WELCOME SPRING
The fields are ablaze with colour, sweet scented Erlicheer and pretty Bluebells, Snowdrops and Hyacinths fill the soft warm air with their intoxicating fragrance. Camellia and Rhododendron bushes are laden with their sweet offerings.They are the first fruits and herald the arrival of the warmer weather with the promise that much more is to follow.
Annie with Spade is beside herself with joy as are most of the other keen gardeners at Hollyhock Hill. Faithful preparations of soil and the plantings of the myriad spring bulbs now emerge displaying their God given glory. Gardeners are indeed rewarded abundantly for their labour of love over the cold winter months. The dainty little Pickwick Crocus are Mrs Annie's favourite but then she also loves Hyacinths as well. She brings them up close to her face and inhales deeply of their sweetness. Mrs Annie has a thing for vintage bird cages and plants them up with all manner of things. This one houses some young succulents which will fill out in due time and look very handsome indeed.
Actually if the truth be known all the plants in the garden are Mrs Annie's favourites, she just loves them all and from morning till dusk the place to find her is out in the midst of all her treasures. Peter with tool box built a very handsome bird house, and after Mrs Annie decorated it with flowers he positioned it on the balcony at the back of their cottage overlooking the gardens, just in case one of their little feathered friends needed extra accommodation. Springtime is such a hive of activity here and housing gets snapped up very fast indeed. A newly married couple of finches tried to move into a basket of Begonias the other day, Mrs Annie said to Mr Peter "Now that will never do, they must have proper housing to be safe". She is always so concerned for the safety and well being of all the critters living at Hollyhock Hill. The climbing roses are 
budding and the new shoots have to be secured against the wind and in a day or two young seedlings will be planted out in the specially prepared beds. There will be Larkspur, Canterbury Bells, and an all time favourite, the Papaver Poppy, it has such exquisite blooms but Mrs Annie doesn't want that to be broadcast, as some people might get the wrong impression, here they are grown for their beauty alone. Little Primroses have popped up here, there and everywhere after their lovely winter sleep. Love in the Mist and Forget Me Nots are competing for space along pathways and the cheeky Nasturtiums are threatening to take over the vegetable plots.The elegant Cymbidium orchids are starting to show their colours as are the pretty little Violets that were repositioned earlier in the year.
Parsley and Silver beet, which had been given a lovely place to grow have spilled out and self sown all over the garden, such is the abundance and it is only the first week of spring.
The last of the leeks and celery have been harvested so the vegetable beds will have to be worked over and prepared for spring planting too. Spring is indeed a busy, albeit an enjoyable time for most gardeners.
There has been quite a bit of spring rain already and a strong south wind did some damage, a pretty pink Camellia Japonica full of plump buds was knocked over and the lovely apple green pot it was in was broken, Mrs Annie was rather upset about it. Mr Peter quickly went out and bought her another one in the same colour, she was very touched by his kindness, thanked him with a big kiss and promptly repotted the lovely Camellia. The new pot was even bigger than the broken one and has a lovely embossed pattern on it, very elegant indeed. I must say that spring is just about my most favourite time of the year.
Brought to you by Jovi Woofley.
ps. you may click on the pictures to enlarge them :)
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