White flowers

When the weather is fine we spend as much time as possible outdoors. It's a real pleasure to sit out under the walnut tree for a drink and a chat when friends and neighbours call round. When I'm filling the kettle at the kitchen sink I watch the bees going in and out of the white foxglove flowers. The petals are almost translucent and I can see the shadow of the bee inside each bell. I love white flowers and encourage the foxgloves to seed wherever they will.

This is my view from the kitchen window. The 'Pascali' rose faces south so I only get a view of the back of it's flower heads.

It's the same with 'Iceberg'.

Roses are everywhere, on walls,

fences

and climbing up a corner of the house.

Another generous self-seeder is this campanula. The slugs and snails don't attack the foxgloves and campanula. What a bonus that it in my garden!

I wish that I could say the same for the lupins. I grew  a good number of healthy plants from last year's  saved 'Gallery White' seed but they have been mostly devoured by slugs. I hate to use slug pellets. I put grit round the base of the delphiniums, with some success, but it doesn't work so well with the lupins. They must taste wonderful!

Blue skies

'Blue skies shining on me' tra la la 

- and about time too!

We have had so much rain

and now the sun is making everything grow like mad.

The honeysuckle over the porch hums with bees.

Himself is taking advantage of the dry weather

to make some repairs.

The borders are out of control.

But who cares when the sun is shining!

Roses and iris are among my favourite flowers.

I love days like these.

Catch up

It's catch-up time in the garden after an unusually long, cold spring. Even now the nights are very cold and daytime winds chill. Many of the veg plants are still in the greenhouse waiting for gentler weather. Mid May and the veg plot still looks empty!

The camassia plants thicken up more each year.

The daffodils came late and faded quickly.

Forget-me-nots seed everywhere and I'm loathe to pull them up.

This tree peony is a joy, and seemingly tough to boot,

untouched by the harsh winds.

The camellias have suffered wind damage,

some  more than others.

I've kept my abutilon cutting under cover.

And the auriculas are tucked up safely as well.

No water came out of the spout when I tried to use my purple watering can. Was a leaf jammed in the rose? I unscrewed it but there wasn't a leaf. I turned the can upside down. Out popped a tiny frog! How and when did it get in there?

The greenhouse is jam-packed.

Plants are emerging in the perennial borders, but the pesky ground elder weed is flourishing more than everything else!