Late Spring garden

Apart from tulips there are some other rather lovely plants to celebrate in the garden.  Above is Erythronium Pagoda - a 'dog's-tooth violet', although they aren't violets at all.  The 'Dog's-tooth' bit comes for the shape of the bulb which looks a bit like a canine tooth. I have had these in the garden for many years and have loved seeing them...

...but they have only just started to make a decent sized clump.

Epimedium x versicolor Sulphureum (I think) was another one I have had for years.  I thought I had lost it completely but it has reappeared, much to my delight.

Camellia rosthorniana Cupido is flowering down at the bottom of the garden.

I spotted a little self-sown viola in amongst some sempervivums.

This was the colour of the sky this morning, with the Magnolia Susan flowers looking (and smelling) beautiful.

Spring in the Garden with lots of tulips

Spring has arrived now, although it has been a bit colder again this week.  However, the plants don't seem to have minded.  This is quite a photo heavy post, but I just couldn't help it - I love this time of year! Above is Clematis Frankie...

and here is elegant 'Blue Dancer', both growing up the arch.

Tulips in the border have done well - Brown Sugar or Cairo - not sure which.

Brown Sugar/Cairo with a little Ronaldo.

Narcissus Triandrus which came back this year.

Clematis 'Rosy Pagoda' looking pretty.

Lathyrus vernus with pink and purple pea-like flowers.

Clematis 'Rosy Pagoda' again.

Tulip Ballerina...

...more Clematis Frankie...

...and again with tulip 'Danceline'.

New Ronaldo tulips, planted in a pot.

Brown Sugar/Cairo, Ballerina and apple blossom.

Ballerina, Brown Sugar/Cairo and Danceline.

Ballerina,  Ronaldo and a little Red Shine - I love this colour combination.

Erythronium Pagoda with its delicate swept back petals...

...near to an Epimedium x versicolor sulphureum, I think.

These tulips are out at the front, in a pot.  They started off yellow but have turned a lovely orange. They are 'Sunlover'.

Lovely flowers.

The fringed tulip which seems to come back each year now.  

More Ronaldo.

More fringed tulip.

Magnolia Susan and Lilac flowers...

...and again.

Ballerina in a pot, really glowing.

Finally (well done if you made it this far), a rest for the eyes in the form of Ginkgo Biloba Mariken.  It will be the turn of alliums, aquilegia and astrantias next and then roses!

Happy things in mid April

As I usually do, I have made some lemon curd - I associate the sunny yellow and slightly sharp taste with Spring.  I made a cake (the thought of lemon curd and buttercream was too much to resist) and to avoid the usual problem I have of the layers of buttercream and lemon curd fighting against each other and causing slippage of the top layer of cake, I mixed the lemon curd into the buttercream. Success!

 The cake stays intact, no slippage of the layers and the delicious lemon flavour comes through the buttercream.

 Other things making me happy are in the garden.  My Lathyrus vernus Alboroseus is flowering again...

 ...and the patio peony I bought last year - Madrid I think, or it could be Athens - has six buds.

It's the start of my tulip season and these Ballerina tulips (my favourite) were from last year or the year before as I planted them in the border after taking them out of their pots.  They are also earlier to flower than the ones I bought this year.

 Muscari latifolium which is my favourite grape hyacinth, due to the lovely shading.

New patio peonies, bought as bare roots last month.  This is 'Rome'.

 Another patio peony just nosing out of the ground.  Rome again (as I received two small and separate plants in the order, rather than one larger one.)

 An epimedium which I bought many years ago and thought was lost, has just made its presence known and is flowering beautifully.

 Erythronium Pagoda is also doing well.

 Clematis Alpina Rosy Pagoda has some buds...

...and one open flower.  I hope there will be lost more to enjoy for the next couple of weeks of April.