aquilegia

Multicoloured May

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Happy May! Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Happy May everyone! What a glorious start to the new month here in the UK with the continuation of fine weather and subsequent earlier blooming of many of my favourite garden flowers. I couldn’t resist sharing a few images of the garden as it springs into life in a riot of colours. Apple blossom is one of the prettiest of the fruit blossoms, and it looks like the old Lord Derby apple tree is going to put in another good show this year.

It’s the time in the gardening calendar when everything seems to take off at once, and everywhere has something colourful to show. The later flowering rhododendrons and the wonderfully bold and brash Azaleas, jammed packed with petals as usual, are putting on a great display at the moment.

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May soft pink Rhododendron. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
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Golden glory. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
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Bloomin’ marvellous Azaleas. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

May is all about bluebells and they have been popping up all over the garden since Easter, alongside other cooler coloured flowers like the forget-me-nots, mountain cornflower and the first of the lavenders.

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May blues. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
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Tufted lavender and mountain cornflower. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

There are still a few reminders of the first spring flowers dotted around like this magnificent white daffodil and the very fragrant Narcissi. The Welsh poppies have put in an early appearance. Usually just one or two would be in flower by now, but this year, they are flowering all round the garden already.

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White daffodil and Narcissi. Images: Kathryn Hawkins.
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May poppies. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

To round off my post, I have captured the two varieties of Aquilegia that opened up as I started putting this post together. Such delicate and intricate layers of petals, like frilly dresses, the flowers last for a fair length of time and make me feel that Summer isn’t too far away.

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Pretty in pink: the first of the Aqualigeas. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

I hope you have enjoyed my flowery photos. I’ll be back in the kitchen for my next post. Until then, happy gardening and enjoy the late Spring colours 🙂

All the colours of June

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Scottish garden Lupins on a sunny day in early June. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Hello again. I hope you are well and enjoying better weather than we are at the moment. Fortunately I took my photos of the garden earlier in the week before the weather turned unseasonably chilly and wet. Aside for the glorious colours outside right now, it has been hard to believe that it is actually June!

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Peachy-orange Lupin. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

The Lupins started flowering earlier this year and subsequently many of the flowers are now going over, especially after getting a pounding by the heavy showers. Behind the Lupins, the yellow daylilies grow. For the short time they are in flower, the contrast with the blues of the lupins and geraniums is glorious, and their scent is very perfumed.

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Bold and bright, yellow daylilies. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

The garden was full of Aquilegia in May this year which is unusual, 2-3 weeks before they usually flower. Most were over quite quickly, but these ones are lingering on in a shadier part of the garden. The one growing on top of the wall is very hardy and seems to enjoy being “king of the castle”. I have tried to sow the seeds elsewhere but it never seems to take anywhere else.

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Violet Aquilegia growing on the top of an old wall; a deep blue Aquilegia and delicate lilac-coloured Meadow Rue. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

At last the peonies are coming out. Just a few single blooms at the moment with their delicious sweet and perfumed scent wafting around the flowerbeds.

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Fragrant June Peonies. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

I lost quite a few of the lilac globe Alliums this year. Only a couple came up and they got blown over quite quickly. These 3 varieties seem to be a bit more hardy and are coping well with the elements.

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Allium Siculum (bell-shaped), Allium Moly (yellow) and Allium Nigrum (white). Images: Kathryn Hawkins

This pale pink Lupin was one of the first to flower this year, brought on by the sunshine of last month and better weather at the beginning of the month, it is a little bit more sheltered than the others. The pink Bistorta grows very well in the garden and the bees love it. The foxgloves and pink cranesbill geraniums are also favourites of our little flying friends.

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All the pinks. Top: Pink Lupins and Bistorta. Bottom: close-up on pink foxglove and cranesbill geranium. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

That’s my garden round up for this month. I’m back in the kitchen for my next post. I hope to see you in a couple of weeks when hopefully the summer will have returned 🙂

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The most colourful time of the year. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

The merry month of May

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Bluebells in sun and shade under a Laburnum tree. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Hello again. Welcome to my favourite blog post of the year:) Yes, it’s May, and it’s the most colourful time of the year in my garden. I have a few images to share which capture what’s been happening in the garden over the month. The weather has been mostly dry and a bit overcast, but these past few days have seen things turn warm, sunny and bright.

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Centaurea and bluebell raised bed. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

May is all about Bluebells, Azaleas and Rhododendrons in the garden. The Bluebells haven’t lasted as long as usual due to the lack of rain. The bulbs in the shade are still looking vibrant, and now the Centaurea are coming out, there is even more blue around. All the Azaleas and Rhododendrons are out in full flower now, and are thriving. The colours are strong and vibrant and seem to glow in the sunshine.

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The many colours of Azalea and Rhododendron. Image: May 2023

Earlier in the month, the Tulips were in flower, but like the Bluebells, they weren’t around for very long. These are two of my favourites.

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May favourite tulips. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

The Aquilegia and Lupins have flowered a couple of weeks earlier this year. They really do enjoy the sunshine and are in all the sunny beds and borders of the garden, with the exception of this one which is growing out of the old wall at the top of the garden. Not sure where it came from, and it hasn’t seeded in any other part of the garden, but it is very striking and a fabulous colour.

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Wall-growing Violet Aquilegia. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
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First of the Lupins. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

There are plenty of Welsh poppies all around the garden again this year. The birds will be especially pleased when the seed heads are ripening.

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Golden Welsh poppies. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

As well as the joy all these colourful flowers bring, it has been a happy time with the arrival of a new visitor to the garden. I had seen a few glimpses of an adult red squirrel over the lockdown months, but how delightful it was to see this baby the other morning enjoying the spills from the bird feeder and taking a drink from the container of water we leave out for the birds. He/she has been back a few times, but is so quick, it is hard to capture, hence my not very good pictures.

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New garden visitor. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

That’s me for another month. I’ll be back in the kitchen next month. Until then, take care and enjoy the sunshine.