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| Boxing Hares - James Lynch (private collection) |
A perfect spring day yesterday as I pottered amongst the weeds. The following perennials are what I ordered as ground cover. My friend came round with her wheelbarrow and an enormous plant, a butterfly plant so she told me. I have planted three buddleia bushes and they are much loved by the butterflies. Paul nipped over the wall into the graveyard he is raking down a spot for wildflowers in our viewpoint. When I looked out the window he was talking to the new vicar, who was wandering round with a map looking for a space for a burial coming in the next few days.
There is something ironically funny about life and death, we had been discussing about our ashes being disposed of over the weekend. My plan had been to have my ashes scattered at Wheeldale Beck amongst the rocks and trees, and Paul was not sure where he wanted but did not want Lucy's ashes scattered there if she was all alone. I know, morbid talk but making sensible decisions is useful!
So to the promise of summer and flowers, firstly as I dig am beginning to see worms which were rather rare when we first came. Some of my roses are blighted by black spot and I spray, not that it seems to make much difference, so I shall use that other weapon of feeding them and making them strong. The birds are busily nesting, the song thrush is back, the collared doves already have eggs and are fighting off the blackbirds. Also, my jackdaw is still alive getting round the garden by walking.
The village verges are full of daffodils with little crocuses adding to the colour. Must admit my ankle is taking a long time to really get better and digging is not easy.
The hares which took my fancy, Easter is on its way, remind me of pulling Lucy out of rabbit burrows yesterday, she just loves a dark hole and hauling her plump form out was not easy.
perennial geranium Azure Rush
Perennial geranium Joy
Masculatum Beth Chatto
Wlassovianum x wlassovianum
I am jealous that you have so many flowers. Even our crocus which normally bloom on March 17th, are nowhere’s to be seen. The snow has almost melted so maybe they will be in bloom later this week.
ReplyDeleteI just love plants, the shapes, forms and colours. Must be that as a child we had a very productive garden.
DeleteSome of these flowers are already blooming here although the temps go from 27F to 47F today!!!!
ReplyDeleteGosh that is a temperature difference, though the spring flowers can quite happily survive in snow.
DeleteA lovely choice of plants. I have the first two here.
ReplyDeleteRef. ashes being spread - I have asked for mine to be spread on my favourite part of Dartmoor near Postbridge. Since I won't get to live there as I planned, at least I end up there!
Paul hates talking about it but I think your choice is a good one. Trouble is neither of my children drive, so it will be an expensive taxi ride for them ;)
DeleteThose hares take my breath away - my all time favourite animal as you know.
ReplyDeleteI see you are planting plenty of geraniums - I have two waiting to go in and twomore on order = such useful plants and take up a nice lot of ground without being invasive - my sort of plant.
Came across the hare picture, firstly in my Newstatesman than traced it back to Bridgeman Library. I think in actual fact the brown hare is a protected species.
DeleteThe one thing I hadn't appreciated about having your ashes spread is that there is still a lot of bone fragments left in it which is why there are notices on some of the places round here asking you not to do it.
ReplyDeleteArilx
I suppose Aril a trowel to dig in the bone fragments would not go amiss. Someone has also created a Neolithic tomb somewhere in Wiltshire in which you can have your ashes placed.
ReplyDelete