Ferns are starting to unfurl
.
Crab Apple
Flowering Cherry
Blossom is blooming
.
The Pieris that I ‘pruned’
Davidia. Will this be the year for the ‘handkerchief’ bracts?
Leaf buds are bursting
.
Lily of the Valley
Azalea
Flower buds too
.
Centuria, emerging Astilbe foliage, Iberis
Nectaroscordum, Geum
The borders are beginning to fill out
.
Â
And the ducks make a triumphal return!
Aahh the ducks …… now all is well with the world 🙂
Lovely pictures, it is a lovely month isn’t it, everything is fresh and new and bursting into our life. Our pond has just exploded into a mass of tadpoles, they are everywhere it’s hypnotising to watch them, as I find myself doing much too often 🙂
Our ‘pond’ is a swamp in the middle of the wood that needs a total rebuild. I used to love watching the tadpoles in my parents pond. Very soon you’ll have little tiny froglets leaping everywhere!
It’s all suddenly happening, isn’t it? My hops have put on some good growth this week and the apple tree has just squeezed out the tips of some blossom.
Ah, Spring…better late than never. (And that will be my only cliche for the day!)
Before we moved to Devon we used to drive down to Kent every August, buy some hop bines and string them up on the beams in the kitchen. The aroma from them was gorgeous, just as well really as it hung around in the car for a day or two too!
My mother’s family back two generations were hop farmers and had two pubs – one in Wateringbury and one in Staplehurst. And my great-great-great grandfather was James Pimm who invented Pimms! Odd, then, that I am teetotal! But I agree about the hop bines – and they are very soporific.
Crikey! You should get free tickets to Wimbledon and Ascot at least!
This is such a wonderful time of the year. So glad the ducks are back.
It certainly is. I don’t know how frost proof the ducks are, so they live in the shed over the winter!
Lovely photographs. I love seeing the delicate colours of the blossom on the fruit trees. And it is a wonder seeing the buds and leaves open up after the bareness of winter.
As Denise says, it all seems to have happened so quickly this year. Every morning now I notice something different..
Spring has finally sprung! This warm(er) weather is certainly doing wonders for the garden.
Glad to see the ducks have returned – have they been enjoying winter in warmer climes?!
I’m not sure the shed is that warm, but at least it is dry and frost proof! They will have had to share it with the mice.
Sorry, forgot to say – I hope your ankle is feeling much better.
Thanks Justine. It’s getting easier to move about!
Suddenly, everything is coming to life – it’s wonderful.
Hope your ankle is improving:-)
It is wonderful.
I’m allowed light duties – seed sowing and potting! Thanks x
This is the best time of the year. Top of the morning to you and the ducks and get that ankle better soon.
My favourite time of the year too, and will savour it while it’s relatively warm and dry!
LOVE the ducks. When we go out on the motorbike I have a duck backpack! We are recognised – (well the duck is) wherever we go.
Ha! You should post a picture of it!!
I always love this time of year, you have some wonderful colours in your garden.
Thanks Cherie. The wonderful thing about gardening is that there is always scope to make it better next year.
Lovely photos Jessica, especially liked the ferns and the blossom. On a separate note, we are under slug siege at the mo. I’m loath to put down slug killer because I worry so about the birds and wondered whether you’d had success with the nematodes? Would hugely appreciate knowing how you’ve got on as we don’t know anyone else who’s tried them to ask. Thanks 🙂
So far so good, but it may be a bit early to tell. Because of the weather I’ve only just started planting out. The peas only went in on Wednesday, but I have had some salad leaves in the ground for over a week now and so far there’s been no nibbling (touch wood!). I put the nematodes on at double the recommended dose this year.
Ah thanks that’s very useful. I will pass on to the Head Gardener 🙂
No problem. I’ll keep you updated with developments.
Gorgeous photos of all your lovely plants and flowers – the pruned pieris looks very healthy and I love the Lily of the Valley. It must really be Spring if the ducks are back:)
I’m thrilled with the Pieris, it could even do with another trim already, it’s growing rather tall! Just goes to show what you can do with neglected shrubs.. others may now be watching their overgrown backs!
Isn’t it just wonderful to see all this new growth!
Fantastic… I thought at times that this winter would never end!
It’s so nice to greet Spring time with all that unfurling and blossoms. I know we are a little behind this year, but hopefully that may mean we’ll have a little longer Summer.
Glad to see the ducks are back 🙂
Enjoy the weekend break – hope the ankle is feeling better.
Rose H
xx
After the last few years I’m just grateful for any dry day we get! Have a great weekend too Rose.
It’s always such a magical sight to witness the ferns unfurling, rebirthing…..
You have lots in bloom, considering so much rain the early part of Spring, and everything looks so healthy !
I am smitten with your rusty ducks, the artist who made them sadly said she couldn’t ship to the USA, maybe I could get my them shipped to my mum’s house, and I can have them shipped from there.
Hope the ankle gets better fast, I’ve had my share of THAT pain over the last twelve months.
~Jo
It’s a shame about the ducks, you may have a solution though.
I hope you are completely recovered now too Jo, hobbling around is no fun!!
How different things are with you; so much further ahead than us! I’m using the Lily of the Valley as the main comparison. Mine have had their leaves up for about a week with no signs of flowers at all. My ferns are most definitely still furled and it looks like mid March. Glorious pictures to cheer me up – thank you. I didn’t realise the ducks hibernated!
And in our turn, we seem to be a long way behind the east of the country.. I’m seeing swathes of bluebells appearing on blogs but only the odd one here as yet.
Hurrah for the Rusty Ducks return ! Wonderful photos – love the crab apple blossom & cool lily of the valley.
The Lily of the Valley do really well here, as long as I can keep the pheasants off it!
Lovely photos – it’s all starting to happen now, isn’t it? Hurrah! Glad your ankle’s improving. I love Lily of the Valley – yours are just a bit ahead of mine – can’t wait! Didn’t realise the ducks were seasonal! Have a good week. x
Thanks Abby. I’d just rather take the ducks in than risk them getting damaged by frost. They seem quite happy to be outside again though!!
Lol, the ducks returning made me smile!
Everything is looking just hunky dory there. I especially love the flowering cherry. The wind has blown most of mine off now.xxxx
Our cherry must be a slightly later variety, but the wind could get it yet.
Hope you had a great holiday, look forward to reading all about it!
yeah for the ducks!!!!!! and lovely pictures!!!!!
Thanks Steph!
quite magical!!
It’s a great time of year!
Glad you had a good holiday.
Lovely to see all the new growth in your garden, your pictures are wonderful! We must be slightly behind you in Dorset our blossom and centuria are still in tight bud. The ducks have made a welcome return do your visiting animals take any notice of them?
Sarah x
There was a very funny incident with a squirrel when I first put them out last year. It went hurtling down the lawn, put on all the brakes just at the last moment, and had to do a sharp right turn.. mostly though they are deemed harmless and ignored!
Lovely photos! The first one looks like snails. Hehe. Snail flowers.
They look really weird at this stage, and just like snails!
Such exquisite spring things! I love this time of year!
Me too.. especially as it is often so fleeting. This year particularly so, for us spring has started so late.