Bluebells at Ashridge Estate!

Enjoy!  Had a great time seeing the bluebells that almost weren't (thank goodness for the rain)...

A little less drama to balance those dynamic bluebells!

A little moss on the trees..

a few nice evergreens along the way ....they need to be appreciated too!

Gorse of corse! :)

Nice Spring Surprise!

 This spring, I noticed a vine coming near a trellis...I suppose it was there when I moved there but has taken a year to recover... Perhaps I removed it thinking it was a weed. I had planted a the climbing hydrangea underneath, which takes a while to mature.....Anyway...I am thrilled to see this gorgeous clematis on the trellis!!! I did see it coming last autum and helped it through the trellis again...I am thrilled!My white bleeding heart is also quite happy...and the astilbes are getting ready too....I have some golden spirea behind....we will see if they get enough sun or do well with the other plants!

More piccies later! Nice and cold and wet outside....and we are hearing May will be the same!  Good time for gardening!  :)

Sauteed Beetroot leaves---good to be home!

We have just returned from a nice trip to Tunisia...so we missed alot of the cold weather and today is quite sunny!  I am so glad to see the garden has had some real rain and my waterbutts are all full!!

While playing in the garden...I decided to finally pull up my beetroots from last year and eat the greens as well!

 I found a good recipe here, using anchovies and garlic....quite tasty!  Its good to be home and eat some of the fresh veg....so now I will eat, and then go back to the garden and work!!!  Enjoy!

New garden website found!!!

What to do..what to do! I just found a great website in the uk that surpasses all for your veg garden....and best of all its free!!!

http://www.thevga.co.uk/

I hope you enjoy it....with all of these gadgets....how can we actually get anything done?

Plant partners

After reading many articles about plants I like and learning about them I have decided to put them in my blog to remember it and also to share the info with others!

Firstly I have decided to plant my old friend the poached egg plant. I recently found out that not only is it cheerful, but it also attracts hoverflies that eat aphids from my veggies!!

The same benefit is derived from nasturtiums who attract black aphids and candula (pot marigold). I have always known about growing marigolds with tomatoes but these
other flowers are new to me.



I will continue to add to this blog and index it for our future reference! I am trying the blogger on iPod so just getting used to it and can't add pics yet unless I take them myself so I will add more later!

Waiting for great things to happen!

As I will be on holiday, I wanted to snap up some pictures of the garden before I left....I also did alot of diggnig and fixing things at the last minute! Needless to say I was procrastinating with finalizing my packing and cleaning up inside!  Why does the inside of the house and the outside compete....with the garden winning, rain or shine?

Here's some pics...I know its alot...but it serves as a record so I can appreciate the progress rather than point out the flaws... :)

My winter hardy succulent from the cotswalds...

The herb garden.....will redo and gravel when I return!

Not a good year for daffs....but here's one!

My Anchusa...cant live with it, cant live without it...how can you not like it a little?

My beautiful peony...the other one is slowly recovery, but will take years to get this big again!

Wedding Poppy....2nd year should be fabulous!

Now I understand why I like easy plants...Honest is worth waiting the next year for!

My josta berry, heucheras, daffs aubrieta and tulips coming right up!

Another view...

White bleeding heart is thriving..next to pink astilbe...

Lovely surprise...and old alpine  clematis has arisen from last summery and now flourishing...hopefully will be blooming when I come back! 

Climbing Hydrangea to supplement the clematis...a slow grower...

My little veg patch...beetroot ready...chard very healthy...ready for more to plant!

Other boxt in work....strawberries appy...

My neighbors gorgeous willow hanging over..

Ok, we will see what happens when I return! I also have clematis this year on the two old apple trees that is coming up...cant wait to see them in their glory!!  The raspberries haven't sprung to life...hopefully they will!!!!!