Colour in the garden

After a bit of a drizzly start on Saturday, the skies cleared leaving us with a wonderful Spring day to enjoy. My friend had reminded me that 3 years previously, I had promised to take her to Hodsock Priory for the snowdrop walk, but then she had inconveniently gone and had a heart attack - and the window of opportunity had been missed! However, all's well that ends well. She recovered to tell the tale and finally we made the trip.

We couldn't believe the amount of colour and the beautiful fragrance that met us at every turn of the garden.

Every time I visit Hodsock, I always return with a few plants and lots of vision for my own small plot!





And finally we found the woodland with its carpet of snowdrops. Even though they were probably a week past their very best, they were still spectacular.
After such a lovely stroll, it was of course mandatory to call back at the cafe for coffee and a scone.

Hodsock is a family home, but also has some new bed and breakfast accommodation in a converted dairy, hosts several events throughout the year, and is a wedding venue.
We had a wander around some of the rooms that were open and a nice sit down in the very comfy chairs feeling the lovely warm sunshine which streamed through the windows on our faces.

Spread your tiny wings and fly away

Great excitement this morning as hubby shouted up to me whilst I was having a leisurely bath. And with just a bath towel wrapped around me, I dashed out into the garden with my camera to capture the first glimpse of our tiny babies. They have chosen the windiest day to try to learn to fly and sadly one of them was lying lifeless under the nest box - my lettucey crash pad didn't save him. We have seen 2 in the garden, and there are still lots of cheep cheeps coming from the box.

Mummy was busy trying to feed the 2 that had flown, and she kept darting in and out of the box too.
We went out all day to leave them to it, but when I got back, I found one of them in the pond and it couldn't get out. I fished him out carefully using a large plant pot so I didn't have to touch him. For the last hour or so, he's not moved. I hope he is going to be OK.
Kids are such a worry.

All's good in the 'hood

Many thanks to Little Blue Mouse for asking. I can report that the big news here at Heartshaped Towers is just as the lovely Monty Don said, my Bay Tree is showing new green shoots - HURRAY!!! I was so excited when I discovered them, that I sent hubby, who was working a night shift a very excitable text. He didn't reply to it. It turns out they were in the middle of a high profile bust on a drug dealer cum other nasty crime committer. He said my text made him smile. When he is immersed in some nightmare world dealing with people who are in cahoots with the devil, I remind him that there is a wonderful normal life waiting for him when he gets home.

The baby birds are now very audible from every part of the garden. Its looking a bit of a mess around the box, but we try to leave it alone. I have placed a tray of lettuce that I am growing on top of the potato growing tub though as a soft landing for when they start to explore. Mum and Dad bird are extremely busy and it's lovely to sit and watch them bringing the most enormous worms etc back to the box.
Many Strawberry plants seem to have sprung between the other plants. Free fruit !!!
I'm thrilled that my Delphiniums have not been affected by the cold winter - in fact they look stronger than ever this year - and almost ready to bloom.
Hubby bought this rose a couple of years ago and we planted it at the front of the house, where it never grew a centimetre! After giving it a couple of years, and it looking fairly dead, we thought we would try it in the back garden and low and behold it has the most gorgeous couple of blooms on it.
Mother nature has thrown in a couple of freebies so far. I think that this is an Aqualigia (spelling?).
It's coming up to my favourite time in my garden and I appreciate every minute I spend in it.

Bottoms up!

Blogger is still not behaing and I am having trouble uploading photographs, so one will have to do for now. After sitting very still for a very very long time, all I got was a photo of one of the exceptionally hard working parents disappearing into the bird box. You may have to double click to see it.

The cheep cheeps are getting louder - I hope I don't miss them taking their first flight.

A new family

A few years ago, whilst shopping in Asda, I threw this "decorative" bird box in my shopping trolley. It was fixed to a fence for years, and hung about looking decorative. At the end of last year, I hung it on a rusty nail on the wall outside of the kitchen window as the fancy pot that had hung there had fallen off and smashed in a strong wind. Never for one moment did I think birds would find it a "des res". The amount of foot fall traffic the passes by is considerable. A basketball is often thrown against the wall, and we are in the garden a lot. So one day when I noticed a couple of Blue Tits obviously nest building, I was delighted, but also fairly alarmed, as the box isn't very securely fixed, and it as a bit of an angle!

On Sunday, we noticed both birds busily bringing mouthfuls of bugs back. They gradually got confident with hubby and I hanging about in the garden too. I tried to photograph them dropping in, but they are too fast for my camera!
On my way past it on Sunday evening, I could hear a few little baby tweets coming from the box, so it sounds like we have a new family on the block.
Next year I shall erect a proper RSPB bird box.

Tip Toe through the Tulips....

I took my Mum to RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr in Harrogate for her birthday on Saturday. We had a lovely day. We managed to miss the horrendous thunder and lightening that the rest of the county endured and we tip toed through many beautiful tulips and got so much inspiration for our planting next year.
Come tiptoe, through the tulips with me........

Sunny Spring Garden

Finally the tulips in my back garden decided to show their pretty faces.

And we had some strange visitors. This mini beast took a shining to hubby's hairy legs!

On first sight, I thought that this was a large ladybird, but then. I realised it had no spots

If anybody can tell me what they are I would be very grateful.

My early morning wake up call this morning was courtesy of this fella hiding behind my apple tree - can you see him?

He's been hanging around a lot lately and seems very tame - even my flash didn't scare him off.

I had to smile as I remembered my Grandad. Had he been alive and this chap had wandered into his garden, we would have all been invited round for Pheasant Pie at the weekend. He knew frugal food when it came calling!

How does your garden grow?

After a late start, my garden is now bursting into colour. The Viburnum that I treated myself to last year has thankfully survived the cold winter and is treating me to some beautiful scented pompom blooms.

And my investment in a bag full of bulbs purchased in November has paid off too.

The violets have spread further and further,

and I had forgotten how many of these I had planted. Note the sad Bay plant which doesn't look like it has made it - but I'm giving it chance to recover - just in case.

My early Clematis is full of flowers and has crept further and further over my apple tree,

which is starting to burst into blossom also.

Its always about 5 degrees warmer around the front of my house - illustrated perfectly by these tulips - round the back.....

...and around the front!

How is your garden doing?