April
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March
At last, the terraces are beginning to fill out. And I haven’t really started the replanting yet. There are a couple of plant fairs over the next couple of weeks, so with the benefit of purchases it should take shape.
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The view from the top
I’m in two minds about that lipstick pink Azalea. It certainly stands out. Like the ‘rescue’ Camellia, I found it struggling in a pot and planted it out hoping that it would thrive. It’s done that.. but at the time I didn’t know what colour it would turn out to be.
Maybe when the planting around it is a little more mature it will soften back some.
Another year’s reprieve?
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Geum ‘Flames of Passion’ and Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley)
I love this combination but really wish I had not planted Lily of the Valley here. It has become invasive. Strong shoots have driven up through just about every other plant in the top terrace. The Geums will soon be ready to divide so I have left it alone for now, just snapping off the worst of the offending growth. The roots (rhizomes) have bedded themselves in deep underground.
The only way forward I think will be to lift everything on this level, remove the Lily of the Valley and replant. Perhaps it could go on the woodland fringe to provide ground cover and spread to its heart’s content.
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I’ve already reconstructed the rockery at the foot of the bird table.
It had started to sink!
Possibly I was a tad over enthusiastic in removing all those stones from under the soil before I planted it up. So now I’ve dismantled it, rammed two bags worth of topsoil into the hole and rebuilt. On the plus side the herbs are spreading rather nicely..
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Seal of approval
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At the far end of the bottom terrace, a touch of the Christopher Lloyd’s..
Pieris leaves fading to pink and Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’. Armeria maritima Armada Rose (Thrift) in front of the Hellebore.
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Papaver ‘Checkers’
Hints of the summer border to come.
I’ll leave you with this shot from Monday evening. It was stormy at dusk and the light quite surreal:
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The Azalea turned molten.
Linking up with Helen’s End Of Month View at The Patient Gardener’s Weblog. Click through to find out what other gardeners are up to this month.
Lovely photos of your garden as always. It’s surprising just how quick things change!
Thanks Joanne. The mild wet weather has worked wonders!
I’d give the azelea another year or two – it does certainly stand out, but it is bigger that its neighbours as well as brighter – give everything else a chance to catch up.
Everything really has sprung into life this month hasn’t it, makes it all seem worth while. I hope you find some interesting bits at the plant sales.
It’s the fun bit now, adding things back in. And on top of that, I just love browsing plant sales!
You wouldn’t think there’s only a month between the two photos, just goes to show how everything springs to life as soon as a bit warmer weather comes. I love lily of the valley, I planted some in my border but it doesn’t seem very happy and isn’t spreading at all. I don’t want it to take over but I would quite like it to put on a bit of growth.
The Lily of the Valley certainly seems happy where it is. I have a horrible feeling that wherever I move it to it will sulk.
Wow Jessica, it’s filling up very nicely and looks great already! The Azalea doesn’t seem out of place at all, and once the blooming has finished then the tones should soften and blend with the rest for the rest of the season.
I’m tempted to wait and see what will happen next year. As you say the flowers won’t last long, but it does rather slap you in the face at the moment!
Lovely really lovely – the garden always takes me by surprise at the beginning of May. So many things popping through the soil that I had forgotten about all with that wonderful backing of new verdant greens.
April/May is my very favourite time in the garden. There have been a couple of nice surprises, a very deep blue agapanthus I thought had died, but there have been losses too. This winter has been so very wet.
Maybe if you plant more similar shades to the azalea it will look more at home.
There is another, bright red, just out of shot and a vibrant orange still to come.. our predecessors obviously liked colour! I think I was wrong to put this one centre stage. It would have looked better at the far end to draw the eye.
Hi
I would leave the azalea and maybe add something nearby which has a similar colour in its flowers or foliage to tone down the bright pink or even to carry it through to more of the border. Like you my garden seems to have put on weight in the last month.
thanks for joining in with the meme again
It’s a really good discipline this meme. It’s keeping me on my toes with the terraces, just what was needed! The azalea definitely needs something to balance it.
Another vote for leaving the azalea, it only flowers for a month and then is green for the rest of the year. I think we might have the same one which the previous people planted, it certainly focuses the eye! I wish the Lily of the valley that I planted in the woodland was happy, it lasted 2 yrs and was never seen again! Your last photo is amazing, we certainly didn’t have light like that!
The light that evening was really bizarre. I’m thinking maybe the sunny side of the trees for the Lily of the Valley, where it will have more light but still freedom to roam. I do worry though that it will decide it is not happy somewhere new. Perhaps spread it about a bit, see what sticks.
The terraces are looking wonderful. The azalea sure does give a pop of colour, different to all the other blooms. I love lily of the valley but it is so invasive .. it needs to be in a patch of land with no other plants. Is that snow in summer in front of the lily of the valley … it spreads like crazy too.
I think it is snow in summer, having just looked it up. Another inheritance which I am tolerating for now because it is good ground cover. There is an awful lot of it though and it does spread!
Very pretty geum…. I shan’t say a word about that azalea….
It’s how it looks in low light that gets me.. positively radioactive.
I go through phases, I’ll want pretty, subtle and delicate, then need an injection of powerful colour, so out come the orange/red geraniums – I like the azalea, but then I’m currently in a red phase!
It makes a change from the drab look of the borders up to now, but I think I’ll be ready for something more restful by the time it’s finished flowering.
You should feel proud. I love it.
Thanks Jill. Work in progress.
Hello Jessica,
We love the lipstick red sauciness of the Azalea but would have it out. Right plant, wrong place we think and we can imagine it, with a twin, in pots either side of the door. That would make a great entrance we think and could, if one could be bothered, change with the seasons as pots are removed and replaced to ‘rest, elsewhere when not in flower.
We love the way in which one can look up into the faces of the Hellebore flowers on your lower terrace. They are obviously happy and doing well there so we should certainly add more. Can one ever have too many a Hellebores…we think not?
It is so true that with just a small lift in temperature plants really do make a spurt of growth. We love the gaggle of rusty ducks on the grass….such fun!
The Azalea does need a counterweight. I could also see it as one of a pair, if I can identify it and find the appropriate mate. The advantage (there must be one!) of gardening on a steep slope is the ability to play with the levels as part of the design. The hellebores, and some of the droopier geums, lend themselves well to the top of walls. Can you have too many hellebores? Never!
Nice to know what I’m looking at now….It looks stunning and I love the Dunnock giving you the evil eye!
Thanks Em. The Dunnock was another through the kitchen window shot. We put up a nyger feeder at the weekend and would you believe we have bullfinches in the garden already. How good is that?
It is so much more satisfying at this time of year when t hings start filling out. I planted Lily of the Valley in a previous garden and did what you’re considering — lifted out everything and removed it. It worked, but was tedious. The edge of the woods is the perfect spot for it.
Glad to know it worked! I need to do it fairly soon, if the rhizomes start pushing into the stone walls it will be even more of a nightmare.
What a gorgeous garden! Indeed, one month does make quite a difference – especially if that month is April.
You are well ahead of us Dorothy, next month should see the start of the roses and other summer colour. This year seems to be going by so quickly!
There really is a big difference between this months and lasts terrace pictures! Everything is looking great in your beds and the herbs under the bird table seem to be doing the trick! xx
The birds seem to love their newly planted area, especially the dunnocks. They are forever hopping about on the stones.
I love love love the azalea! Add some more hot colours and all will be well! xx
Now you see, you’ve got too used to tropical gardens! When you get home and it’s all misty lavender again you’ll see it differently! x
Wonderful to see how its all filling out Jessica. I have the same problem with bluebells as you have with your lili of the valley. Just as well your lovely geums will be ripe for division. Given that last shot I would suggest that you take your colour scheme from that azalea, at least at this time of year, and perhaps go for a Christopher Lloyd colour scheme as well as emulating his layered planting? All looking very promising.
My original intention had been to go for a typical cottage pink/white/blue scheme in the terraces. Inherited plants have rather put the kibosh on that and, bizarrely, I’ve fallen in love with plants more orangey in tone as well. I blame the geums – irresistible in whatever hue. It’s all heading towards something rather more eclectic than when I started out.
Its funny how a border can suddenly go in a different direction than you originally planned! You can always mix lots of blues and purples in with the oranges, its certainly developing a lot of character.
The problem is I impulse buy. It’s not design led.. I just buy what I like and then try to find a home for it!
this year…absolutely, I’m going to label everything….you are my inspiration!!!! everything is looking grand (as always!)
Watch out for the squirrels, they steal the labels. Seriously.. I’ve yet to work out what secret use they have for them, or whether it’s just out of pure devilment.
I think the azalea looks great against the white walls of the house. I’d probably plant some bright things on the lower level to make it less lonely and balance things a bit.. xx
I think you’re right. This year I cleared out a lot of things that had grown too tall or just didn’t fit. Plenty of gaps to fill. And looking at the terraces today there is a need for much more colour at this time of year. Must crack tulips.
What an amazing light in the last photo. It looks quite eerie. Your garden is looking lovely. I think the Azalea is fun. It is great to have a few plants that shout. Suddenly we all have Geums and aren’t they gorgeous. When they are not in bloom I sometimes nearly dig them up because they look like weeds and then the flowers come out and they are so pretty. Your lily of the valley sounds a real pain. I have taken your warning to heart and will leave mine where it does not cause trouble.
Lily of the Valley is so beautiful, it’s a real shame it’s turned out to be a pain. I’m wondering if it might be worth planting it in a pot to restrict it a bit. Then after a couple of years take it out and move it elsewhere. I just love the combination with the deeper coloured geums.
That last image is magical, also a great feeling when you are there to capture these moments.
It was a really strange light. As Chloris says, eerie. It takes a lot to make me leave the dinner table for a photo but that did it!
The Azalea will surely brighten up a leaden sky! 🙂
Simone, that Azalea will be brightening up the dark side of the moon.
It’s all looking lovely now, and changing all the time no doubt. The light is beautiful in the last photo, I love magical moments like that. The azalea is really striking, I thought for a minute I was looking at an acer in autumn in the first photo! Lucky you going to plant fairs, I hope you find some treasure.
It’s the best time of year for buying plants, they can go straight in to the ground and we’ve got all season to enjoy them. I’ve discovered autumn plantings here don’t do so well. It must be the winter wet. I’ve lost several from last year.
May is my favourite month in the garden as everything starts greening up and there are so many lovely flowers out. It’s also my birthday month so naturally I love lily of the valley. Mine is in a pot. Your terraces are filling out and the poppies are just ready to burst open so they’ve done well. Hope you find some suitable plants at the plant fairs. I’ve just bought some French lavender and plants with silver foliage and alpines with white flowers for the raised bed and pots by the seating area to replace the tulips when they’re over.
Your purchases sound wonderful Linda.
I am seriously thinking of trying the Lily of the Valley in pots, sunk into the ground. They should last a couple of years like that I would have thought.
May is the perfect month to have a birthday! I hope you have a really good day.
When you see the ducks from a distance like that they really do look like the silhouette of runner ducks!
We put them into the ground at a slight forward angle to give the impression of movement. I am rather fond of them I have to say.
Things are looking splendid, Jessica. Can’t wait to see the terrace as it progresses some more. Great photos! Blessings and hugs, Natalie 🙂
Thanks Natalie. It’s coming on. I always expected it to look a bit bare this year, given how much I’ve cleared out. I’m looking forward to getting some stuff put back in.
I’d say leave the azalea another season. It does tie in with the new growth of the pieris. Maybe one more plant in the same tone in the bare corner. Then you’d have the odd number thing going and it would balance things, from the view you showed us at least. The lily of the valley is one of those plants that do best on their own, somewhere it can run. Better to put it someplace it won’t matter when the foliage does that yellow brown phase come later in the summer. Not sure if that happens to you there, but it does here. Maybe a spot on the slope, where you can smell it from the house? It definitely is a plant that will hold back soils from eroding.
Still it is looking quite lovely. We are still at your ” March” phase here..
If there was more foliage around the azalea that would help too. It stands in too splendid an isolation at the moment. I was thinking about the slope for the Lily of the Valley. If I put it on the front face it will be at nose level too. Yes, we get the yellow brown phase but it doesn’t last long. I shall try a bunch of it and see how it looks. Thanks Suzanne.
Goodness – what a difference – lovely April photos
Thanks Elaine, I’m hoping next month will show an even greater difference.
I love looking at pictures of gardens as they change through the seasons, I did this with my garden last year have yet to start this year yet. I love the Azalea, a splash of colour, but it is very bright hope you can find a good counter balance 🙂
We have tried to take a photo from the same spot each month so I can create a moving sequence at the end of the year. The difficult bit has been to find the ‘same spot’. Far more of a challenge than it seems!
It’s looking lovely, a testament to all your hard work :}
Thanks Jayne. Plant fair this weekend… more gaps filled!
I knew when you were concerned last month that it would look great at the end of April – and it does. From the top view the Azalea works well, so I think it worth giving the Azalea reprive whilst you are still adding plants. It’s looking amazing and with some additions may settle in more and be less ‘look at me!’.
That last pic is surreal in an amazing kind of way. I love the rest of your photographs too. Looking forward to seeing the developments at the end of next month, as the summer flowers start coming through.
It looked good last year in May, and then all fell apart a bit. I’m hoping to avoid that this year… we shall see! Thanks Julieanne.
Yes, the garden has discovered it’s intent! We’ll have to try to keep up now. So many things to admire, but I’m particularily charmed by the details such as the mossy stones around the rockery. I, too, like the azalea; perhaps it would “sit” better with a bit of artful prunning to layer the branches and thus reduce the mass of foliage and bloom.
Moss is a given here, with all the rain that we have. I like it too, but it can choke less vigorous plants and can be hard to remove. It does add character though and gives the garden a feeling of maturity.
If the Azalea stays pruning is a must as I wouldn’t want it to get any bigger, but it’s a good idea to layer it and reduce the density too. Whether it will be artful when I’m done is another matter..
I love your gems ! Which is strange because I have always professed to dislike them, but the colour of the flowers is just gorgeous. everything looks so good, especially the Perennial poppies which look ready to burst !! You are so right – what a difference a month makes !! Welcome in May for yet more delights!
WordPress does the same to me every time.. it wants geums to be gems. Which of course they are!
I moved a Patty’s Plum poppy this year and it’s looking a bit sorry for itself. But it has put on new growth and a flower bud, so if I can keep it alive for next year that will do!
Gorgeous. That azalea does scream but it is a looker. Maybe just picking up the color here and there will do the trick. If you move the lily of the valley I’d put it in the woods aways unless you want it to spread outward quickly. I’m guessing it will go toward grass and less competition first if that is a possibility. I spent hours trying to get rid of this plant last summer and fall. In one spot I’ll give up if it returns. In the other, I foolishly planted it just as you did — in an important bed with fave plants. It’s a striped leaf version and was beautiful until it began to devour everything in sight. Good luck.
I’ve only discovered this year how invasive Lily of the Valley is. Either it’s not a widely acknowledged fact or I didn’t read up in the right places. But either way it’s now a problem. I do love the idea of drifts of it in the woodland, if it will establish there. It can devour the weeds at least.
I see what people mean about the azalea! And are you sure you didn’t use a fancy filter for that last photo?! And there are more delightful geums I haven’t come across – Flames of Passion, eh? Delightful indeed. I can’t believe the speed at which everything has come together this year and it’s lovely to see all the progress in your terrace – and a ‘long view’ of your rusty ducks!
No filter!
Flames of Passion is very similar to Leonard’s Variety, perhaps the flowers are a bit bigger and more ruffled. It has unfortunately acquired another admirer in the last couple of days. The petals have been nibbled!! I think it may be a wren but the usual suspects have not yet been ruled out.
What a wonderful record of your garden.
Thanks Penny. I hope to get a photo every month so I have a record over the year.
The azalea looks like a flame, rather beautiful but it does stand out, however I think that’s the purpose of them, it looks fabulous in the stormy light. Lovely to see your garden waking up.
I think it’ll end up getting shifted, but I’ll try it another year and see if I can soften its impact!
Everything really is filling in nicely. It has a soft look about it. I have never seen the ‘Checkers’ poppy so I looked it up. It is a lovely one!. Can hardly wait to see it blooming in your garden!
It looked good last year and this year seems even stronger. I moved a purple one to just behind it, but that has checked (no pun!) its growth so I may have to wait a bit longer to see them working together.
What a beautiful view at your house from the terrace! (I know, the house is a lot of work).
The geum looks nice, years ago on a plant fair I met a woman, she sells geum, only geum in different orange colours.
Sigrun
I bought yet another one today… an orangey one. Soon I will have enough for a National Collection.
Lovely photos of your garden it is looking so lush and green now and it’s nice to see the rusty ducks in situ again – I love your geums which do grow here and the lily of the valley which won’t grow in our soil for some reason:)
I can almost see the plants growing now, we’ve had a lot of rain this last week so that has helped.
May I extend my sympathies towards you with the Lily of the Valley!!! It’s a nightmare if it’s happy isn’t it! I have it coming under the fence from next door and am forever trying to pull it out. One day I will give up!
Indeed, what a huge difference a month has made to your terrace – the difference is amazing. Whilst the Azalea might be ‘in your face’ right now, remember those flowers won’t last long and it will soon blend in.
It must be really frustrating to have Lily of the Valley coming in from elsewhere! The Azalea is actually quite well behaved the rest of the year and its foliage is a good backdrop for other flowers.
What a contrast between the two months! Everything looks so good in May. The light is amazing in your last picture too! Sarah x
That light was truly amazing, I have been hoping for a repeat performance but it was not to be. The white flowers in the borders really shone out too.
The last photo is beautiful and it’s certainly the moment to appreciate the fiery azalea. I love the geums and the little Dunnock! Your terraces show the difference in a month at this time of year, everything has suddenly become much greener and more colourful.
The bees are going crazy for the Azalea, so it has something going for it. I counted half a dozen on it today, enough to make me reluctant to negotiate my way past it along the top of the wall!
it’s looking lovely Jessica, for the first time I have noticed how many plants you have growing/tumbling along the bottom terrace wall where A. mollis was, it looks really lovely and will no doubt get better as summer comes, as for the sinking herb garden I’ve found when I’ve dug stones and rocks from my front garden it takes a lot of soil to bring it up again and usually needs a good stamping on or better if left to settle naturally, I have learnt to mound the soil to allow for sinking, it looks good and it’s always nice when the birds approve, enjoy your plant buying, Frances
You can see the space between the tumbling plants where A. mollis was. It had rather taken over. Mainly it’s sedum, which is also a spreader, but I’ll replant bits to fill the gap.
Putting the rocks back on top probably didn’t help with the sinking! I did mound the soil a bit this time so hopefully it will be OK now, and if the worse comes to the worst the spreading herbs will hopefully cover it. I’ll know what to do next time, thanks Frances.
Wow, a month does make a difference! That last pic is amazing. It’s hard going when a plant becomes invasive isn’t it, I’m having a problem with Spanish bluebells trying to take ove the garden.xxx
Oh, don’t get me going on Spanish bluebells. Thugs!
Hi Jessica, I love your terrace pictures. I want to know if I get a special award for spotting those rusty ducks walking across the lawn in the background…
Oops. Now I see EVERYONE noticed the background view of the rusty ducks. What a great iconic representation for your gardening…
The ducks came before the blog. I needed a title for it, looked out of the kitchen window and there they were! We were sitting out in the sun this weekend and even the robin was back on station..
Lili-of-the-valley is choosy. In some locations it will not grow at all, only sulk. But if it finds a place it loves, it really gets away. Author Alison Uttley (Little Grey Rabbit, Sam Pig for children of all ages, The Country Child et al for grown-ups) found that her lily-of-the-valley marched up her garden path and over the back door step, and then grew up through her brick-floored kitchen!
Oh crikey. It certainly can be a problem. I’ve now dug most of it up and put it on the bank where it can actually help me in binding the soil, plus it’s got plenty of room to spread.