End of the Month View 

/ karen

Everything in my garden has suddenly gone whoosh! I’m running round the plot at breakfast, lunch and tea break – finding flowers that I’m certain were not there earlier in the day. Plants just seem to pop up overnight.


My favourite tulip, Burgundy, was only in bud for a day or two. Then by lunchtime, the flower was wide open. When the wind blows, they look like ribbons of silk scarves, dancing in the breeze. Lily-flower tulips have a certain elegance and movement. Much better than their stiff, cottage cousins, I think.


 Hellebores make perfect ground cover in fading shades of purple and pink. As a contrast there’s tiny forget-me-nots in the borders, and the lawn is edged with a frill of scented wild violets. Blue and cerise pink make very happy companions.


Looking up, banks of cherries make a white cloud over the wild garden. There will be lots of fruit for the blackbirds- and us. 


Hasn’t it been a fabulous year for blossom. Cold temperatures in January, followed by sunny, mild days in March, mean we’ve had the best year for cherries and magnolias for a long time. My planting is the wild cherry Prunus Avium. Simply beautiful- all year round. 


If we don’t have any frost, there will be a record plum harvest. There’s enough to pick for the house too. Blossom on the breakfast table and by my bedside. One of the joys of spring. 


Pieris  Flaming Silver is planted in an enormous pot. It wouldn’t like my heavy clay soil, so I cheat with containers and ericaceous compost. It’s beautiful all year round with  white heather, bell-like flowers and red new growth. 


My favourite narcissi is white Pheasant’s Eye. Reliably comes back every year, and naturalises in borders and under trees. 


White, highly-scented Narcissi Geranium  is another glorious treat. My children used to call it the poached egg flower. 


Brightening up a dark corner- Devon Red. The petals look sugar-coated in sunshine. A hardy flower which copes with hail and high winds in my garden. 


Narcissus Ice Follies, viewed from the summerhouse, replace the snowdrops and wild anemones. Cowparsley will soon compete with native bluebells. It’s an ever changing scene. 

I love these cheerful jonquils on the potting shed windowsill. A perfect match for forget-me-nots, and just the right size for jam jar flowers. Trees by the pond show a reflection in the window. And the last of the paperwhites, hyacinths and cyclemen are pressing at the glass. 

And I’ve got company again! Opposite the garden gate are these beauties, let out onto grass for the first time this year. They look on incredulous as I dig and weed. 

What sights do you love to see in your garden in April? Do get in touch and let me know. Thanks to Helen for hosting this end of the month view. Click on the highlighted words for more information. They are not advertising or affiliate links. 

42 thoughts on “End of the Month View ”

  5. A wonderful scene you’ve shared Karen. The Victoria plum blossom has turned already here and the apple blossom is about to pop. I am a little nervous as night time is still very cold and next week looks to be a return to seasonal norm.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Lovely blog and pictures as always. Yes- blink and something new pops up! It feels like Christmas morning every day here.. I’m loving our ‘Shirote’ cherry blossom and the hundreds of ‘Thalia’ narcissus under our lime avenue ☺️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I’m loving the idea of a lime avenue. Sounds so wonderful. And I bet there’s bats. They love lime trees. We saw our first bat last night. There’s usually 4 flying over our garden at night. They make the same circuit round and round, mesmerising to watch. Thanks for reading and getting in touch. Much love, Karen x

      Like

      Reply

    • I think I’ve been mollycoddling that pieris. Might try planting it in the ground to see how it does. Certainly takes a lot of watering in the summer and I’m trying to cut back on pots as we want to go travelling. You’ve set me off with your wonderful travel diary….. thanks for reading and getting in touch. Love Karen x

      Like

      Reply

    • Thank you Cathy. I can barely tear myself away from the garden. I’m running round and round before, at lunchtime and then after work. And each time I see something new. Isn’t nature wonderful. Thanks for reading and getting in touch. Love Karen.x

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Hi Cathy. Thanks for getting in touch. Ah,it looks natural, but we planted it when we moved here 28 years ago. And we made the trees grow faster by planting them really close together. Which means we have to keep thinning them out ( good for the stove). If I only had one tree, I’d still be happy though. It would be an amelanchier. The blossom looks amazing today. Love Karen x

      Like

      Reply

    • Oh Brian, it’s only a spinney I’m afraid. Or mini wood as we call it. Still the woodpeckers don’t seem to mind. We’ve got loads of nesting birds this year. Hurray! Thanks for getting in touch. Karen x

      Like

      Reply

  19. I like the lily-flowered the best too. My tulip flowers – especially those planted last autumn – are all very small this year. I’m wondering if our exceptionally cold winter is responsible. What wonderful narcissus and blossom pictures! Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you for your kind comments Cathy. Did you notice if your tulip bulbs were smaller than usual when you planted them. I made a mistake with some mine and ordered small bulbs. It makes such a difference to the flower size. This Year I will check the bulb size before paying for them. x

      Like

      Reply

      • I had a theory that it was to do with the ground being frozen for almost two months after they were planted. All the bulbs already in the ground were just fine, normal size.

        Liked by 1 person

  20. I agree, your tulip is beautiful! Your blossom is wonderful, doesn’t it look stunning against such a blue sky. My Pieris seems happy enough on my heavy clay soil, you have a lot more flowers though!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you Pauline. A blue sky certainly is the best accompaniment to spring flowers. I keep threatening to plant that pieris – it takes so much watering all summer. Might do so now you’ve said yours is ok. All the best. Karen x

      Like

      Reply

    • Ah, thank you. But you haven’t seen the record breaking brambles and all the weeds. There is always an up and a downside to having a large garden. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment x

      Like

      Reply

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. It's nice to know I'm not talking to myself on here.