Through the Garden Gate April 2020

It has been a wonderful month in the garden this month, and one of the advantages of the lock-down has been the opportunity to spend lots of time in the garden!

The star plants in the garden have been the tulips. I was too late last Autumn in treating myself to a tulip collection from Sarah Raven and so bought a pack of tulips from our fantastic local garden centre instead. They were planted in my new cutting border, but they have looked too good to cut until today when 40 mile-an-hour winds have broken their stems.

Tulip Graceland

It is difficult to choose a favourite tulip as they all have different characteristics, Tulip Graceland has been tall and elegant with the pink streaks getting stronger as the flower matures. The tulips below have been so pretty and remind me of peonies. I was delighted to be reunited with Tulip Angelique I bought some in 2013, lost the label and have been wondering what they were called ever since see here.

Tulip Mount Tacoma (white) and Tulip Angelique (pale pink) dark burgundy Queen on Night in the background

Tulip Purissima & Tulip Negrita

These red tulips were planted in the Autumn of 2014 they were a collection of 3 varieties - these are the only variety that has survived. Have you had any tulips that reappear year after year?

You may have noticed probably over the last year that 'Through the Garden Gate' has not often shown wide angles of the garden often because parts of it haven't been completely up to scratch until now!

There has been lots of blossom on the Apple trees, which has been compensation for missing the blossom in the Community Orchard that we can't visit at the moment.

Yellow forsythia

Spanish Bluebells in the garden

With extra time on our hands we have even managed to redesign the front garden, which has been on our wish list for a number of years. This sadly meant our fig tree being taken out, but now means we can enjoy more views of the sea and any delivery drivers are more likely to find the house! Although the tree was barely in leaf our daughter ended up with a huge rash from it - obviously the tree's revenge! We managed to take a cutting so there will still be a fig tree in the garden.

It is obviously not a good idea to redesign a garden when it is not easy to buy plants. Our local garden centre was able to deliver some and we have used some from the cuttings for a fundraising plant sale that will not now be taking place! We will continue to change things here (the old lavender on the left will be removed once it has flowered) in the meantime we are pleased with the progress so far in limited circumstances!

It is always wonderful to see other gardens especially at the moment when we need a positive distraction. Maybe you have thought about joining us but haven't had the time? If you want to join in with Through the garden gate each month please let me know in the comments below and I will add your site, it is always fantastic to see a range of gardens from all around the world, and share our love of gardening. It would be lovely to see even more gardens joining during the lockdown.

Coastal Ripples

Elephant's Eye on False Bay
Zeleni Trenutki
Pam's English Cottage Garden
Get me to the country
Margaret's patch

Hope you are all staying well and safe.

Sarah