It is a little worrying how fast the months are passing by when I haven’t been anywhere! Already mid May and only a few weeks away from the longest day! I really want these weeks to slow down.
Today we’ll have a look in the gravel garden/sunny border:
(1) My favourite South African daisy the Osteospermum are looking really good this year, the white and pink ones (O. Â ‘Snow Pixie’ and O. jucundum var. compactum) are sprawling down the wall and into the gravel. “Tresco Purple” is growing back after I cut it down a couple of months ago so not featured here. I find if I don’t cut that one back hard the flowers become smaller and smaller.
(2) Hardy Geranium renardii has a mound of soft green, velvety, round leaves which forms a pretty background to shallowly, cupped white flowers. Mine has struggled to flower at the right time of year, but there is a pretty spray at the moment. I love the purple ‘eyelashes’.
(3) Agave Americana Variegata (in a container) enjoying being back outdoors basking in the sunshine.
(4) Climber Celastrus orbiculatus – or bittersweet vine is a strong-growing deciduous climber with rounded leaves, colouring butter-yellow in autumn, and inconspicuous greenish flowers followed by yellow fruits which may split to show scarlet seeds. Apparently a hermaphrodite form is available, so fruit can appear from a single plant. Mine is obviously a male as I do not get those lovely seeds. I wonder if I dare look for a female. As you can see on the third photo, the flowers are very much underwhelming!
(5) Alliums in the raised bed. All these have re-appeared from last year. Impressive given the wet winter! They are  mixed Allium ‘Superglobe’ (different shapes and colours) and almost the same photos as I took last year!
(6) and for the final offering let’s step outside the garden for a minute and enjoy an early morning view of Alice, the derelict engine house at the bottom of the hill along with some newborn calves. My view every morning.
When I had a look at the post I wrote at this time last year I was amazed to see the exact six flowers that I had selected for today’s post. So I have changed them apart from the Osteos and Alliums as they are looking so good at the moment. It seems I am beginning to repeat myself…
As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’Â where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world.
Remember to stay alert out there!
See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
The osteosarcoma and alliums are gorgeous, repeat or not!
Blimey, osteos no sarcoma when I typed, I hate predictive text
Sounds like a disease!
It is…bone cancer ….so that was a bad example of predictive text
ouch!
Quite
Be watchful of that bittersweet vine. Here in the US it is an invasive and impossible to eradicate when it gets going. I also love your osteospermums and that view! Amazing!
Thanks for the warning. This one isn’t growing very quickly and I think it is a different kind to the one which is invasive in the eastern states. I hope so anyway!
At least you have had the garden to enjoy. Imagine still being in Shropshire. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete. x
Well I guess in Ludlow I would have still been able to do the river walk, and hopefully the market and butcher are still open. Though maybe not the market.
Ah – a flower garden at last – here they are all standing still in the cold…
Been a very chilly wind this week here too, but fortunately lots of sunshine.
Well, that makes up for it a bit!
That view. It’s wonderful. Will you please post the same view in November so we can check it’s equally alluring?
I will if I can see it in November! The cloud comes in from the west…
Hi Jude, I also grow geraniums ‘Renardii ‘ and this year they are very pretty. I love these leaves so special. I have less flowers than for other geraniums but they are so pretty with these veins …
Very nice last photo of the countryside near your home
Yes, the Renardii is lovely for its leaves not so much the flowers. Nice when it does produce flowers though, mine has been somewhat reluctant until now.
Oh that view! And I bet it will be every bit as magical in November, regardless of what Margaret says!
It can be, if there is no cloud or rain!
Beautiful…but scary to see everything coming up so quick and to know that time is flying by. I tend to panic a bit when I think of how much I want to get done in the garden!
I haven’t any major plans for the garden this year so I have been taking things easy, saying that I still manage to spend a couple of hours outside every day!
With a view like that, I would hardly worry about what is happening in the world…Love Renard your geranium…
Yes, it’s not a bad place to have to self isolate.
“Purple eyelashes”…….now there’s an idea. 🙂 Gorgeous shots of your spring blooms, Jude. I adore your view. Lucky you, 🙂
That view is what sold the house to us, a shame we hadn’t realised just how noisy the cattle can be! But we have got used to it.