Farewell Blithe Spirit

My favourite daffodil Bravoure (AGM) which used to win me first prize in spring garden shows when I did these.AGM means Award of Garden Merit, awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society. This is the one I reported on last year, when the bulb company sent me the wrong bulbs. They sent these free however - well done, De Jager. 'Farewel'l because they are just beginning to fade.

Since the first daffodil to bloom was on Chjristmas day, and the last are still in bud, this is a really rewarding flower.

My next favourite s are Pheasant Eye daffodils, named for their small 'eye'. This one is multi-headed.

 Some have a slightly greeny centre.

Fancy Foliage

This is coprosma - sorry about the weeds

 and heucheras - 'Blackberry Jam' and 'Creme Brule'

 'Lime Ricky' and 'Palace Purple'. Coloured leaved heucheras normally have insignificant white flowers - green leaves forms often have red flowers.

Ladies in Red

Well, magenta anyway. A slinky size 10.

Rhapsody in Blue

Bluebell time

but also time for grape hyacinths (muscarii)

 and camassias, the first flowers emerging this week

 which all have an admirer full of the joys of spring

Bridal

Exochorda The Bride (top) is particularly good this week, growing to a moderate tree-shrub

 And in the background, behind the pieris and camellia, the white garland of Spiraea Bridal Veil.

Tulip Mania

Nothing ordinary here: first a green tulip

 then a selection of hot oranges and reds

 We love the frilly girly tops (click on picture for more detail)

 and warm your hands on the fire

Containers

This display stays in year after year in two new cattle troughs bought from Countrywide, with holes in the bottom to let out water. Useful as water containers also, and they look good.

My hostas grow in blue pots which I stray outside with WD40 oil  to keep the slugs off. It works every time.

This is the collection.

Friends Jenny and Robin

Jenny Wren

and young Robin

Golden Bling

Since most of out daffodils are white (with some yellow or orange bits it is true) it is nice to see some zingy yellows coming out. Top is marsh marigold, caltha. A very old clump in the soon to be renovated bog garden.

 For the next, gorse, you need a smell App - to my limited nose, gorse has always been one of the nicest scents. I must put a chair under it.

 This close-up of ribes odoratus the yellow flowering current, shows the riot of yellows with reds.

 And bursting open today, the vigorous yellow tree peony Lutea.

Ground Cover

Top: Foreground - forget-me-not, Jacob's ladder (variegated cream flower form). Background - various peonies, with aquilegias in-filling

 Middle: carpet of heucheras amid violets (with a stray pulmonaria)

 Bottom: as daffodils go over, spiraea japonica 'Goldflame' takes the stage, with more peonies. Alas, with ground elder and bindweed also.

Orcadian

Primula scotica again, from the Orkneys. Two inches high now...

Stairs

Apples (top) and pears (bottom) in blossom. I saw my first 'Blossom Trail' coach today.

The first rose of the year

The yellow Banksian Rose, a climber, this morning before the rain. The first rose to flower.

Ornamental crab apple

Flowering briefly for two weeks a year, this unknown crab apple was in the garden long before we arrived. Visible from the kitchen, it is also the bird feeding station.

Under-stated, over-stated

This long established erythronium is flowering freely

 View from my study: a hungry heron.

On returning

Thursday to Sunday 12-15th April
We have been away, up north, for a few days. These greeted our return. Tulips first -

 We clearly like hot colours. I do, anyway.

 And coming home with us, a couple of dozen lupins grown by my mother. Not, I hope, on the menu for local snails.

Tidy for Open Day

Wednesday - the house from the spring garden

 Thursday - the new garden from the road, created when a leylandii hedge was removed

See Open Day pictures on http://romancourtgardens.blogspot.com.

Easter Day Open Afternoon

A visit by members of the village garden club forced us to tidy up!
This is the newest garden bed, created when a huge leylandii hedge was removed. The many shrubs in here will grow into a useful and colourful screen. A few trunks were left for climbing plants.

 Pots also bring value. With orange tulips come the daffodil Narcissus 'Bravoure', a tall late flowering variety.

 And for Tuesday, here is the precious tiny Primula Scotica, native of the Orkneys, next to a pnny to show its size after 5 years.