I’ve not blogged here for a while, and there’s a lot going on. The two are not unconnected.

It seems like winter melted into spring just a couple of weeks ago, but since then it’s been a supremely busy time in the garden, and in life generally. Looking back at this time last year, there’s been lots of positive growth.

Last year’s fairy garden has become this year’s fire garden, it’s now planted in warm tones of reds, whites and yellows, with the path of thyme/time in that area changed from a loop to a spiral.

The red foliage is from an Acer, (A Lidl bargain from last year), a Heuchera ‘little cutie’ from Frome market, and a hebe which if i recall correctly has a name that references prince.

I’ve dug out lots of bindweed from this section and replanted this area. It’s densely packed with a variety of newly bought and relocated plants, including some lovely scented nemesia and lots of thyme around the path. We’re hoping for a bright display in a couple of months, which looks a bit fire-like. Let’s see…

Winter TOTALLY outstayed its welcome, with heavy snow until early April, but after that  we had a busy month and got on with some projects, including (but not limited to) a general tidy up and a rethink and restructure.

Last year, when we’d just moved in, I’d added a few new plantings in the empty areas and was waiting to see what would emerge from the garden. I was lucky enough to have the means to take a year off, and I had a lovely time cutting fresh flowers from the garden every day… This was today’s bouquet from April 26 2017.

The flowers have been much later this year, but they’re making up for lost time now and there’s a bit more colour in the garden. Bliss.

Here are a few of 2018’s late April blooms…

I cut this bunch of flowers for my mum, of tulips, pear blossom, and bluebells from the garden.

There’s a new woven archway in the garden. It’s been an ambitious but super fun project that took a week ish (off and on), and it’s made of living willow, woven with buff willow.  My Husband came up with the design for this lovely archway,  loosely based on a portal in a game. He’s also put in a new pathway, pruned the raspberries, and generally been Mr Marvellous.

My weaving skills are coming on, after I’ve taken a couple of courses led by Emma Cross of organic matters. So far I’ve made a little bird feeder, a large bean teepee, a big tub, a little bird feeder and a berry basket. And the massive garden archway.

Top marks to Frome community education fromecommed.org.uk for putting on these courses, and thanks to my husband for working on the design, construction, and solar powered lighting of this new garden feature.

This time last year, when I was cutting flowers each day. and posting them for sale on FromeBlooms.com, this geum was the star of the show. It featured in several of today’s bouquets, and in a vase on Monday more than once. It seems to have established itself in the triangle flower bed, and is happily blooming by the wineberry and the willow teepee that will hopefully soon be full of beans. The beans are seeds picked up from the Shared Earth Learning forest school, but more about those amazing people another time…

Now that I’ve got a part time job, daily bouquets are out of the window for a while, but I’m still doing the plan…

The plan, for now, is to weave more willow into things and plant more flowers, and the rest will grow it’s own way. 🙂

I hope that your garden plants and plans are coming along nicely!

Jen x