April 23rd 2016

Formal transformation!

The area behind the greenhouse has undergone a transformation over the last couple of weeks.  It was where I had my cut flower patch last year and, although it was colourful all summer, it did look rather messy at times. My husband and younger son cut away the grass paths and laid stone slabs in a more formal design. Now the landscaping is complete it is my turn to get stuck in with the planting. Small box plants partly edged the beds last year. I’ve moved these around and, with the addition of a couple of larger box plants, the area now has some definition. I’ve also bought a couple of old-fashioned shrub roses, ‘Comte de Chambord’ and ‘Reine des Violettes’, both with double pink flowers.  I plan to add more roses in the future but for now have delphiniums, agapanthus and clematis ‘Etoile Rose’.  I divided a large aster ‘Harrington’s Pink’ and several clumps of this will also go in, together with sweet peas and other annuals, to fill the gaps. I’ve been busy in the vegetable garden, making the first sowings of carrots, parsnips, spinach, chard, beetroot and lettuce.  Garlic and broad beans germinated in modules in the greenhouse have been planted out, along with seed potatoes. With the weather warming up, blossom is coming out around the garden.  Magnolias are looking lovely, both Magnolia stellata and another unknown variety with deep pink blooms. One of my favourite shrubs is prunus ‘Kojo-no-mai’. We have three in the garden and these are now just coming into flower together with prunus ‘Pandora’ and a crab apple, malus ‘Princeton Cardinal’ which is covered in beautiful deep pink flowers.