A few sunny days brought more flowers into bloom.

The lupins are beginning to flower, and so is the clematis by the front door.

These beautiful clematis were planted here by a previous occupant, and I’m very glad they chose this vibrant variety, whatever it is!

The new cottage garden section by the front door looks very colourful, and it has a sweet and spicy scent from the nemesia and dianthus. Once the rose comes into bloom as well it should smell spectacular in this spot.

On the whole the new planting is coming together. These little white pincushion flowers seem happy in the sun, the potted purple wallflower is in bloom, the ‘bleeding heart’ dianthus looks delicately lovely, and the box ball is in beautiful shape thanks to my devoted husband’s pruning expertise. He’s developing ‘a thing’ for vintage garden hand-tools, and eschews power tools, preferring the sharp snips of the shears. The results speak for themselves.

Out in the back, our little section of wildflower meadowturf, which we laid a few months ago, is blooming beautifully.

Our really wild spot, behind the bushes at the very back of the garden, is full of forget-me-nots and celandine. One day we’ll probably ‘do something’ here, but for now I think nature is doing very well. I’ll keep weeding out the brambles and might attempt to clear a border and put a few planters in this space, but I really like this wild spot, and so do the bees and the birds.

It’s wonderful to see the garden grow, and how much wildlife it attracts. I feed the birds, plant wildflowers, and avoid using pesticides or artificial fertilisers. It seems to be buzzing with wildlife sometimes, and I spotted at least five different types of bees in the hedge, feeding on the privet flowers.

“We” didn’t do in no mow may, as my husband does the mowing every week or so in summer, and I never mow in May, or indeed in any other month. He avoids power tools for lawn mowing as well as hedge trimming, and uses a push-mower to maintain the lawn. He say’s it’s quicker and quieter, and it’s a low-carbon way to get the job done. It makes for a beautiful lawn, ideal for sunbathing cats and humans.

And as usual he left the edges of the lawn to the weeds & wildflowers, so there are plenty of daisies for us and the wildlife to enjoy.

Well, that’s my collection of flowers this friday.

There’s more along these lines if you search for #FridayFlowers,

And I hope your plans and plants are doing well.

Jen x