The cloud breaks + shop promotion

Most of these cushions/throw pillows are from photos I took in LA 2008, some combined with older patterns from my archives. They really express what living in Venice felt like to me creatively, it was a whole new world of colour and light and pattern. Memories of that sunlight and Ocean living really perked me up this week when we were mired under low grey cloud and cold fog for 8 days.  
Somewhat bad timing because the front Cherry Blossom, Prunus Cerasifera 'Nigra', had opened during the previous week and was doing it's best to cheer up the view in the absence of sunshine (taken when things lightened up enough to actually get a photo)...

The Forsythia can always be relied upon to brighten even the darkest day...

Luckily the cloud and fog have lifted this weekend and we finally had a sunset...

Today I finally got my fix of some much needed sunshine and Cherry Blossom in the garden. Hard to photograph though because the sun returned with it's near constant companion these days - strong wind! It's been so hard to photograph anything in the garden in the last 3 years because it is nearly always jiving around like 50's teenager...

In a very brief moment of stillness and extremely bright sun I spotted this little ladybird exploring the flowers of Pieris 'Debutante' which have been really abundant this year. It's a very compact little Pieris and it's leaves keep a fairly consistent green in all seasons, good for small spaces and places where you don't want any unexpected colour clashes from changing leaf colour...

And finally the deeper toned flowers of the larger and more seasonally varied Pieris 'Mountain Flame'...

Pale Cherry Blossom

Every year is different when it comes to the Cherry Blossom. This year the dark leaved cherries seem to be coming out at the same time as their leaves, long before the more floriferous pink ones which open up before their green leaves arrive.

I'm always happy when they stagger their opening times like that so that when one passes there is still the joy of more to come. Ours are still at the early stages of opening but the one above had the advantage of a few extra degrees of heat in the City so it was fully open and begging me to let it pose for the camera yesterday.

Update: This photo now available as a Giclée Print here, printed on archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks.

Spring shrubs enjoying the sunshine

Today was cold but oh so very sunny and many bushes and trees were filled, or filling, with colour. I love when the sun shines through the leaves of the flowering currants providing a glorious contrast in colour from the pink flowers.

Elsewhere I've been delighted by the flowers on the Winter flowering Honeysuckles - Lonicera Fragrantissima, which have been flowering since early December and this month have been providing a much used early nectar source for some huge bumble bees in the garden.

It's funny how in October 12C means jumpers on, and in March it means jumpers off. Beautiful sunny weather and no cold wind! It's hard to believe that this time last year we were under snow that lasted right through April so we could barely see the snowdrops or crocuses. Not so this year, they are abundant and basking in Spring sunshine. They hovered as 'drops' from mid Jan through Feb and then when the warmth came they all opened up in crisp white perfection, just like the clouds.

Angelica, Dogwood and Enkianthus in June

The Angelica is in it's 3rd year and despite a late start it put on an astonishing amount of growth in the last 4 weeks, it's huge! Last year it was a bit taller than me but this year it's taller than the shed, probably about 10ft tall, and may grow more. What a wonderful giant of a thing.

The Dogwood is Cornus 'Hedgerow's Gold' which always lights up it's mostly shady corner.

The Enkianthus - oh what a delight to see. Last year the constant vicious gales and 2nd late freeze meant it only had about 4 flowers, poor thing. This year it is SMOTHERED in them and they are strongly resisting the gales today, which fortunately are of a much warmer nature than the ones that ripped the leaves off the trees last year.

The White Lilac has flowered really well, it's been getting pruned back over the last 3 years and this is it's first year without any of the old unproductive branches. It seems very happy about it and the flower clusters have held on for at least a full month.

The Rowans haven't recovered fully and like so many trees around Scotland they are looking a bit see-through, but I'm pleased to see they are managing a few smaller scale flower clusters so we will get berries this year (so long as no freak weather comes along before September).

More plant photo's to follow just as soon as I get them cropped.

Pink and Purple May flowers & foliage

Hard to get the colours right on screen, the Azalea is pink but the others are all a tad more lilac or purple than they look here. Azalea 'Girard's Hotshot', Hebe, Wallflower Erysimum Bowles Mauve and 3 shots of Tulip Attilla which I was amazed survived the wet winter as it's in clay soil.

Late but lovely Spring Clematis & Tulips

Clematis Alpina & Clematis Broughton Bride finally opened in the garden with the Tulips, not sure which type of tulips they are, I must have it written somewhere, but they are so crisp and clean looking in green and white, I really love their purity.

As the month comes to a close it has managed to squeeze in the opening of the White Lilac and the Spanish Bluebells which I like to have in a jar beside the computer where I can enjoy the scent when I am catching up on my long neglected emails - it's been quite a year so far, I am so far behind with everything, but I guess that just makes me more in tune with the higgelty piggelty lateness of the seasons. I can hardly believe we are about to enter June already when only a month ago the garden was covered in snow!

A good day

So happy to finally get a bit of sunshine between the clouds and be well enough to get out and enjoy it this morning with a simple blueberry breakfast and some frivolous silvery toenail painting - got to reflect every last drop of sunshine now that we have some. It's my way of pretending I've had a summer holiday. I'm not a pink cardigan sort of person, but i never say no to free cashmere hand-me-downs!

Still got some blueberries ripening on the bushes...



The Clematis/Hops is finally old enough to reach along the fence and then cross over onto the shed, creating a nice floral bower over the secret path between the sheds - which has become even more secret after this years rain made the bamboo grow like crazy...





The Clematis even creeps round in the other direction onto the back side of the shed (yes, in a 3rd shade of bluey green). I hope next year I will have some energy for gardening and can train it properly across the shed wall, I just had it tangled over a small nail this year so it was a bit bedraggled...




I just adore that clematis and grow have it growing on the East fence paired with Goldenrod, Evening Primrose and Eupatorium/Eutrochium...




Finally after 2 years without we got hold of some organic corn. The garden is in shade by late afternoon but I was determined to eat it outside anyway since there was still a lovely warm breeze. Who needs sun when you have a freshly boiled cob on your plate...

What's happy in the back garden today...

Reach for the sky...

This Clematis has suddenly settled in this year and is putting on a load of excitingly rampant growth which I've not been dutifully training in my usual fashion, so it is heading for the sky!

Garden snapshot May 2012

Narcissus, Clematis, Angelica

Clematis, Clematis, Solomon's Seal

Acer, Narcissus, Heuchera

Rhododendron, Tulip, Pieris, Tulip

Click images to enlarge.

My head for names has gone so I hope nobody wanted details of each variety. I'm hoping the nice weather will help get me enthused about the garden again and then the names will pop back into my head. Fingers crossed.

In the March garden

Kerria buds, Spirea, Hellebore, Daffodils unknown, Daffodils 'Tete a Tete', Lilac leaves, Pieris 'Cupido', Cricus 'Ruby Giant' with Heather unknown, Kerria in flower, Flowering Currant.

So much grew and flowered in March, especially blossom which I would have expected in April and May. There will be a bit of a blank period in those months now but it was amazing to see everything flowering at once - Magnolia, both Cherry trees, Forsythia, Amelanchier, Kerria, Flowering Currant and so much more. I've not had time to get my other 100's of plant pics on to the computer yet. Will try.