bank holiday weekend

Hello folks. Happy Bank Holiday Monday! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend so far. I must admit that all this good weather has worked wonders on me, I hope it has on you too.

I have done a teensy bit of gardening but for the first time, probably since last year, I allowed myself a few hours this weekend just to sit outside and enjoy it, rather than bazzing about like a mad woman. 

Before we go ahead I must apologise for the vast quantity of photos, I haven't posted in a few days and the garden seems to  be changing daily at the moment. For those who'd like to know what they're getting into before they commence on this mammoth endurance test, this post yet again contains photos of flowers, plants, pots and this post also contains exclusive photos of weeds. You lucky lucky people.

So now you're fully prepared we shall begin with the front borders...

I'm actually really pleased with how the front borders are starting to look, I've also scattered lots of wild flower seeds within these borders so they will no doubt change again shortly. I love the wild look but think I may need a bit more structure to offset all the chaos. As a note to myself for next year I'd also like to grow black elder as I think the dark foliage would provide a good contrast too. I'd also like lots more cow parsley and perhaps some grasses would look nice within these two front borders, to add yet more wildness. We'll see, it's all about trying things out and if they don't work things can always be moved around can't they.

Next up, the pots around the house...

I bought this trellis planter from Homebase Saturday night. I'd been after something like this for a while as I wanted a climber for this area but as our house is rented I didn't like the thought of drilling into the walls. Everything I'd seen so far was way too expensive so was chuffed when I found this beauty for a mere fraction of the price, all it needed was a couple of coats of paint and it was good to go. I've planted it with Sweet Pea 'Matucana', Foxglove 'Illumination Pink', Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens' and blue trailing Lobelia. Thought I'd go even more country cottage on your ass!

The borders around the lawn, and the lawn in fact, are looking rather wild...

But it's all good because my Aquilegias are out. It's most strange though as last year they were bright pink and purple, as seen here. And this year, they're very pale pink and purple but with a green edge. I know they cross pollinate easily but the green tint is quite bizarre as I don't have any green Aquilegias. 

As promised I thought I'd also share with you some of the weeds growing in my garden. Apparently a weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place and in the case of the wild flowers below I like them and I like where they're growing so maybe, just maybe that means they aren't weeds...

Although all the above so called weeds are extremely invasive they do also have their benefits. For instance, in the case of Dandelions and as stated on the Garden Organic website "Dandelion leaves provide winter food for pigeons. The flowers are a rich nectar source for insects and the seeds are eaten by many bird species." Plus to me they're very pretty so I can't ask for anything more from them really. I must admit that I do have to tame them though as I wouldn't want to jeopardise the health of any of my other plants. It's a fine balance I suppose.