AD | It’s May in my garden again already, where is this year going? I think it may have something to do with the recent glorious Easter sunshine, but our garden has just exploded with Spring colour. Warning: this is going to be a VERY photo-heavy post because there is just so much going on this month!
What’s flowering now?
Sadly, with one or two exceptions, many of our tulips failed to flower. However, they are well over five years old and most of them are in pots. Looking on the bright side though, that means I can go shopping this Autumn and stock up with lots of lovely new varieties and colours <grin>.
But our aquilegias are all having a moment. Many people uproot them because they do have a tendency to self-seed with abandon, but I think they’re beautiful. A proper wildflower that comes in all colours and grows happily just about anywhere. Including this deep purple one that’s popped up in our greenhouse.
Last year I collected some seed pods and shook them over any bare patch of ground I could find. And I’m delighted to see some new baby plants beginning to poke through now.
Our Viburnum Opulus Roseum at the front of the house is flowering beautifully. Nicknamed the snowball bush, the blooms start off pale green and over time turn white, a stunning contrast with the bright green leaves. And they work beautifully as cut flowers mixed in with some fragrant pale purple sprigs from our lilac bush. Alan bought this twiggy youngster from a Poundstore about five years ago and it’s now taller than me...
On the edible front, the wild garlic is starting to grow in our woodland area – garlic pesto will be on the menu soon. And a very early borage plant is providing nectar for the bees and pretty blue decorations for my gin and tonics 🙂 Fun fact: did you know that pansy flowers are edible? I’ve used them in salads before, and I’ve been told you can decorate cakes with them too.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember me berating myself recently about always having pulled up my stocks after they’d finished flowering. And sowing seeds again every Spring, not realising they were perennials. Well, these plants grew on happily throughout winter and just look at them now – gloriously bright and fragrant. Lesson learned.
You may also recall that last May I bought a cheap end of season Brunnera Jack Frost, whose pretty silver foliage and tiny blue flowers are lighting up a shady corner. Much like my beloved white Dicentras in our woodland area. Honestly, end of line shade-loving perennials are such a good buy. Tip: don’t worry about dead foliage on sale plants, as long as the roots haven’t dried out. A quick soak in a bucket of water before planting out and they’ll be absolutely fine.
Talking of planting out, how gorgeous are the vibrant pink flowers on one of our rhododendrons? And the scented blue bee-magnet flowers on the Ceanothus? Both were in pots for quite a while but ever since they’ve been in the ground, they’ve flourished. Now they need very little watering or other maintenance.
Flora told me that “something smells quite nice by the pond,” the other day, and that will be the pink-yellow wallflowers next to the blue ajuga. They do have a heady fragrance, which is out of all proportion to their size. And I adore my beautiful Clematis Montana shrouding our side of the orchard wall. She also hangs all over our neighbour’s side too although, luckily, they don’t seem to mind.
What’s sprouting now?
The early spring blossom on some of our fruit trees has given way to baby fruits. From left to right we have kiwis, damsons, and pears. I’m so excited about the damsons, this is the first year we’ve ever had more than three fruits. And this year the tree is smothered already. Provided the birds don’t nab them all, I might be making damson gin and damson jam with our own fruits in Autumn, as well as raiding our neighbour’s tree. Fingers crossed…
Our two newest fruit trees are doing well too. On the left is a Victoria plum and in the foreground is another apple, a Braeburn. Our gorgeous old (mystery) apple tree behind them is also smothered in blossom, so we’re hoping for another good harvest.
Outdoor jobs for May
I’ve made a start on weeding and mulching my solitary vegetable bed in readiness for sowing some sugar snap peas and carrots. Regular readers of my gardening posts will know we’re more fruit fans than vegetable enthusiasts. Which is why this bed is also given over to some potted blueberries, raspberry canes, a rhubarb, and some self-sown wild strawberries. Oh, and a solitary white freesia – I have absolutely no idea where it came from, but it smells lovely!
Over in the greenhouse I’ll have some potting on to do shortly. The top shelf holds some white, yellow, and pink Cosmos seedlings. The second shelf has a couple of tomato plants and stock seedlings, which will also need pricking and thinning out. (When sowing tiny seeds, sow lots and throw the weakest ones away in due course because gardening is brutal, oh yes...) And the third shelf has more tomato and cucumber seedlings.
Happily, my chocolate cosmos, dahlia, and rescued sunflower seedlings (from the seedhead I’d left out for the birds last winter) will be ready for planting out soon. Along with some salvia seedlings I bought online.
I planted out our sweet pea seedlings at the end of April, tying them in to their cane wigwams. Tying in is something that I’ve been doing a lot of recently, making full use of last month’s lovely gifted Home Bargains twine tin. I think I may have been a little heavy handed with my (yellow) Welsh poppy seed sowing last year… So I need to clear and mulch the rest of the flower beds once the alliums become visible.
May in my garden brings back fond memories of last year’s summer heatwave. We’ve recently invested in a proper cantilevered sunshade for the patio, and I’m very tempted by some hammocks and hanging hammock chairs from Cool Hammocks* as well. And the eucalyptus tree in our orchard has enough strong branches to take one, or even two, because Flora would never let anyone else climb in ahead of her!
Wildlife
All of our ponds are absolutely seething with tadpoles, and a few newts (not the endangered kind). Pond dipping gives Flora so much pleasure and it’s wonderful to see how careful she is with all the aquatic life. Shoutout to Alan for keeping all the water levels and bird feeders topped up too.
He’s been mowing the grass on a high setting each week, so our lawns are looking nice and healthy already. I don’t know if it’s just me but I think there’s been an absolute explosion of dandelions this year. Yes, they’re an annoying weed, especially in the middle of your nice green lawn. BUT they’re also food for birds and bees. The bees adore the yellow flowers and I recently spotted a goldfinch gorging on the fluffy seedheads. And any excuse not to weed gets a thumbs up from me…
Flora’s garden
Flora’s new raspberry canes and solitary broad bean plant are doing well. And her purple heuchara is storming away.
And her new rose plant (grown from a cutting taken last September) is putting on slow but steady growth.
Like me, she’s a fan of Clematis Montana, so we’ve installed a new one in front of the fence. Next to it looks like a bed of weeds but is, in fact, a collection of wildflowers. Hopefully these will bloom around June, watch this space.
And once again, she’s been tardy and not weeded her path. A job for the weekend, I think 🙂
May in my garden
And there ends my monthly ramble through our garden, greenhouse, and orchard. May in my garden is going to be another busy month with lots of potting, planting, tying, and sowing. Plus plenty of weeding and mulching too.
But most importantly, I’m planning on taking time to stop and enjoy everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Sitting outside with a mug of tea or glass of wine and appreciating the colours, scents, and sounds of Nature. It’s one of my greatest pleasures. I’ve said it before but it’s true, my garden is my happy place and getting my hands dirty is one of my favourite acts of self-care.
What will you be doing in your garden this month? What are you looking forward to in May?
* This post has been sponsored but all opinions and photos are my own.
So pretty! I’m excited for the warmer weather.
Jennifer
Thank you – and so am I! 🙂
It’s a shame the tulips didn’t flower but the other things are looking lovely and colourful! I agree with you about dandelions, too – I’ve noticed lots of them around. That said, I love when they turn fluffy so I’m not complaining, either. Flora’s garden is looking lovely, too, and she’s so lucky to grow up with all of this happening around her. She must have the best time spotting all of the wildlife and watching things grow – I know I would!
Ah, thank you, that’s very kind! We love blowing the fluff on the dandelions (time clocks!) although that, of course, creates a gazillion more weeds so… And yes, Flora is very lucky, I tell her so repeatedly, although I’m not sure how much of it sinks in, haha xx
Your pictures are so beautiful! I must admit, you did confuse me with the aquilegias – I could have sworn they were columbines, but when I googled it, they are the same plant 😆 I love the fact that they spread themselves – the best plants always come free! Borage is such a gorgeous colour, and wallflowers are my favourite-smelling flower 😊
So many plants have the same names, don’t they, it’s so confusing. I switch between colloquial and Latin too, so that puzzles Alan even more! Yes, you’re right, the best plants are always the free ones – seeds and cuttings are fab 🙂
Beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing!!
You’re welcome, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is gorgeous, my dream garden! 😍
Aw, thank you so much, what a lovely thing to say! x
Your garden is so magical! As you saw, I channeled my inner Lisa last month and did some planting! I also planted some strawberry plants which have actually started growing!
Jenny
http://www.jennyinneverland.com
Aw, thank you, and yes, I did, I was so honoured! Yay for fresh strawberries. You’re doing better than me, Ginger keeps lying on top of mine and squashing them, great fat lump that he is! X
Wonderful, how do I start with wild garlic? I meN if it’s wild can I buy it to plant? And what’s borage??
Yes, you can buy wild garlic – you need to buy some allium bulbs, I bought mine from Gee Tee Bulb Co a couple of years ago. And borage is a herb that self-seeds rampantly. It has big green leaves that are slightly prickly and beautiful blue flowers that you can use in salads, on cakes, or freeze into ice cubes for gin and tonics! Good luck 🙂
Oh wow, your garden looks lovely, Lisa. I haven’t been able to do anything in ours yet, what with Mum being ill and also me getting ready to move. I always love hearing about wildlife in gardens, especially frogs and toads. I spotted our resident toad the other day which cheered me up. I’d love a pond like yours, I find them fascinating.Thanks for sharing xx
Ah, thank you so much, that’s so kind of you. I’m very sorry about your Mum, I hope things improve soon, for all of you. And you are lucky, we don’t get toads (yet)! I don’t know how much space you have but Flora’s pond is only small, about 3 feet by 2 feet and it’s supporting frogs already so maybe you could do something similar? xx
Thanks Lisa. The toads in our garden live under my greenhouse and under a feature near our patio. I think it’s because both areas have old railway sleepers and they got under there. The area my Dad found the frogs last week I put one of those big saucers for large garden pots there and fill it with water. I’ve seen frogs use it in the summer but I have to change it every now and then because the stupid slugs and snails fall in it and drown. The parents don’t want a pond so I have to make do. xx
Oh that would make perfect sense. And actually, the frogs would love any slugs that fell in, as would hedgehogs, so win win! xx
We don’t get many hedgehogs now, haven’t seen them here for a couple of years. They used to mate, very nosily, outside my window haha. But we had to stop them coming in our garden as our little dog used to go for them. I miss her terribly. But I think we have a hedgehog under our shed – wish it would eat the slugs! xx
Ahh my favourite posts of yours Lisa 😍 gardens looking gorgeous how beautiful are the colours! I’m woefully behind on doing my garden update mainly because I’ve been struggling to get posts written with one thing & another but our aquilegia are flowering all different colours too and I love them, they do take over but I don’t mind as they’re so pretty. Your stocks look fabulous too, and all those goodies in the greenhouse!
Thank you so much, Gem, that’s so lovely of you to say. They’re among my favourite posts to write as well, even if they are VERY photo heavy! Glad to hear you’re an aquilegia fan too, I just can’t understand people that don’t like them. And yes, I’m kicking myself about the stocks, I’ll be leaving them in situ from now on, haha! x
This reminds me; I need to buy some seeds and throw them into my bed so they can play their annual “Hunger Games” survival of the fittest trials and see if I get any produce. (normally this method produces plants that won’t ever stop cropping out of sheer determination to survive – it’s not pretty and it’s lazy but it’s me).
Love seeing all your flowers <3
This comment made me howl, I can’t wait to see some photos of your crops in due course, may the odds be forever in their favour! 🙂
That’s the ticket 😉
Your garden is beautiful 😍😍 I wish I had your green fingers, you would hate to see the state of my garden! I would love to have a pond put in mine, when get around to sorting garden I will be asking you for advice xx
Emma x
Aw, thank you so much, Emma! I’m very lucky in that I have plenty of green space to experiment with and I don’t mind (too much) when things go wrong, haha xx
Looking lovely so far Lisa! 😊
I really miss having a garden as I’d love to make it as pretty as yours.
Love Lozza xo
Thank you so much, Lozza, that’s so kind of you! x
Oh my goodness! I am SO envious of your garden! How beautiful! And you have so many variations! I’m starting to study Horticulture this Summer and hope to get more involved in our local greenery.
Oh, I’m now extremely envious of you getting to study Horticulture, I would LOVE to do something like this when Flora’s a little older. Thank you for your lovely comment! 🙂
These pictures are beautiful! I absolutely love flowers and plants and I can’t wait for the warm weather!
Ah, thank you so much, that’s very kind – yes indeed, bring on summer!
You have such gorgeous flowers in your garden! I bet it’s such a dream to be there in the summer! Definitely have the green thumb!
Katie xx
I don’t know about a green thumb, an enthusiastic thumb for sure, there’s been a LOT of trial and error, but thank you very much! xx
Those pictures of the flowers are so pretty. Whenever I read your posts I want to start planting and make my front and back garden look pretty! It’s great you can share this with Flora xx
Thank you so much, Lauren, what a lovely thing to say! And yes, I love that Flora’s got into gardening now – I just wish she would get into weeding too, haha xx
Haha! There’s always time ☺️😉xx
That’s very true! xx
Your garden is so clean and well maintained Lisa. Love the beautiful flowers and sad the tulips did not do that well. But I still love that picture of yellowish orange tulip. Hahah I love the peacock and the person sitting in hat :-). Your garden is fantastic Lisa. 🙂
Via | http://glossnglitters.com
Well, you only see the pretty pictures I choose for my garden posts, there are plenty of wild and free patches in our garden too, haha. And yes, Alan is a compulsive collector of slightly unusual garden ornaments, which fortunately go rather well in ours! xx
Wow! What an absolutely beautiful range of flowers you have in your garden, Lisa! Everything is so bright, vibrant and cheerful. Your garden must be such a joy to be in, there is something pretty and colourful everywhere you look. A hanging chair would be so perfect, especially on lazy Summer afternoons enjoying your gorgeous surroundings (with a glass or two of something refreshing) 😉 Flora’s garden is looking so fresh and green too, she should be very proud! Thank you for sharing, always love these updates and your pretty photos too! Have a lovely weekend (fingers crossed for lots of sunshine!) xxx
Ah, Bexa, thank you so much, that’s such a lovely thing to say. You know me very well, my garden is my happy space and everything always seems better when I’m in it. I do have my sights set on a hanging chair now, I just need to persuade Alan of the merits, haha. I’ll have to rope Flora in, she has him twisted around her little finger! As you say, fingers crossed for a sunny BH weekend 🙂 xxx
It made me feel relaxed and happy just reading this, what a beautiful garden!
Ah thank you so much, that’s so lovely to hear!
It’s a shame that some of your tulips didn’t flower, I love them! So pretty, I hope you have fun shopping for some new ones. Your garden is certainly starting to look more alive and colourful this month. Those nice smelling wallflowers look beautiful too x
Sophie
Yes, it is, but silver linings, I can go shopping again in the Autumn 🙂 Thank you, Sophie, we’re really pleased with how things are coming on too xx
Oh what a beautiful garden! Would love to be around all of that! I hope to have a lovely garden like this when I have my own place!
Jessica & James
Thank you so much, it’s a lot of work but well worth it!
Your garden is definitely blooming, Lisa! And these are my garden goals when Chris and I get a house of our own someday!
Thank you so much, Eena, that’s very kind – and I’d love to see what you do in your future garden! 🙂
Beautiful! We’ve had a few tulips and daffodils. Oh, and some bluebells and lots of dandelions!
Thank you – glad to hear dandelions aren’t just my little treat then!
I love these garden posts of yours! Those tulips will be better next time, I’m sure.
xo Ros
Oh, thank you so much, that’s so kind! And yes, fingers crossed the new ones will do better 🙂 x
Lovely post as always Lisa. I know I’ve said it before, but I do look forward to your monthly gardening updates. I’m sorry to hear your tulips haven’t done so well this year but, like you said, it gives you the perfect excuse to buy more. 😁 We’ve started getting more wildlife in our garden and pond too – a pigeon actually nested in our hedge and has recently hatched three babies.
Thank you, Kim, that’s very kind. And yay, that’s wonderful to hear about the wildlife increase in your garden and pond, it’s such a good feeling to know that we’re doing a little bit to help and so rewarding to see too!
It’s definitely rewarding. 🙂 I love seeing the bees come out and we have a robin couple in our garden to that make regular visits.
Oh, we have a pair of robins too, they’re so friendly, they’re practically tame!