Our Beautiful Garden in Early Spring

My hubby has been working so hard in the garden, and his efforts are being well rewarded as it springs into life after the doldrums of winter. Devon in the spring is the most beautiful place anyway, and our gardens reflect this, with the wild flowers.

Here is the bank separating the patio from the upper garden – even at other times of the year, I always call this the primrose bank! We are hoping that over the years, they will spread and make a lovely carpet. There are other wild plants growing on this bank, too, including wild violets and ferns of various kinds.

A view of the whole garden. Both these photos were taken from the bedroom window.

There’s a different view from my hubby’s study window, in this case looking over the outhouse roof to the garage. We’ve got lots of interesting bushes and shrubs, some flowering, and some with varied and colourful foliage. Last year my hubby fixed the two trellises on the garage wall and we planted a Clematis montana, which has grown enormously, and is now covered with buds. Eventually he will put wires along under the roof and train it over the window. It’s such a pretty climbing plant in the spring with its delicate pink flowers. Even when not flowering, it will provide more interest to the garage.

Tilting the camera downwards a little you get a splendid view of our rock garden with its water feature, that my hubby worked so hard to clear last year.

A couple of weeks ago he went all round the walls, below the water feature and along the path to the other end of the garden, repainting and freshening it all up and it’s looking great now.

Such a beautiful day today! I took my camera outside for the rest of the photos. Here’s the aubretia plant in the rock garden with the most flowers on it so far – the other two are just beginning. We put these in last year, and eventually we hope they will grow prolifically and cascade over the wall with a lovely show of purple colour.

Here are some more flowers growing in the rockery.

Moving along the path in front of the back of the house, here is our first tulip! You can see the ferns growing in the bank, both male and hartstongue, beginning to unfurl.

Primroses and wild violets growing in the bank. You can see what a nice mossy bank it is.

Walking up the steps and along the path beside the garage, here is our gorgeous Cotinus hedge with the sun shining through the glorious red foliage.

Looking back towards the house, here is the hedge in all its glory.

Along the side wall of the garage my hubby put some trellises last year, and after the fabulous showing of sweet peas we decided we’d repeat the experience, and he has planted some new plants. Watch this space! They will climb all the way up the trellis with their little corkscrew tendrils and hopefully give us a gorgeous display of pastel colours, and that delicate scent. The more you pick them, the more they produce, so we will enjoy vases of them in the house as well.

Whenever we go out in the garden, the kitties are never far behind! Here they are, following me onto the lawn.

Phoebe.

The summer house at the top end of the garden. Last year my hubby put in two extra railway sleepers to create a usable “deck” area – we have a small wooden table that lives in the summer house and we have this out, in front of the bench, and often have our lunch up there in the summer. When the weather is very hot, it is so pleasant under the shady apple tree. It can get very hot indeed in the patio below.

My hubby got some help with pruning the apple tree a few weeks ago, and it is now sprouting into leaf. Last year we had a wonderful crop, which we hope will be repeated this year.

Along the opposite fence, the magnolia is now in flower.

Looking back down the path from the top of the bank. The concrete path gets really warm and the kitties like nothing better than to stretch out and sunbathe here. Beatrice is getting rather shaky on her old legs these days, and I’m not sure if she’ll manage to get up on top of the outhouse again – this has been a favourite sunbathing spot for her, too!

Looking further beyond our garden, we have the benefit of our neighbours’ shrubs as well. Phoebe is still there!

In front of the garage, above the water feature, our rhubarb is coming on apace. We’ll soon be eating it.

Here’s the Clematis montana on the garage, full of buds.

Beside the steps going down towards the house, our Forsythia is starting to flower.

That about wraps up the springtime tour of our garden! My hubby is so delighted to have a small garden which is so much easier to manage, and he’s gaining so much satisfaction from making it look nice.

I love this time of year.

PS – I’ve just looked at the Scripture for today on my blog – from the Prophet Isaiah: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” (Isaiah 40:8 / KJV) – but until it does fade, I shall enjoy it!!