What a difference...

... less than a fortnight can make in the garden when nature is at a gallop:

 25th April 2013

8th May after the first overnight rain, the white blossom you can see in the middle background is the blackthorn, all along the hedge by the ditch:

Our garden layout and what comes up every year doesn't change very much either, I found this photo from mid-April 2011:

I've been delighted with everything growing and blossoming like fury in the garden and took photos of just a few of them:

 










For the Luncheon Club bunches yesterday I made use of the magnolia, camellia, viburnum and golden elder seen in the 3 photos above, I also used flowering quince and the green birch leaves, eleagnus and climbing hydrangea - as well as a few "pheasant eye" narcissi which I adore, I just love the colour combination of white petals with the deep orange centres fading to yellow and a green dot in the middle:

The cherry trees are frothy with blossom in several places in the garden,  I do hope that we'll have a harvest of cherries if the bees keep busy and the birds don't eat them all first!

I was very pleased to see some bees at work on the red currant bushes when I was weeding under there last week:

 

 To finish for today a few photos I took around the garden on Saturday 4th May and forgot to post in here.


The first Doronicums - very tall yellow
     daisies - are shooting well, and the
           flowering currant is in its glory:

 










The patch of marsh marigolds was finally flowering after the prolonged winter and the golden hop was starting to climb up the fence behind the "Spring Green" tulips.

Carl, your Kerria from last year has survived the long winter and is flowering nicely now.  Your two gifts from this year are also doing well and I shall post pictures when they've advanced a bit .................

......... and LOOK, I hadn't killed the Buddleja outside the kitchen window after all, I saw it sprouting when I planted the three roses there [dug out from the front garden, hope they grow!]

The bay tree ball John gave me for my birthday is flowering now  -  and your poinsettia from Christmas, Annie, still hasn't given up, picture from this morning, Thursday 9th [your glorious orchid gift is down to 2 flowers spikes now though].