Spring Arrives in a Riot of Color

Walking the Beauty Way and Celebrating the Shade Garden

In Cordressagagh spring unfolds its beauty.  The results of planting thousands of spring bulbs begin to appear with a riot of color. The daffodils and narcissus are in full bloom in their different shades of yellow and white (some with salmon colored interiors). The ground is awash with the yellow and green of Winter Aconite.  The windows inside this cottage begin to fill with vases of daffs that have been blown over in the wind.

The Way of Beauty

Most mornings before Bee and I head up to the holy well at Tuber I take a short walk along the Way of Beauty.  This is that part of the garden that edges the lane that runs past the cottage.  The snowdrops are now in the green.  The ice follies are in full bloom as are the pheasant eye daffodils. Different colored crocus have emerged and the scent of hyacinth is beginning to perfume the air.

I get to listen to the birdsong that is getting more prominent each morning.  I recognize that now I have the time to stand and stare and cast and eye on what the poet William Wordsworth referred to as “a host of lovely daffodils.” I have planted other bulbs here that will appear as soon as the others have gone over.

The Shade Garden

The large hostas, T. Rex and the brunnera macrophylla ‘Alexandra’s Great,’ the dicentra ‘Valentine’ have been planted in the shade garden. I see that the Epimedium has begun to pop its head up and I am hoping to see it spread its lovely variegated foliage across the area as a kind of ground cover.  I only discovered this plant last year so don’t know how it will do long term as yet.

The fabulous Quaker Bonnets are looking great with their pinkish petals.  They love it there on the bank underneath the hedge by the Way of Beauty. I must have around fifty of these edging different parts of the garden paths.  This is from one plant that I have kept dividing with great success over many years.

The ground of the shade garden is a carpet of winter aconite which is now starting to flower.  It becomes a carpet of bright luminous yellow.

The Fruit and Nut Garden

There is work to be done in this area of the garden.  I planted a lot of hazel nut trees, apple trees, plum trees, and pear trees last autumn.  I have kept much of the weeds down with cardboard mulch. 

However, the ground is wet, and the rushes have become prolific. They need cutting down and I need to sharpen the very blunt shears that we have.  This is when you realize that it is best to buy gardening equipment that is a recognized quality brand that costs a bit more (or often much more). I have the sharpening stone for this purpose which I have been putting off for some time now.

Thanks a million to my friends Siobhan and Blaithin who bought me a very large apple tree for my birthday. This is a Bramley which will mean that there will be lots of home made apple pies.

The Mindful Gardening Website

I realize that I very much love developing shade gardens.  So, this week I wrote an extensive article on the sixteen perennials for the shade that I have (and plan to have) here in Cordressagagh.  This article shares a lot of detail about perennials suited to certain shade conditions.  This does not include bulbs for the shade, which is a different article.

16 Stunning Shade Garden Perennials for Your Garden

So, if you have an area of your garden that is shady and are not sure how you might make it beautiful then have a read and get creative in a mix and match kind of way. You will be surprised at the beauty that you can express in an area of the garden that you might otherwise view as problematic.

Coming Attractions

The real coming attractions are my God daughters Annie and Rowena who are coming to visit mid-April.  Haven’t seen them in ages and as Annie declares when she visits Ireland,“Everything is so green.”  And it will be when they arrive.  The leaves are beginning to appear on the hedges and trees.

This week we bought a ton of seed packets which will keep Bee and I busy for the rest of the week and beyond. These packets include seeds that will grace the non-shade garden and the vegetable garden.

Its been very wet here in Cordressagagh and plans to get into the garden continue to be set back. There is no point gardening in the mud. Until next week happy gardening.