Azalias

This has turned out to be one of the oddest starts to the Summer I have seen in over 35 years here. Late April was very dry and by the time I opened the garden on 1st May I was desperate for rain and fearful of losing plants on the steeper slopes. The rain started on 5th May and has barely stopped since! We expect May and early June to provide us with the best weather of each year: well, not this year! It really could stop raining now!! Nevertheless, the azalias on the driveway were a picture for a short while until the wind took its toll.

Sparkle Cafe has had something of a makeover for the new season:

.... and the wise old owl still overlooks and supervises everthing

The bunnies are still hopping about the place ....

The woodruff is in full flower

Murphy has moved to the High Road

The rhododendrons are at their best

Another Spring

Last year turned out to be awful for the garden. After the harshest Winter I have ever experienced here, I rather gave up on the blog as I watched my plants die. In the end I lost all the Dicksonia as well as many other plants, many years old.

This Winter was cold for a period, too, but not nearly as bad as 2010-11 and I lost only a few plants.

Anyway, I've put all that behind me. I opened the garden yesterday and I've already had 4 visitors. I have a group booked for Wednesday. The garden looks an absolute picture at present so I'll add some photographs I took today. I'm looking forward to a bumper Summer. Come and visit!

Article from Gardens Monthly

Spring at last!!

Well, at last Spring has arrived! What a Winter - it seems to have lasted for ever and I've lost quite a number of plants as a result, not so much of the cold, but from a spell of a few days of easterly wind during the long cold period. This burned even quite hardy plants like the bay trees and even killed rhodedendrons, as well as destrying at least one of my Dicksonia antartica - which rather belies the name.

The garden opened late this year because of weather, family health and several family celebrations. We opened on 16 May and have already had three visitors. Normally I don't see more than an odd visitor until the Scottish school holidays start in June.

There was an article about the garden in Gardens Monthly in April. I'll attach it after this post. I had several calls after its publication from people planning to visit later in the year so I'm looking forward to lots of new gardener interaction as the Summer progresses.