How Does Our Garden Grow?. . .

Happy Spring.  I am so glad that winter is over with its damp, short days, icky colds and general apathy and lack of energy.  We can now look forward to a bit of sun and watching our garden come to life.

Both the Liverpud and I are very much amateur gardeners of the "let's plant it and see what happens" variety.  Half the time, we pop something into the ground and forget it's there.  Until the green shoots start coming up.

So last month, we had a scattering of snowdrops (we also had a lot of wind, hence the branches that were everywhere in our back yard.  We have cleared them up now.)

And our ever-reliant camellia bushes bloomed.

We found a lovely unexpected bunch of crocuses.

And now we have a bucket of happy narcissi blooming.

We have a lovely neighbour who last year kindly gave us some pots of plants for the front yard.  Two of them had daffodils in them and when they started to wilt, as if on cue, these purple grape hyacinths appeared!

I had completely given up on my tarragon.  I never know if one should leave herbs to their own devices during the winter, but I did and both my sage and tarragon were definitely looking the worse for wear in January.  But now the latter is springing up all nice and green.  I am delighted. Unless it's a weed I don't know about.

And we have tulips to look forward to.

It's the little things. Bring on the garden center!

All Green Thumbs Ahead . . .

It's Chelsea Flower Week in the U.K. and the BBC is devoting hours and hours to covering this prestigious flower show.   You can't help but be inspired and so this weekend it was a trip to the garden centre.

I am very much a novice gardener.  I look at the labels of the plants and flowers that I'm drawn to and if they work with containers or carry descriptions such as "hardy", I'll give them a go.  

Each year, I add to our container garden in the front yard.  This year a bright pink azalea joined the group along with a patio rose which is supposed to flower in late summer.  If it does, it'll be a flaming orange!

In the back yard the Liverpud exerted himself to pull out a huge bush that was completely taking over this space.  Now we have some room for planting and I've sown a packet of wildflower seeds in the front.  Fingers crossed!

This bit is still a work in progress; I'm hoping to grow some herbs in pots in the wooden box and I also bought some spring onion seeds.  I'm hoping that if I raise the box above the patio, floor my herb garden will be safer from slugs. I'm also hoping the bamboo and grasses that I bought will grow to hide the legs (an old IKEA desk).  We also bought a willow trellis which we'll attach to the fence but haven't yet decided what will eventually climb up it.

I am under no illusions that creating the ideal garden is the work of a weekend; I know it takes years and years of keeping hard at it.  I barely spent any time last summer in the back yard because it was so overgrown and untidy but it really is a nice space and I'm determined to make the most of it over the next few months.

Bloomin' Marvellous. . .

One of the things I love most about living in the U.K. is that spring comes early (most Brits would disagree but they're not used to snow coming as late as April).  It really feels like spring is just around the corner here.  The camellia bush is just about to burst into all its full glory.

My daffodils will be out any day now.

And these hyacinths on my kitchen window ledge are also just about to bloom.  I love the smell of them.  And it's still only February!

A Green December . . .

One of the things about living in the U.K. that I never tire of is how green everything stays, even through the winter.  The grass in Toronto will now be either be a very dismal brown or covered in snow whereas this is how our local park looks in December.

My pot of chrysanthemums, bought in September have just recently started to flower again.

And what's this?  Yes, those are my daffodil bulbs, planted in October and already starting to pop up. (I'm actually quite worried about these babies - I keep telling them to go back to sleep until March).

Another great place to indulge in greenery all year round is at Sefton Park's Palm House, a magnificent Victorian greenhouse constructed in cast iron.  The Liverpud and I love to walk the long way into town which takes in both Sefton Park and the promenade along the Mersey. The Palm House is a lovely place to feast on some exotic foliage.

All good green things to appreciate before I head back to sub-zero Toronto for the holidays.

Spring is Officially Here. . .

. . . my tulips are out!

These are the ones callled "Toronto" that I picked up at the Southport Flower show last year.  I have another pot of "Backpackers" still to bloom, but it won't be long now.

First Sign of Spring?....

Oooh, look what is slowly pushing up in my outdoor pot.  In JANUARY! These are the tulip bulbs I planted back in October.  It's been a bit frosty lately - as a novice gardener, dare I hope these babies will be alright?  

More Garden Envy. . .

We recently went to visit friends on the Wirral - across the Mersey from Liverpool - and in particular I was keen to see a garden I had heard so much about.

I wasn't disappointed - it was huge and gorgeous.  The woman who owns and tends it is a marvel.  She lives in an 18th century house with nooks and crannies filled with colourful textiles - tapestries on every wall and richly patterned rugs.  She's also a knitter and weaver and has a wonderful wooden shed adjacent to this in which she and her friends keep their looms.  I am now aching for a tiny summerhouse of my own in the garden. She also has the most glamourous scarecrow I've ever seen.  Isn't she fab?

On the way there we passed this house.  Words cannot express how much I'd love to live in it.  Very Vita Sackville West.

In Which My Thumb Is Growing Greener. . .

You can't live in England for long without meeting Brits who are passionate about their gardens and it's easy to get caught up in all the enthusiasm.  I've never really had a garden of my own; in Toronto I lived in an apartment with no green space, no balcony and very little natural light.  Great for cozying up with a book in the winter, but almost every bit of plant life that crossed the threshold shortly died.  So I was eager to attend my first English garden show last week, held in Southport, just a bit north of Liverpool.  There were flowers . . . lots and lots of gorgeous flowers.  And the profusion of colour was just spectacular.

British pride was well on display.

I had a lot of fun (and ice cream) at the show and came away determined to get in on the craze.  Our back yard has been a bit neglected over the summer but I spent the weekend weeding and sweeping and cutting back some overgrowth. It was very satisfying and I did it just in time to enable us to enjoy a meal out on the patio as I hosted my first mini-dinner party for the Liverpud's brother, wife and two year old.  Given the time of year I can't really get a garden going, but I do have herbs bought at the show on the kitchen windowsill and they are still alive after several days. 

And I picked up this beautiful streptocarpus for my craft room/library.  The care instructions basically say to water when it droops. I should be able to handle that. 

I also picked up some tulip bulbs to plant in October for next spring.  Like choosing wine, I'm often drawn to things because of their names AND I love all things red so how could I pass up on these bulbs?

I love the idea of having a bit of "Toronto" in the backyard next year.  Along with some "Backpackers".   Stay tuned.