meantime keep on a singing in the rain.

blossom puddle — Even the puddles are looking lush

blooming shrub yellow petals — Dancing petals

blousy blossoms — Beautiful blousey blooms

blousy blooms3 — Spring romance is alive and kicking

Some lilac had fallen from it’s bush so I took it back to brighten up my workspace

And then there were …….. ten thousand

“I wondered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er dales and hills when all at once I saw a crowd a host of golden daffodils, beside the lakes beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze, ten thousand saw I at a glance tossing their heads in sprightly dance” william wordsworth

Every year they arrive so quickly almost like a fairy has waved a magic wand over night and they never fail to evoke a feeling of excitement and put a spring in my step. For most they herald the arrival of spring – it’s probably their abudance and ubiquitousness that create this excitement as the crocus and snowdrops that have gone before don’t seem to create the same kind of buzz for most (although for me they have already provided days of endless gazing pleasure)

If your garden is lacking in spring colour – now is your chance to get started. Buy some ready planted containers or some ready grown bulbs and plant up your own containers, window boxes or hanging baskets. Things like narcissus and muscari always look good planted together in pretty teracotta pots or harmonize some paper whites and white primrose in a hanging basket. When they have finished blooming, let the plants die back to bulbs (the primroses can be planted straight into the garden to lighten up a shady spot) and think about where you would like to put your bulbs next autumn so you will have spring flowers popping up year on year. For best effect plant in clumps of threes (space the clumps out as they multiply!

Early spring bloomers – narcissi, muscari and primroses.

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