end of April 2017

I don't like clumps of bluebells in my garden because they spread and inhibit other plants growing but next door, front and back, they are quite pleasant - and free!

There's a magic moment in Spring when a ceanothus is covered with beautiful purple-blue flowers. (Scarecrow's not too bothered)

and the lilac has those exuberant blooms

I was looking at the centaurea montana to see how they were doing and how many buds and was surprised to find a cat hidden in the flowerbed. I didn't even know he was there!

I kept those delphiniums in that pot to avoid slug damage. It was on a table last year. I'll see how it does this year, so far so good and some small buds.

that centaurea montana flower has opened up

I finally shoe-horned those self-seeded centaurea into the flowerbed, it's not like on GW where there's loads of room to plant!

close-up of the centaure in the centre

I had these pots from last year. I tend to put plants in pots when I don't have room anywhere else or want to keep them away from slugs. On the left foxgloves and lesser knapweed but on the right in that pot I was so happy to discover more centaurea montana. The pot in front has knautia Melton Pastels. In the flowerbed, chicory.

pot to the right of those above, last year's lupins

In additon to that chicory visible next to the pots above, I have 2 more. 3 should be plenty, they're pretty big plants!

In that flowerbed as well is a clump of iris which sadly did not bloom last year, must research how to revive it.

I must admit I get confused between ranunculus and anemone. The younger plants I have aren't a problem as the leaves are quite different and I have them labelled but this flower from last year I'm not sure which it is and googling doesn't help as I think they look quite similar. Maybe I need to spend more time researching.

In the morning the flower is closed.

In the afternoon after being in the sun for a while.

this year's new ranunculus, catnip (nepeta cataria) seedlings in 2 of the pots

I had to move the anemones around so don't have them all in one pic but they are at the bottom of the pic below with quite different parsley-like leaves.

I can't find the plant label for this water plant in my pond right now but it looks very ranunulus/buttercup to me - update- Ranunculus Repens Pleniflorus, double creeping buttercup

my "nursery" table

the slugs were attacking the sunflowers (just from a free packet of seeds) so put them in this pot on a pedestal to see if they would fit, they seem to so have potted them up here to keep them away from the slugs

I wanted to propagate some jasmine for my daughter-in-law. I found this bit along the ground that looks like it wants to root so I cut it and put it in a pot.

this piece looks less advanced but decided to pot it up as well

I have 4 pots, all short stems without leaves except 1 but maybe I should cut that down. I impatiently await some new growth.

a pot of, I think, pink fizz poppies, I like keeping pots off the ground away from slugs but in the strong winds we've had recently this was blown over since this pic was taken

next shelf down is a pot I put lupins in to keep away from the slugs and as usual lots of self-seeding and I probably popped a few seedlings in as well, snapdragons, calendula and knautia macedonia

from the other side, the ubiquitous deadnettle

I bought 5 auriculas mail order for the auricula theatre next year.

this is a close-up of one, just starting to open up