more autumn color

I planted this rich purple Salvia last autumn I think, and it is still quite spindly, but once it fills that space between the hydrangea and hebe, I hope it may look rather lovely

it will become a dark pool in amongst all these rich reds

These are echoed, nearer the house, by the pond, where the little waterboy is ever hopeful

Then, nearer still to the house, there is another flush of rich reds and pinks, an old potted rose and another hydrangea

If you turn, these colours bounce off back past the waterboy and the maple

to the lower bed where we started

Those russets were echoed recently by a brief visitation from a regular visitor, who trotted past the back door and scampered off down the garden

What a fine tail you have Foxy Loxy

Whoosh!

Open delight

We had such an enjoyable day yesterday welcoming folk to our garden for the first time. I kept a rough five bar gate record of the day and counted 254 folk who came and chatted and wandered about. It was such a pleasure to see them all.

Here's how it looked at the end of the day as the pond fell quiet

the cat chaps reclaimed their space

Phil's Corner captured the evening sunlight

and Woll watched on from his perch under the yew tree

as the flowers caught the light

and this morning the rain washed it all and made it shine

speckling the leaves of a little rose which started its life in Cecil's garden in Kidmore End, planted out from its pot this year, adding to the "garden as memory" element which I love in this space

Woodland

That is what I call this bed, which I look out on when sitting in Dad's old rocking chair. It is tucked beneath the western boundary of the garden, on the north side of the house, so shady, with hazel up by the well, and flowering currant to add protection. As you step out of the sitting room, the Japanese lady welcomes you along the path.

You walk down, not knocking your head on the multitude of bird feeders that hang from the tree you pass: a good place for a cat to watch for a mouse. At the other end, a Japanese lantern is tucked beneath a rhododendron.

Halfway down you might notice this carefully tied back chaenomeles. Planted a number of years ago, it was subjected to indignities various as the path was constructed, and then reconstructed. I thought it lost, but it managed to hang on by the skin of its teeth, and is now bravely flowering at the base of the fence, more coral than pink as here. The lovely twisted ironwork is the lantern stand my son in law made me, some years ago - it holds a glass candle holder lantern we bought in Istanbul, you can see that in the first picture.

At the base of another leg, epimedium at its delicate best, with bishop's hat leaves and fairy flowers

it makes a beautiful backdrop to this little self seeded primula

Tucked away in its new home, fiercely protected with canes against badger and cat, some Solomon's Seal, generously offered to me from the garden of some friends, a few weeks ago. The leaves are just starting to unfurl. They are bathed in sun in the morning, protected by the shade of the house and flowering currant for the rest of the day,

If you turned your back on them, and looked across the garden you would find windflower and primrose, trickling down the bank opposite

and if you walked back up the path to the little waterfall by the pond, perhaps followed by a cat, 

you might find a few garden gods gathered over the years. They stand guard at the top, where the little birds come down to drink, and the blackbirds to bathe

Down by the pond the waterboy holds out his shell, reminding me it needs refilling

and the big and little fish bask in the afternoon sunshine

 Above, that cat has settled in his pot

and a daffodil by the door seems the perfect colour to be tucked into the woodland bed; to settle there once it has finished flowering.

Patient

 Some day, my mouse will come!

some more Sussex springtime

It was a chilly morning, with a lovely impromptu tonal patchwork on the roof

But the sun was shining and the garden beckoned

The little old lady was holding her shawl close to keep herself warm in the chilly breeze

Then suddenly, above, a swoop and swirl of many many jackdaws, calling and congregating in the blue sky. There must have been almost 100. Can you see them?

in the sunshine

Darling daughter and I went for a lovely socially distanced walk around our local streets this morning, in deepest suburbia, while my splendid son in law stacked logs into the wood store for us. It was so warm and Jen was full of pleasure in the feel of the breeze on her skin after this long dark winter. We talked of this and that as mothers and daughters do. Later we sat in the garden with tea, watched a couple of buzzards soaring overhead, and chatted more of this and that, while the old dears listened in, guarding the gateway to the the productive space, which is the Man's domain

My afternoon was spent busy in the front garden, which is always in full sun, facing south as it does, while the shadows lengthened and the day cooled. There were many pleasures to enjoy

The winter jasmine holding the light in its petals

The weeping birch, with snowdrop, cyclamen and daffodil nestled at its foot

shadows on the wall

and our newest bed, which still needs some taming, and where things are just starting to find their way in quite heavy soil.

crocus for colour now, and the tulips coming through for later

and of course, the great swathe of bluebells, not native, which will be throwing their weight around in a couple of weeks. Who would think that those dainty clusters of green shoots would shoot up and engulf all around them; they look quite demure in the foreground there don't they? When they are in bloom I will post a picture again, so you can see why I always forgive them!

so many lovely textures to enjoy

I filled a couple of trugs, some for the compost, some for disposal, and then tidied myself away indoors for tea and biscuits and a warm seat.

I hope your weather has been as nice as mine?