Wednesday

I’ve gradually been planting out a mix of plants into the front garden - more heuchera including a new favourite for me ‘Purple Crinkle’ which as its name suggests has ruffled edges & a silver overlay; two rhodanthemum; 2 fuchsia Mrs Popple & a pink Dianthus. I also rehomed some strays from the back garden.

Busy Sunday

I had little time to spare for the Magic Garden today beyond planting out some lettuces, which hopefully won’t become slug fodder, and some sunflowers.Its extremely windy so the garden is getting a bit of a battering. I had hoped we would have some rain today but the showers seem to have passed us by. I’ve used boiled water for my new carnivorous plants but the rest of the garden is largely having to take its chances beyond ensuring the pond stays topped up and there is water for the birds..

Sunny Saturday

I’ve done some work on the front garden & added in some new plants along the edge of the border and some foxgloves under the rowan tree.

Heuchera Silver Gum Drop

Heuchera Victoria

Tiarella ‘Oregon Trall’

Hardy geranium

Heuchera Alfie

In the back garden, the vegetables and fruit are coming on well. I have planted out the courgettes and rehomed a rhubarb crown. I look forward to the gooseberries and raspberries. The earliest pickings of kale are possible now. My container garden works well for the vegetables.

New Additions

We had a lovely sunny afternoon and warm too despite still being windy. I’ve invested in four new carnivorous plants to replenish the ones I bought some time back and spent some time refreshing my trough and pot that contained the originals.

Darlingtonia californica

Drosera intermedia

Drosera anglica

Sarracenia alata Purple Throat

Alliums

This year’s stars so far for me in the Magic Garden have been my alliums. According to my records I have 10 white Allium Ping Pong, 3 White Giants & 2 Mount Everest and 8 Allium Cristophii & 2 Allium Gladiator. I’m not convinced they have all come out but am already making plans as to where more of these tall alliums need to go in - in particular I think I will add some more purple giants into the front border part for next year. The Cristophii with their open stars are I think my favourites but they are not very robust in the wind we currently have.

Tuesday

I didn’t have much time in the Magic Garden today because it decided to rain inconveniently this afternoon. Ben & I sat for a short time this evening enjoying the peace and quiet as the sun disappeared again. The last few blooms of the Granny bonnets were looking attractive - I will collect the seedbeds to start off the next batch as they are slowly disappearing again from the garden. I noticed I have a red hot poker coming into bloom. It appears to be the solo survivor of a group of three.

Late May Bank Holiday Monday

Not much sunshine today although Ben chased an early sun puddle & it remains windy. I planted out a couple of ‘rescued’ Pulmonaria Trevi Fountains at the back in front of the Winter border’s dogwoods. They join my gradually increasing collection there, with Pulmonaria opal blooming the best. I love the leaves of these plants, said to resemble lung tissue.

I planted out some foxgloves yesterday under the rowan tree and also under the black elder, hoping they will cope with the shade and dryness of both positions. Some of the ones at the back from last autumn’s planting are just coming into flower while the masses of geranium phaeum is going over. The bees are still enjoying it but I think I will chop it back at the end of the week to see if it will bloom again. The magnolia bloom is beautiful still in the back corner & there are scattered roses at the back too. The foxgloves I’ve planted are next to some blue irises that are just coming into bloom catching up with the white ones at the front of the Magic Garden.

Warm & windy

As predicted we had some rain overnight and the wind has increased too but the air feels warm. I spent a chunk of this morning working in the front garden and then this afternoon in the Magic Garden taking time to appreciate the bees and just how good the Magic Garden is looking at the moment. Ben spent most of the afternoon on the cold frame shading its contents.

Friday afternoon

The sun was still with us this afternoon but it is noticeably chillier and rain is predicted for overnight. In the meantime I’ve planted out the last of the sweetpeas needing to move around some of the obelisk supports & wind spinners to make room. I’ve done a bit more pulling up of weeds & filled up my neighbour’s garden bin as well as mine as well as adding to the hotbin composter. Ben checked out all areas of the Magic Garden before snoozing.

Another sunny afternoon

I spent the afternoon in the Magic Garden and have planted out some bedding plants and done some maintenance work in the main Magic portion. I think I have identified a new problem visitor - a narcissis bee fly. The true bees are also active around the Magic Garden while Ben was noticeably inactive!

Sunshine

Last autumns bulb planting spree is paying off with the irises joining the allium party. The white ones have come out first but there are buds across the Magic Garden. Ben and I spent chunks of day outside enjoying the sun

Alliums

We’ve had dry weather if not the sun of elsewhere in the country so I gave in this evening and had a massive watering session. I’m a bit bothered as I have now emptied the water butt keeping the pond topped up so I will have to think about new methods of rain harvesting when it does rain again. The new wee fountain in the pond is working well so at least oxygenation should be good with the pond weed looking okay too.
I am really pleased with the effect of the alliums going through the Magic Garden - the white ones are slower than the purple ones but catching up. The bees seem to enjoy them too.

Sunny day

I have been enjoying the sun in the Magic Garden again with Ben. The bees are enjoying the aquilegia, geraniums & other blooms while the alliums are all gradually coming out.

More sunshine.

I spent a lot of today sitting in the sun in the Magic Garden enjoying the warmth in my wee sun trap. Ben was equally enjoying the sunshine and following me around as I did small tasks although he wasn’t impressed with my using the hose rather than the watering cans to soak the fruit bushes today. The new campanula is flowering and more of the alliums are unfurling.

Sunny weekend

Ben and I have spent a large chunk of this weekend in the Magic Garden enjoying the sunshine. Although the numbers are still lower than I think they should be there have been more bees around today and it was lovely to have butterflies too.

Thyme Tuesday

I have a number of new thymes planted around the Magic Garden and have renewed the Thyme Zone with new plants in 6 of the 7 points between the pavers: Thymus Highland Cream, Thymus citriodorus Aurea, Thymus praecox, Thymus Tabor, Thymus pseudolanuginosus and Thymus Citrodorus Silver Queen I still need to get fresh chips to renew those around the sundial. I also planted out a wee Heurchera Little Cutie ‘Blondie’ which caught my eye while out shopping. I also put out the new solar powered fountain for the pond. It seems to work better than the old one ever did. Ben was at the back of the Magic Garden enjoying the fresh catnip in his patch.

BH Monday

It’s been chilly here today with a north wind coming off the sea. I did a little more to the paths spreading new white chips and pulling up weeds. I did sit for a bit wrapped up in the sun enjoying a cuppa with Ben. I harvested some more rhubarb for tea.

Sunday

Another chunk of an afternoon spent in sunshine working on the paths of the Magic patch but it was interrupted by brief sharp showers which interrupted Ben’s snoozing. I am pleased with how the Magic Garden is already looking this year as it continues to evolve.