An Open Garden

This coming Saturday we are opening our garden in aid of a local hospice which is dear to my heart. It is the first time we have done so, and I keep looking round hoping to manage another area of weeding before the day. Because of physical frailties I tend to pace myself in the garden, so can never achieve as much as I would like. An hour's session will exhaust me but I work slowly and thoroughly and hope to make a difference. My dear heart has similar problems due to age and old sporting injuries, so we do as much as we can and accept that this is not a show place. But is is our space, and we love it, and find it a very restorative and restful environment. We share it with a variety of folk as you know, wild and tame.

The vixen, who is keeping a close eye on us, 

while her babies are a little bemused to find these human folk down in their Dell

The cat chaps, on the other hand, are happy just chilling

Down in the Dell the rambling rose, which clambers all the way up a tall ash tree, is opening it's trusses of white flowers, filling the evening air with their scent. 

The greenhouse holds all sorts of growing things, and the bean rows catch the evening sunlight

Poppies and blue geranium make a lovely contrast

The bed by the new shed is looking just right for folk to peer at

And the ferns by the pond and in the fernery are bringing beautiful colour and texture to delight the eye

I love the contrast between those plump as pillows paeony and the little cushions of the knautia - the bees do too

and our red rose near the house is just beginning to open up its petals, 

Self portrait with cat :-)

I hope our visitors on Saturday enjoy our garden as much as we do, and don't notice too many weeds!