Nearly Great Dixter

Too spotty, but colourful

When I planted red, dark purple and orange tulips in the bottom border, I didn’t reckon with them still being in flower when the pink rugosa rose started to bloom, not to mention the pink aquilegias that found their way into that border. The astrantia 'Hadspen Blood', also just starting to flower very nicely, is just the right side of the pink/red shades to be acceptable.  Fortunately the overlap was very short, and the orange tulips were by chance not close to the pink flowers, so the Great Dixter effect was avoided (just).  Actually that border could do with a bit more Great Dixter; it’s turning out a bit too pink and needs something to spice it up a bit.  And a memo for next year: either plant more tulips, or plant them in groups instead of sprinkling them across the whole border - the effect is too spotty otherwise.

The latest of the tulips, the little orange species ones, are also now going over.  They’ve proliferated very nicely, despite being sat on by a couple of self-set euphorbias.

Species tulips - urumiensis or batalinii?

The wisteria is in full, heavily scented, swing, and looking rather fine.  The early roses are out: Rosa altaica has responded remarkably well to the heavy, late pruning it received, and ‘Golden Showers’ is in flower although going through its blackspot stage.  The aquilegias are also flowering, as is the orange potentilla; just starting are the white camassias, the sweet rocket, some pinks, the Sweet William planted last year, and the numerous (too numerous) pink geraniums.  We also have some lady’s smock which has seeded into the lawn, next to some daffodil leaves that haven’t been mown back yet.

The contents of the greenhouse are being hardened off gradually, and accustomed to the rather cool and breezy world outside.  The weather went through a very warm and dry spell but has become very unsettled, with a mix of rain (and even some hail), wind, thunder and warm sunny spells.  Out of the sun it’s decidedly cool, and the forecast is for more of that to come.

I hope the rain holds off enough for me to clear more space in the veg plot so that I can plant out the remaining seedlings!  The lettuces have gone into a patch behind the gooseberry bushes which is really meant to be a grass path but had to be cleared so that I could get the weeds out; they have a fleece tent to keep the pigeons off but I'll need a much bigger fleece cover for the brassicas.

The summer birds are here, including the swifts screaming by, and a pair of linnets.  We’ve also seen a bat, and a newt in the pond (and lily beetles).  Other bird visitors include the male bullfinch and, twice today, a jay – unfortunately (but unsuccessfully) in search of a baby sparrow for lunch.  The sparrowhawk has had more success, making off with one of the little sparrows the other day.  There are a lot of baby birds about: we’ve seen blackbirds, robins and dunnocks, and two woodpigeons, besides the sparrows, and bluetits are taking food into the nestbox.  One of the robins is becoming quite friendly, probably because he's hoping I'll put more food out for him; he and his mate are very busy feeding youngsters at the moment.

Lazarus

When I first planted the garden, I envisaged a tiny glade with woodland-style plants in among the shrubs.  It didn't work out that way, not least because I very seriously underestimated how big the shrubs would become, and the paths into the glade were never properly maintained.  One plant I put in there was Solomon's Seal, but it succumbed to caterpillar attack and had its leaves shredded, and then it disappeared.  I haven't really got inside the tangle of shrubs for a number of years, until the other day when I started to tackle the over-large evergreen viburnum which is in need of some branch removal.  And there, under the viburnum and in deep shade, are several Solomon's Seals, just coming into flower.  How long have they been there and doing their thing quietly and unnoticed?  I thought they were long dead!

Something else I have been tackling is the summer jasmine, which keeps trying to climb into the summerhouse.  It has been severely hacked back, and the area around there properly weeded.  I plan to put in a grass path with small borders on either side; the bicoloured aquilegias are destined to go in there, at least while they bulk up.

Cowslip patch

The lily-of-the-valley has been early this year; for the first time I was able to pick a posy of them for May Day.  The late spring/early summer flowers are now starting: the first roses ('Mary Queen of Scots' again), the first wisteria flower, the first aquilegia bloom.  The choisia is well in flower, as are the blue camassias.  (Something has squashed some of the white ones; a cat?)  The cowslips are going over, and the hellebores have been deadheaded before they can set seed.

Several great bird sightings this past week: at the 'big' end of the scale, the red kite has been over, while at the other extreme, a goldcrest has been about.  It hovered at the library window the other day while hunting for spiders.  I hope it's nesting nearby.  I've seen one here before, a few years ago, but they're not something we see every year.  We also had a yellowhammer here the other day, and the first swallows feeding overhead; we'd seen a couple of them high above, presumably en route for elsewhere, but these are the first this year at feeding height.

The weather has been mixed, with some rain but good warm sunshine over the weekend (and some lunches outside on the bench), but today it was cool, showery and very windy.  Forecast is for more of the same.