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The leaves of epimedium fascinate me, with their heart shape, veined surface and range of tones from crimson to chartreuse…then up pops a delicate gathering of yellow flowers.
Forget-me-nots have seeded themselves across our garden, for which I’m grateful. The more the merrier, especially in the gravel path.
Peonies are rising out of the soil now, with leaves glossy and bronze.
The odd Spanish bluebell is appearing in our first bed. The white in particular sings out against green.
A new wave of tulips…gorgeous orange-yellow marble.
And we’re just letting the dandelions do their thing, as bumblebees, solitary bees and honeybees all visit them for food, together with hoverflies, beetles, and butterflies.
π K
There is hope in the promise of new life and colour in springtime. Looking out of the window even on a grey, rainy day, I revel in the sight of green shoots and leaves, and of bulbs peering from pots, getting ready to bloom.
Today, yellow is aplenty here…
The pink of this cercis is bold and glorious…
Wandering around the paths, splashes of blue appear…
We’re halfway through cutting back old growth. A few plants were lost to frost over winter, including a hosta, hebe and geraniums. A phormium is looking in poor shape too.
Roses are pruned and taking on new leaves.
I’ve moved tulips as close to the back door as possible, so we can enjoy them each morning as they unfurl.
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
π K
Quite a different effect to the frost on 11 December – this time it’s spiky and covering everything:
β K
Next month I’m facilitating a mindfulness session which will focus on fascination with Winter. Here’s how the garden appeared today – viburnum budding; sarcococca confusa berries; weather-worn geranium leaves; rose hips; spring bulbs emerging; and other interesting forms:
π± K
I’ve never seen our garden so thick with frost. The cobwebs and leaf patterns are incredibly beautiful:
πΈ K
From this morning – faded chive seed heads, verbena, strange teasel greenery, and other tangled, rain-washed things…
β¨ K
P.S. Over the past few weeks I’ve been running short mindfulness sessions in my workplace, and included ‘mindful looking’, in which we each chose a natural object and looked carefully at it, then drew and/or wrote about it. Every element on the table came from this garden:
P.P.S. and a few more, from 4/12/22:
I’ve very much left our garden to do its own thing this past few weeks, following the intense heat. It looks to have appreciated a little rain and a few cooler days, and is now a tangle of purple flowers, dandelions and towering brown teasels ready for autumn.
βK
The past couple of months have been very busy and warm.
The below photographs capture a third flush of roses, pretty asters, a giant himalayan honeysuckle, dried-out teasels, and my dad’s favourites (yellow hellenium).
Cosmos, verbena and a self-sown hairy willowherb have been allowed to go as wild as they like as September approaches.
I’m listening to Aukai today and have updated my writing/art page, Breathing into bloom, with new entries. Perhaps see you there.
Am I looking forward to autumn? Yes – for cooler days, autumn colour and new beginnings.
β K
I was planning on seeing my family today, and made the below bunch for them.
…Covid got in the way of that meet-up, so the flowers will come into our kitchen instead.
Meanwhile, teasels are beginning to bloom:
And clouds of ammi majus:
Here’s to more sunny days ahead.
π K