Through the garden gate in March
Oh dear I have only just managed to get this post in with a few hours to spare before we are in a new month!
The garden is still quite bare apart from a few spring flowers. When I saw this primrose above, at the market for 50p, I just couldn't resist it! One of the market holders then told me a story of how when he was a child in the 1960's he was taken by his grandfather to admire one of the first purple primulas that had ever been produced. We now just take all the multiple colours for granted and pay so little for them.In this part of Dorset, just like in Devon and Cornwall, the lanes and banks are covered in the native primroses and are such a lovely sight. They even seed in the most unexpected areas! Which primroses do you prefer? I do prefer the native variety, but the bold colours do brighten up the garden especially at this time of year.
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| Hellebores, primulas, and miniature daffodils |
Flowers in our woodland border
These daffodils were in the garden when we arrived. I don't know what variety they are.
The forget-me-not and the wallflowers are just coming into flower. I have always wondered where the name came from for the forget-me-not flowers. If like me you are interested please look here for further details. The one in our garden doesn't look a perfect specimen due to the weather.
Storm Katie hit our shores on Sunday and even on Monday the waves were still high and crashing on to the shore,
Although the only damage we experienced was some of the glass slipping in the greenhouse, many daffodils heads were broken off. It was sad to see this, especially down in the bay where the flowers were less protected.
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| Sweet pea seedlings |
I know many of you, like me, have been starting to plant seeds.It is so exciting to see the new growth appearing and the greenhouse is starting to fill up with all the lovely new growth and promise of things to come!
With the clocks going forward it is good to have the lighter evenings. This evening we had our evening meal in the conservatory - the first since last Autumn. It was lovely looking out at this willow tree at dusk and watching many seagulls flying overhead and out to sea, some singly, some in pairs and some in groups, to feed and sleep. Do your habits change when the clocks move forwards or back?
Thank you as always for taking time to visit me, it is always lovely to read your comments.
Sarah x
Such a beautiful post. The photos are great!
ReplyDeleteI'm really liking the lighter evenings. That's pretty special to be witness to the first variety of something- how special for that stall holder.
ReplyDeleteThe waves always look so impressive. I just finished reading Jamaica Inn and I was really thinking of the coldness of the sea for the wreckers and those they wrecked!x
I've enjoyed the extra daylight too this week - not doing anything with it but just not needing to put the light on as early and having a bit more daylight to take photographs.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like there's plenty going on in your garden, lots of lovely spring flowers.
That purple primrose is gorgeous. I've never seen one like it. I am still adjusting to the time change. It gets harder to adjust. So pretty there. Tornadoes were in our state last night near my city house. Glad they were up north of it, but the ones that got hit aren't. Can't wait to see all that your area will be like in summer.
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely to see some of the world around you, Sarah, and thanks especially for the link to the interesting information about Forget-Me-Nots. I have my first Hellebore planted and love its pink to green shades of coloring. I will try to get a photo of it to show you in my next post this weekend. I have not had success in properly growing seeds inside so far and so I especially admire your healthy looking specimens. As always I love seeing your sea, and I'm glad the last storm did not do much damage, but left you with some enthusiastic waves to capture in your photos. Wishing you happy days. xx
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that the storm/waves caused damage. I can totally relate with that because our weather has caused so many problems this year.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are lovely and I wish you a wonderful spring.
You've given me some inspiration, Sarah - I adore native primroses and cowslips and have a few sprinkled around the veg patch garden borders but I'm inspired by your planting them in with daffodils and hellebores, so beautiful. (Note to me for garden plans!) Wasn't the storm terrible! I was inside for most of it (as you know) and the garden didn't seem to have suffered too much (just the crocuses, poor little delicate things). I don't remember these terrible storms when I was a child - selective memory or climate change, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the winds are stronger and the weather more extreme now. I can't believe that we wouldn't have remembered regular floods, fences and trees blowing down. Sarah x
DeleteEnjoyed this post again. Sad of the damage storm Katie caused, but the views of the waves at sea are great. I have to say I have primroses in the garden and in pots, but I love your native ones most. When we were in England in spring we saw them growing everywhere in the grass on our walks.
ReplyDeleteHey Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI also prefer the native colour of the primula. But on our walk yesterday, Olly and I noticed a coral colour that has escaped its' mooring and naturalised along the horsey walk. It was rather pretty, and I was tempted to take a tiny clump, with them not being truly wild and everything. Are those peas in your little pots? My sweet peas are romping away in the greenhouse. In another few weeks they will be ready for hardening off, and planting out. I love that you have a woodland garden!
Leanne xx
Hi Leanne, The seedlings are sweet peas. I am experimenting by planting them in large pots this time. It isn't what they recommend but I thought it was worth trying as I don't have the sweet pea pots! It must have been surprise seeing the coral primrose. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteLovely colours and your sweet pea seedlings look very happy! Mine are a little further behind but the tomato seedlings are quite established already. Spring is here! :) Have a good weekend x
ReplyDeleteDear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteLovely post and I enjoyed seeing all your beautiful photos. The primrose and forget me nots are so pretty and I do love all the sweet old flowers. Autumn is upon us here and yes won't be long and we will be bringing out our overcoats and scarves,
Happy weekend
Hugs
Carolyn
Your garden is looking very colourful. Like you I prefer yellow primroses and particularly when they are in the hedgerows. I love the lighter evenings too although we now eat our evening meal in daylight and it seems strange not to light candles. I suppose I still could but it's not quite the same and not as cosy. Hopefully we will be eating outside more in the not too distant future. Have a good weekend. B x
ReplyDeleteOh, love.....
ReplyDeleteI am sitting here sighing, loving the visits again to your space. We again are behind everyone, but we are actually experiencing an early arrival of spring hope. But we dare not put out any flowers for our nights can still dip pretty low and snow is always at the threshold for us! Sarah, what lovely COLORS YOU ARE SHOWING!
I wish you a magnificent day of spring wonder!
Lovely photos of your spring flowers. I prefer the native primrose, too. It's one of my very favourite flowers and I love having so many grow around me here. I've also seen several clumps of exposed daffodils that have suffered in the storm and they do look so sad and broken.
ReplyDeleteI adore Sweet Peas but haven't had much luck growing them. They will get going and then just stop and not produce any flowers. That was several years ago: haven't tried them in ages! But the hellebores are one of my favorite and I'm going to try and buy some new varieties for next spring. It's very very green around here now!!! Have to enjoy it before the real heat comes in June!
ReplyDeleteI do like the lighter evenings, it's only now that I feel spring around me. Your garden corners look amazing,rather than bare!And the pics of the ocean seem dramatically beautiful. Wishing you beautiful spring days ahead.
ReplyDeleteOlympia
You must be delighted with the way your garden is establishing itself so quickly Sarah, but I suspect that you have both worked hard on it.
ReplyDeleteThe sea looks really angry in the last photo - I love the glints and the spray that looks almost like black smoke.
Hi Sarah, quite honestly I don't know where March went to it passed so quickly! My earliest memories when I lived in South Africa as a child was of bright yellow primroses growing on the side of country paths and when I first saw a primrose again it was a very special feeling for me. Today I flung open the french doors and left them open for a few hours which I haven't done since last summer, it's time for me to plant my sweetpea seeds hopefully they will root as they are the seeds I collected from last year's flowers. Wishing you a lovely weekend. Sharon x
ReplyDeleteA splendid array of flowers, I love to see primroses growing in the wild. We went on a steam train down in Dorset yesterday and it was lovely to see the masses of primroses growing on the railway banks. xx
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful! Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat to have the lighter evenings, I just wish it would get a bit warmer! The violets are coming out now in the hedgerows to keep the primroses company, so pretty.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, that is cheap for the primrose! Today we wait for warm weather, there is a lot to do in the garden, the renovation at the house outside are ready now. I love your seapictures!
ReplyDeleteSigrun
Like you Sarah, I prefer the wild flowers rather than the hybrids.
ReplyDeleteI've had three trips to England but never in Spring, I would love to walk through the woods and see the sheets of bluebells and primroses..... it's on my bucket list but we'll see.
That's a lovely story from the market stall man. I was a teenager in the 60's and my father was a very keen gardener and subscribed to various horticultural journals - if I had read them I might have known about those primroses too!
I always enjoy your posts.
Shane in New Zealand
I always love looking at your header photo ...
ReplyDeleteDidn't March fly by, glad you got your post in time.
It's always lovely to enjoy the Spring blooms.
It's also lovely to enjoy lighter evenings now we have altered our clocks.
Have a lovely weekend
All the best Jan
Meine liebe Sarah,
ReplyDeleteauch ich habe schon die Fotos für die Märzausgabe, füe ienen Post fehlte mir noch die Zeit, morgen.
So ähnlich wie bei dir sieht es auch bei uns aus.Heute hatten wir fast 20 Grad. Da sind die ersten Knospen der Birn- und Pflaumenbäume aufgesprungen. Wenn es wärmer wird geht es ganz schnell und wir werden unsere Gärten in der Aprilausgabe kaum wiedererkennen.
Vergiß mein Nicht sind wirklich treue Blümchen und werden gerne in Brautsträuße gearbeitet, bei Euch auch?
Morgen läuft hier die nächste Staffel von Broadchurch an. Ich werde beim Anblick der Klippen an dich denken.
Alles Liebe und eine schöne Woche für dich, Barbara
My primroses are just beginning to bloom but they are the old fashioned natives commonly called cowslip. I'm glad you weathered the storm. Your seedlings look wonderful! :o)
ReplyDeleteThe sea, wow! Just love your pictures...
ReplyDeleteTitti
Lovely photos like always. Spring is starting here as well however no one plants a garden here in SD till May. The new seedlings looks so cute!
ReplyDeleteSarah and Tavi, HELLO! Thank you kindly for entering into my fairytale moment! You are sweet friends. Enjoy a cozy, early spring evening! It's raining here, but we believe that color will pop up soon for us!
ReplyDeleteI think you suffered more in the south with storm Katy, it didn't affect us too much up here. I love the native primroses too, but there are some lovely colours around now in the garden centres. This is a bit late but I have done a Through the Garden Gate post http://margaretspatch.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/through-garden-gate-yellow-with-bit-of.html
ReplyDeleteWhat a delight it must be to have a conservatory to sit in, and enjoy the garde while you eat.It sounds perfect to me.
ReplyDeleteLike you I prefer the native primrose, although I don't see it that much in The Netherlands any more. The blue variety you have is very pretty as well.
Lindo seus narcisos!!!!!Amo arvores e o Salgueiro esta majestoso.
ReplyDeleteAte o mar revolto é admirável....Feliz mês de Abril....
I prefer the more natural colours, but that purple gives a great 'pop' of colour! Enjoy eating in your conservatory. It's nice to enjoy the change of seasons.
ReplyDeleteTwo sides of the same 'nature', the beautiful and colorful, and peaceful flowers, and the strength and beauty of a storm - love the photos, specially the storm ones.
ReplyDelete