Bonny Bunting

A mixed week of weather. On Tuesday it was red hot and since then there has been a cold north or east wind. I have managed to catch up on all my gardening in the farm garden and most of my home garden. I have masses of plants to plant out this weekend and a lot of work to do on the allotment. Last night we had rain so the hard soil is now easier to dig.
The flower borders are looking colourful.

A pretty hellebore.

A hellebore in the back border 

The peonies are just coming into bloom.

A regal peony

Alliums stand stiff and straight in the flowerbed.

Spiky pom poms

I love forget me nots and they form a border along the paths in the farm garden.

A sea of blue

The laburnum is looking lovely with its trailing blossoms.

Floral bunches

This aquilegia is very unusual.

Dainty flowers

Rowan blossom is now in bloom.

Pin cushions of white

Comfrey is just coming into flower.

Comfrey amongst the raspberries

The blackcurrants are beginning to form.

Green blackcurrants

Can you see the spider's web in the plum tree?

Incy wincy spiders

I have knitted some bunting for the summerhouse.

Phase one of the bunting

Out and About

I have been away for the past few weeks and these are some of the places I have visited.

The Falkirk Wheel is a canal boat hoist that lifts the narrowboat from ground level. I was lucky to see it operating.

You can see the different levels. The ''bottle opener' head rotates to move the boat

The narrowboat on the higher level

There are two small Kelpies at the Falkirk Wheel.

Slightly horse

The azaleas are vibrant in their vivid hues.

Zing

Acid yellow gorse cover the hillsides and verges.

It smells of coconut

The horse chestnut is coming into bloom.

Horse chestnut candles are just beginning to form

Little Salkeld Watermill in Cumbria is like stepping back in time.

Powerful pink

Old buildings

Former animal pens

Flour is still ground using the waterwheel

A primrose and a snail.

Beauty and the beast

I visited the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. An amazing building.

The offices

The debating chamber

I love the pattern of the seating, like speech marks

White honesty and cow parsley dance in the hedgerows.

White froth

Graffiti.

Smile

Spring Springs Forth

Another week of warm weather but the Helm wind has been blowing so it has been cold.

Spring is definitely on its way.
The primulas are looking majestic in their many colours.

Shades of purple

Pale yellow

Saxifrage has delicate flowers that bounce in the breeze.

Pink saucers

Bonny purple aubretia tumble down the walls.

The cat is having a snooze

Fragile Welsh poppies dance in the breeze.

Paper thin petals

The narsissi and daffodils are coming to an end.

Button centres

This is one of my pottery leaves.

A pottery leaf with a lambs lug in the foreground

I love this old milestone.

One direction. Whichever route you choose it's beautiful countryside

Allotment Advances

The swallows have returned and the birds are flying with beak loads of nest material. A blackbird has made it's nest in the log pile.

I have had a busy week working between all my gardens trying to keep on top of all the weeding, and the other garden chores that need doing at this time of the year. I have now finished digging over phase 1 of the allotment i.e. inside the wire fence. The sweetcorn structure is now complete and I planted the sweetcorn on Thursday.

The completed sweetcorn propagator

Newly planted sweetcorn notice the purpose designed A frame prop

I have also planted kale and Brussel sprouts and today I am planting broccoli.  I have put covers over them to protect them from rabbits and birds.

Protection to ensure a harvest

A view of my allotment.

Yippee, the plot is clear of couch, buttercup and other pernicious weeds

I have started to dig phase 2, the outer border that has not been dug over for a long time. I am creating a flowerbed and then extending the vegetable plots. I am using some of the turf to rebuild a path and another allotment holder is using some to make a path around their shed.

Fruit bushes have previously been on this site

The verges are coming into flower. Dandelions reign supreme.

Zingy yellow dandelions

Golden buttons

Pretty May blossom.

Frothy May blossom

This tree is smothered with blossom.

Whiteout

I have put cardboard under the gooseberry bushes to protect them from gooseberry sawfly. 

Cardboard collars

The cardoon is growing very fast and is now the height of the garden wall.

It looks like a thistle on steroids

Bright red tulips contrast against the blue forgetmeknots. 

Pillar box red tulips

Tiny violets grow beneath the beech hedge.

Dainty violets

The farmers are busy ploughing their fields.

A familiar sight in the Eden Valley

 The ruin of Kirkoswald Castle is only a field away from the Artful Garden.

A tower of strength