Thoroughly enjoyed the Easter weekend spending time with family and friends and my guests were really pleased with the pansy containers I gave as Easter gifts and preferred them to chocolates.   I was fortunate too to receive a lovely bouquet of freesias which is my favourite flower.

Since then I have made headway both in the garden and greenhouse.  My husband and I have completed mulching all the beds which instantly tidies up the garden and I spent some time taking photos of the plants and shrubs that are coming into bud this past week.  The warm spell we had has certainly brought things along.  The first perennials to come into bloom are in the rockery garden, i.e low growing, low maintenance plants that are very resilient and can withstand the minus temperatures we get through the winter time.   I particularly like the reddish tinge on the stonecrop which works well with the flowering plants adding a good contrast.  

Overall view of rockery bed showing clump of arabis, euphorbia and spirea in leaf, plus the creeping phlox.  

Meanwhile there have been developments in other areas of the garden, the lilac buds have progressed and there is a good amount of foliage showing on the aquiligeas and Jacob’s ladder (polemonium).

The front bed by the garden gate has filled in a lot with the bronze coloured spirea totally in leaf now and the tulips in bloom.  The lavender in front had some winter damage but I will cut out the dead wood and by early summer it will look just fine.  I have a lovely clump of muscari in this part of the garden (leaves of iris and lupin in the background).  

Here are some more detailed photos showing up close photos of the tulips, muscari and I have a small clump of violets that love shady spots.  Their flowers are so delicate.