'Tis easier to update a garden...

So, Weebly has decided it no longer likes my i-pad, it being too ancient and all, but I am not going to be forced into buying a new i-pad just because Weebly says so. So it is 'au revoir' to Weebly and 'Hello Blogger, my old friend,' once more.

On with the garden, then, which is less technologically stubborn and pushy, it's only updates being those we want to make of it and not the other way around.

With the onset of Spring proper, everything has burst into life. Much gardening occuring here at Damson Cottage, then. The wisteria is looking magnificent and smells delicious, too.

It is about a week later blooming than last year, but the flowers are heavier and longer.

I've been tiddling around with the courtyard, having decided to fill it up with more plants in big pots. Acers, then, and pansies, violas, azalea and in the borders aquilegia, some purple thistly thing and lemon balm in the shady border under the massive climbing rose.

The baby lavender and bay we were giving as housewarming gifts almost two years ago are positively rampant - and don't ask me how the strawberries took up residence because I certainly didn't put them there but there they are, romping away towards Wimbledon readiness...

Up in the middle garden we are expecting a tsunami of foxgloves and the lilac is beautifully lush.

The vegetable garden hasn't made much progress; however, you can see how well the hormbeam hedge we planted almost 18 months ago has developed. I am looking forward to the day when I can tuck myself up against it with a book, a cosy and secluded corner inside the veg garden. 

The fruit cage is doing well - raspberries, rhubarb, blackcurrant, gooseberries. The cuttings I took from the cultivated blackberry a.k.a no bastard thorns, have taken, much to my surprise! 

The grapevine is also looking pretty darn good. It is growing against the shed at the top of the garden. The shed is one third brick wall in height, and two thirds wood for the rest of the height. It isn't very tall. Our plan is to remove the wood bit of the walls and replace with....glass! Turning it into...a greenhouse! A BIG greenhouse! And the grapevine can be trained inside it to grow glasshouse grapes. Watch this space, becuase this is next Damson Cottage Big Project.

Today I planted two beds up with baby lavenders. You know what I am like with my lavender. They'll take a couple of years to properly establish but they'll make a lovely spread when they do.

The tree house is still the tree house...

And the hens are still the hens. Too much lounging around and half-hearted moulting going on at the moment and scant egg laying, but they are good girls and they entertain me enormously.

And then walking back down towards the cottage, all is green and lush and lovely...

Even the honeysuckle, which often pretends it is dead, has beenrejuvenated by the weather and is making a sterling effort of covering the oil tank. 

So now I am going to set about rejuvenating the blog, fluffing it up a bit, welcoming it to Damson Cottage. Good old Blogger! I'm glad to be back!