Tuesday 7 April 2015

Spring is Sprung

At least, the garden thinks so, although I'm still waiting for the cold North-East wind to go away.

But I cut the lawn - or part of it - and noticed that the shrubs and trees are all budding.  In fact the little dark pink-flowered crab apple already has quite a lot of leaves as well as flower buds...

Crab Apple in bud

...but I'm afraid my pictures are a bit blurry due to that fierce wind!

The lilac is almost out...

Deep purple lilac

...and the viburnum, which smells deliciously like lilies, is covered in opening flower heads...

Lily-scented viburnum
Scented Viburnum

...and there's that pink-flowered shrub which I can never remember the name of...

Pink flowering shrub

...and the cherry (with the upper-class-sounding name of Montmorency)...

Montmorency- cherry in bud

But todays non-starter is my Everest apple, bought a few years ago from the Garden Show at the chateau of Mortemart, which is now an ex-apple...

Ex-apple

I'm not sure what caused its demise, but there were no buds on it and it was covered in lichen.  It was certainly dead, so I cut it down and will remove the root later.

Perhaps I'll plant a 'proper' apple in its stead - though not in the same place in case it was a soil problem!

Anyway, at least the garden looks a bit neater now...

Half the lawn cut

...although I do mourn those beautiful pink-and-white apple flowers!


5 comments:

Bev C said...

Hello Penny,

It is a shame about the apple, plenty more varieties to choose from, hope you find a suitable one. Enjoy your Spring.

Happy days.
Bev.

Marigold Jam said...

It's been beautiful here too and we've been able to sit out in the garden with our coffee and tea. Love it. Your garden looks good and it's great to see everything coming to life now isn't it?

Elizabethd said...

Put another fruit tree in quickly and you may still see blossom. My apple isn't out yet.

Janet said...

Lovely pictures. It's great to get out in the garden now that the weather is improving.

Sharon said...

What a shame about the apple tree but these things happen. We've had similar things happen here with fruit trees...some do great and others not so much :(
The garden looks lovely and neat indeed!
Hugs Sharon x