First signs of spring

In the garden today:

Kaffe Fassett inspired gardening

This side of the garden is red, purple and orange - with a little hot pink on the way. The same colours as the 28-year old UFO posted yesterday.

Late bloomer!

More peonies!

Purply red velvet

 

That  Shakespeare rose again 

Ready to burst out

Finally flowering !

Not the most perfect specimen in the garden, but finally blooming, after relocation.

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Daisy

Are these really weeds?

Red red rose

 

David Austin William Shakespeare 2000 rose 

Peonies in the sun

My daughter took this fabulous photo.

David Austin roses

Discovering David Austin roses is a bit like discovering luxury yarn - you wonder what you did before and there is no turning back.

(and you can save the labels! )

They are bred to be deliciously scented and resistant to insects and disease.

So like with the yarn,  there's a bigger initial investment, but the payback is well worth it.

This is Abraham Darby - with fabulously shaped petals that make it look a little like a peony.

This year it was the second rose to bloom.

Yes, this is the same "first" rose - and it smells beautiful too.

Every year I am surprised by these roses, they start off looking orange, but as they open they fade to a beautiful pink. I love the way that they look sun-lit even when there's no sun because of their shading.

It is a parfums de provence Regatta van Meinimo by Meilland.

Here you see three of them, the "first" one is the shy one right at the back.

Peonies inside and out !

Bluebells

The bottom of the garden is shadier and there are still some bluebells there - set off nicely by the Weigela "rumba" and the peonies, which will be blooming soon.

First rose of the year

Hiding right at the back behind other plants I spotted this:

If you peel back the leaves you see more of its splendid glow!

There are many other buds, but this is the first rose to bloom this year.

Bluebells in the garden

They are already past their best, but there are plenty more flowers just waiting to bust into bloom.

Remember the clematis ? Well, here it is now:

Pure white bleeding heart

Magnolia magic

My mother planted this magnolia tree when we first moved into the house.

That year it had fewer than 10 flowers - now it must have nearly 100.

Evening glow

I think this is a type of japonica (also here when we bought the house) - this time lit up by evening sun.

Cheery glow

It was supposed to be "Cherry glow", but cheery works too.

As the morning sun hits the tree, it appears to light up.