A ray of sunshine and I dash into the garden......
When I was a child, my parents often took me to Greenwich Park. After visiting all the historical buildings, we would go to the formal gardens. I think that is where my dislike for tulips grew.
When we came to the farmhouse we inherited many. Most are yellows and reds....and I have learned to live with them. I never show them on my blog because I just do not like looking at them. I prefer, the paler colours (as above).......including Angelique, which Rose features on her blog each Spring.....now this tulip makes me drool :) I really must plant some in the autumn.
Last year I planted the dwarf varieties......and fell in love. I suppose, for me, small is beautiful.
Please, fellow bloggers, tell me do you like tulips ??
A fly on pear blossom, so exciting. I am happy to see any insect at the moment. They are few and far between with the continuous rain.
Crab apple blossom. I planted a bareroot tree in the autumn, she should show yellow crab apples in the latter part of the year.
The rain has worked wonders with the garden. Everything looks lush. I know we all prefer the sun and warm days.....but oh joy, to see the garden looking so pretty.
This is the natural pond at the end of the copse. It has filled to the brim......the water remains this colour due to the fact it is a puddled clay pond. Common in these parts. Most of them are very old. The rivers are also puddled clay and are now of scientific interest due to the flora and fauna that inhabit them. I believe in this area, we have the last remaining rivers of this type, in the UK.
Yesterdays brief spell of sunshine and warmth allowed me to take some photographs. We are now back to heavy rain.
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your gardens, whatever the weather.
I'm so sorry to have missed two of your lovely posts Cheryl :-( I was so busy preparing mine that I got behind...must try harder, must try harder ;-)
ReplyDeleteAny way I have thoroughly enjoyed each post and all your lovely photos. My Forget me nots are always out of control too but they are so lovely, I don't mind at all :-) My goodness your garden does look wet, in one of the earlier photos it looked liked it was turning into a swimming pool! We have had just as much rain here and while you had some sun yesterday we had none at all...just more rain!
I love the delicate colours in the Crab Apple blossom, so pretty. I too am worried about the insects, I haven't seen any butterflies for weeks now and after such a bad year here last year for them I am becoming very concerned!
I too adore Rose's 'Angelique', I had never knowingly seen it anywhere else. I do like Tulips simply because they are colourful Spring flowers but know exactly what you mean. I too connect them with the very formal, parks and public gardens of my childhood. There are so many lovely varieties now though, those with the frilly edges are rather lovely I think.
Hi Jan,
ReplyDeletei am also very concerned about the butterflies. Many emerged from hibernation during the warm spell February/March....I wonder what has happened to them during this very wet period.
We have had another day of constant rain....it just does not seem to want to stop.
I wish I had more of a passion for tuilips.......they are such useful Spring flowers. I planted some of the parrot tulips but they did not show.....even though I added grit etc, think my soil is rather heavy for them.
Hi Cheryl
ReplyDeleteI like tulips, but not when they are planted en masse in flowerbeds. A smattering in a border with other plants look lovely. I think the way they are planted makes a huge difference to their appearance.
Glad the rain finally stopped for a little while. We had the first completely dry day for a little while here, though it was still cold and grey.
Dan
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Hi Dan,
DeleteI know tulips are very popular. When I drive through the villlage the gardens are full of them.
My father has dozens in his very small garden.......every colour you can think of. He is so proud of his tulips and of course, I always tell him how beautiful they look.
Gardening would not be so interesting if we all liked the same thing :)
I like drifts of tulips in with other Spring flowers. They are squirrel food in my gardens! I really need to call the rain dragons home! My gardens are bone dry!
ReplyDeleteThe sun does bring out the butterflies and bees. I am so sorry for your bees.
I am very interested in your puddled clay pond. I bet it is full of amazing critters!
Stay dry my friend,
Sherry
Please do call the rain dragons home.......the garden is now swamp. The trees are happy, also the water loving plants......sadly the birds, bees and butterflies are suffering:(
DeleteThe puddled clay ponds attract much wildlife. We have the great crested newt in many of them. They are a protected species.
Mr P is taking me out to lunch today.........we are driving to a pub that is near Romney Marsh. It is very old, and in a very remote area. It will be good to see it on this wet and very windy day.
I do like tulips but the ones I grow aren't the strident colours used in public parks and gardens. My favourite is one called 'Spring Green' which is green and white.
ReplyDeleteMy poor little crab apples are blossoming beautifully but they are dripping with rain. I hope that the fruit will set in this awful weather we're having.
Hi Rowan,
DeleteNow, they sound delightful....tku for mentioning them. I love green flowers, as you may remember from previous posts. Spring Greens will definately go on my autumn planting list:)
If the weather does not change pretty soon I think it will be a bad year for fruits.......I understand, my blossom is also dripping with rain :-(
I have some red Darwin tulips that come up every year without fail, but I don't have much luck with the smaller species tulips, they only survive for one season with me.
ReplyDeleteMy apple blossom is standing up to the rain, but I have noticed some cherry trees up the road that are losing their petals before the flowers have even opened.
Hi Crystal,
DeleteGood old apple blossom, someone has to stand up to the rain :)
I have lost quite a bit of blossom but some trees are doing ok.....the pears especially.
So glad you had a sunny day to enjoy the garden. I love tulips but my husband does not. We live in the woods now, so tulips would look a bit out of place. The rain has made your garden lush but I know you are itching to get out there. Hope you soon get a respite from the rain.
ReplyDeleteTku, it does seem endless at this time. The clouds are gathering again, we are waiting for the next downpour ...
DeleteI agree, tulips would look a little out of place in the woods. I love the natural flow of your garden :)
I like tulips, as long as they don't look like soldiers all planted in straight rows. I'd like to be a fairy and change them all around in the night when everyone is sleeping. I'd turn the rows into circles or spirals or heart shapes and mix up all the colours too! LOL
ReplyDeleteI remember my mother growing parrot tulips in her garden and I used to stick my nose right inside those orange petals to feel the softness, and of course to inhale to sweet tulip scent. Good thing there were no bees inside! Dwarf varieties of any flower appeal to me. Iris, and daffys especially.
I love your apple blossom pics and glad you had some sunshine for a bit.
Stay dry.
Hi Wendy,
DeleteNice to see you back amongst us, hope that you are well.
Sounds like you are a definate lover of tulips :)
I think you know my answer to whether I like tulips, Cheryl:) I love them all from the peony-like doubles to the flashy ones to the more subtle pastels. But yes, 'Angelique' is definitely my favorite--I think you'll be happy you planted some, too. I've seen some small species tulips, which I've now forgotten the name of, that look similar to your dwarf variety. I want to plant some of those this fall, too. The good thing about the species tulips is that they should last much longer than the hybrids, which often fizzle out after a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteIt's finally raining here, too, and my garden (and the weeds) is loving it.
Hi Rose,
DeleteI remembered you loved your tulips and somehow Rose, they are fitting for your garden, you have such wide open spaces around you. I wish I could love them all....but it is not to be :)
I wish some of my tulips would disappear....they have been here for around ten years.....they are on a raised bed in the middle of our shingle drive. The previous owner obviously thought long and hard about their planting situation. It worked.
My garden is swimming Rose, and full, absolutely full of weeds.....there is a lot of work waiting to be done........
We were out all weekend birding. Despite the winds, or maybe because of it, we had a nice fall out of migrants. It was fun. It was cloudy and foggy in the mornings too. So glad ot hear your pond is full. I hope this means our ponds will be filling soon too. No rain here as yet.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed your weekend and glad birding proved successful.
We are on flood alert :(
After a really lovely day, torrential rain is expected tonight. Rivers ditches and ponds are full to overflowing, so am a little anxious this evening.