I've been reveling in our little garden these past couple of days, enjoying what it has to offer and bringing bits and pieces into the house. Our garden is small and I am not very green-fingered so it's always a bit of a surprise when I grow actually something - pretty or edible - that I can bring indoors. The bluebells enchant me. I love their wobbly purple-blue heads and long slender stems. I picked a couple with the last daffodil and one of the last tulips (they are really on their way out now, poor battered things) and put them in a glass bottle. I love this cluster on the mantle above; the egg cup and dala horse bring out the bright primary colours in the flowers.
The mood board arrangements were inspired by Caroline at scraps of us. She takes the most beautiful photos of her local area, her children, her crafty makes, vintage finds and her home. She has an eye for really good composition and her blog is a visual treat. Do pop over to her blog and look at her monthly garden moodboards, and anything else for that matter!
Also from the garden - rhubarb! Notice there is nothing next to these two stalks to represent scale...they are a little on the small side. I've washed, chopped and frozen these and will add to them over time until I have enough to do a batch of baking or jam making.
I planted some alium bulbs last autumn and they have just started to emerge in the last week. Every day I see they've opened a little more. I love aliums, they're so dramatic, and I'm looking forward to seeing these open fully.
The smallest bit of blossom has appeared on our apple tree. I feared last year that out apple tree was dying as it produced hardly any fruit, and not many leaves. But this spring it is full of lush green foliage but very little blossom. Maybe it's retired from making fruit? That's fine by me as the apples were the size of plums and very tart, no good for eating or cooking.
I also noticed lots of little flowers in the strawberry plants. Does this mean there will be strawberries?
So lovely and pretty. I was 'waddling' around the garden yesterday picking wildflowers. They brighten up the home enormously x
ReplyDeleteI just love this time of year when everything is growing!! I'm hoping that flowers on the strawberry plants means strawberries as our have flowers!!
ReplyDeleteYes, there will be strawberries, but make sure they are covered with netting, otherwise the birds will get them before you do. xx
ReplyDeleteIt's been great hasn't it 3 full days of sunshine, I can't remember the last time that happened! It's raining and cold today, at least I will get chance to catch up with inside stuff! :) x
ReplyDeleteSo pretty ... I love bluebells too ... it is amazing what a little warmth and sunshine can do for the garden ... Bee xx
ReplyDeleteLovely lovely blooms, the pictures remind me of my grans flower pressing. I adore the little yellow dolly figure in your pictures, can I ask where you got.it from please xx
ReplyDeleteHi Elisa - it's an egg cup i bought on holiday in Denmark. They come in all different colours. Hus and Hem stocks some, you could try there.
Deletehttp://www.husandhem.co.uk/
So beautiful blossoms all over there! :) Well.. I never knew there was actually a strawberry. But there would definitely be some kind of fruits after the flowers. However it looks more like an apple blossom :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
Some beautiful pictures from your garden. A lot of trees didn't produce fruit last year because after being stressed from the drought, the trees were not pollinated as all that rain meant the bees and other insects weren't flying around as much... maybe there will be fruit again this year. Even if you're not keen on the apples, there'll be some creatures that'll love them!
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are pretty, and your pictures are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI love homegrown rhubarb, we haven't made a crumble in a few years now but hopefully that's about to change! Beautiful photos :)
ReplyDeleteOur neighbour across from us planted aliums... I love to watch them sway in the breeze (like the weirdo neighbour I am!!) They are so strong and elegant looking, all at the same time :) Hope you had a great BH, ours is next week. I cannot wait! Hazel x
ReplyDeleteI love the anticipation of good things to come from the garden as things start to blossom and bloom.
ReplyDeleteThe hard little apples can be used for making jelly - which can flavour with herbs, spices or flowers. I also have an amazing sounding rhubarb, rose and cardamon jam if you'd like the recipe?
I think something happened last year with the apples, I'm not quite sure what but maybe it has something to do with the bees. I had one apple on a whole load of apple trees! fingercrossed for this year though! The strawberries sound like a good bet! Heather x
ReplyDeleteMy apple tree did very poorly this season; hardly any flowers so I assume that means, like in years past, that there will be few apples. Last year, it flowered so profusely and we had more apples than we could use. If there are flowers on the strawberries, you should have fruit! Ours get munched by snails sometimes, but you can cover them to keep creatures out.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos lovely to see what's out in your garden. I've noticed our Apple blossom has appeared this week.
ReplyDeleteI like your flower arrangement in the bottle. Mx
Such beautiful cuttings from the garden. I love the fact that when your garden gets establish you can fill your life with beautiful moments from your garden. I also adore aliums and I too have planted some. I have noticed this weekend that mine are just opening and I can't wait to see them it their full glory. Your's look beautiful! Lovely rhubarb, Jam (YUM!), I am planning on doing something with mine too this week I have been inspired by an orange and rhubarb cake! Such beautiful apple blossom xo
ReplyDeleteMy rhubarb is giving a us a few stalks at a time, too! Luckily my mother has helped my frozen collection a bit from her patch. Soon, I hope to have enough to make some jam, too!
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely pictures and stories form your home... Thank you. I have just started a blog and have a tiny insight into the work it takes so have vowed to stop lurking and start saying THANK YOU for the work it takes to out a blog together.
ReplyDeleteHi There, Love the colors of the flowers in the vase!!!All different but they all work perfectly together!!! Flowers on fruit plants usually means fruit!!! Happy gardening!!!
ReplyDeleteLove
AMarie
Lovely photos. Your garden seems to be doing well. Love your little vase of garden blooms.
ReplyDeleteM x
I love wandering round the garden as the day goes on, noticing minute changes. I too planted Aliums, and I am getting rather more excited than is good for me at their emergence!
ReplyDeleteleanne xx
Here in South Devon most of the early spring flowers are over. The daffs finished weeks ago, the last of the tulips have been taken out of their pots this weekend, the bluebells are almost over, ditto the wallflowers. Therefore time to plant the antirrhinums ... and already the alyssum, petunias, violas, pelargoniums and cosmos are in their respective pots. All we need now is sunshine!
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
We have less blossom this year too, my old tree needs a good prune to give it a push I think.
ReplyDeletexxx
We did the same as you and planted some alium bulbs last Autumn and they have been doing very well. I think I'll plant some more next year. Our lilac is full of flowers this year but for six years we only had one flower!
ReplyDeleteJune
Snap with the alliums - ours are at the same stage. At the end of summer you can pick the dried stems and display them.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, flowers on strawberries turn into fruit:)
Lovely, lovely apple blossom, my favourite. There will be strawberries and there will also be slugs. Be prepared!
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are lovely and like me, little bottles just look great with a few blooms.
ReplyDeleteI've spent all weekend in the garden as well and am beginning to realise how addictive gardening can be. I'm sorry to say I dug up a lot of our bluebells yesterday. I do love them in their natural setting but I didn't plant them in our garden and they're just kind of taking over. I heard that last year was really bad for apples. Our neighbours have one that hangs into our garden. The year before last which was our first autumn here, it was weighed down with apples and they kept giving us bags full but last year there was not one. This year there is blossom so it will be interesting to see what happens. Love all your pictures today. Fiona x
ReplyDeleteI hope you do get some strawberries from your flowers, I dug all mine up a few years back as we never got any red fruit only green, not enough sun. :( We have loads of rhubarb tho and it always grows well, you have reminded me that I need to go and pick some as it has masses of stalks at the mo.
ReplyDeleteSo much loveliness, Gillian! The flowers from your garden look beautiful next to the egg cup and the horse. Hope you get strawberries!!
ReplyDeleteA very pretty posy.
ReplyDeleteKeeping my fingers crossed you have a bumper crop of berries!
Lisa x
I love the simple vase on your mantle filled with flowers from your garden...lovely! The alium is just gorgeous! I hope you get lots of strawberries this summer!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your lovely words Gillian. I love your display, the colours are perfect with the bits on your mantel. Gorgeous photos of your garden too, I especially love the allium. xx
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