A wet 1st of May

The garden looks fabulous, Hywel. I like photos taken in the rain. They often come out better than the sunny ones. My aquilegias aren't quite as far on as yours, but the Meconopsis Cambrica are just starting. I love them, and they seed all over the place.

I have just started hardening off the fucshias I overwintered in the cold greenhouse. They are looking really strong - a couple of them kept growing right through the winter.

Agree with Mel about photos taken in the rain. It was wet here on and off and much colder today too.
I love your holly tree! My heucheras are not in flower yet nor any sign of poppies. Aren't the bluebells wonderful!

Tuesday here was 21 degrees then today has been terribly cold. Friday night will be below freezing. I can't take plants out of the greenhouse. The weather is so difficult. The plants are the stars. :0)

So colourful.

We visited bluebell woods (dorset0 last week and took lots of images. Not pleased with one! What is it about bluebells that make them so unco-operative when a camera is around? The only ones worth looking at were images of a single bluebell. You've captured the colour here, Hywel.

You have so much going on Hywel, any chance you can do us a Sundance for better days. Despite the summer felling at the beginning of the week, it's all gone pear shaped!
I'm sure Bella is boss out there in the hedgerow. There will be plenty running around for her to chase.

There has been a wonderful explosion of colour in your garden Hywel. The rain seems to highlight that doesn't it. We have had a wet couple of days but today the morning dawned very overcast but we had a nice outing on this sunny afternoon. It was cold but bearable. I fear we have had our summer. No going out to wash our faces in the morning dew on this May morn.

It all looks grand Hywel the rain makes everything clean and fresh, much better than that horrible dusty sand we were covered in a couple of weeks back...

"Raining knives and forks "??? Must be Welsh. We say "raining cats and dogs" . I heard of raining frogs / ropes / nails, but never "knifes and forks". We learn something every day.
Your garden looks lovely even in the rain Hywel..

Amazing results for all your hard work Hywel. It was a
shock to see how small your garden was when you
first moved in. If only everyone did the same, England
would be an even better beautiful place.

Thanks for all your comments :o)
I agree with everyone about rainy photos - the wet seems to make things glisten ...

I hope your Fuchsias do well Melchisedec. Mine are waiting to be repotted now. I hope to do it over the week end :o)

Tuesdaybear I'm pleased you like my holly tree. I made it into a standard one myself. It's full of flowers now. I'm hoping for lots of berries if the insects do their work properly :o)

Below freezing Linda ? ! :( I do hope not ... I haven't put anything outside yet, but some succulents and cacti are in a shelter by the garage. I'll have to cover them with bubble wrap if it gets too cold ...

Eirlys it's the digital camera that doesn't always pick up the colour correctly. I often get the same trouble with certain shades :(

Scottish you wouldn't want to see me dance. I've got 2 left feet lol :o) I would make it rain even worse ! :O

I hope that wasn't our summer Scotsgran. Maybe we'll get another spell later on :o)

It only rains knives and forks in Wales Klahanie :D

Yes England and everywhere else Diane :o)
(I don't live in England)

Looking lovely as ever Hywel:-), love the forget me not and heuchera combination might have to pinch that idea;-).

Thank you Simbad.
The forget-me-nots just seed themselves all over the place, so it was a happy accident :o)

Your garden looks lovely Hywel, hope you get some better weather, it was cloudy here with bits of drizzle yesterday...

I echo all the comments,Hywel,really lovely in the rain..My Poppies,both yellow and Orange are in flower now,and flower spikes on the similar Heuchera to yours.Could it be Georgia Peach? although there a few varieties that look alike..It's sunny here,but what a cold wind! Beware frost warnings for tonight,but I don't know if it's forecast for Wales..I shall be taking precautions anyway...

Hi ... nice to hear from you all :o))
Thanks for your comments.

Hope we all, get a better week end Holly it's sunny here this morning but we have rain forecast for later on ... :o)

Sandra I don't know if we'll get frost here but I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to cover things with bubble wrap.
That Heuchera name doesn't ring any bells. If I heard the name I'm sure I'd remember it. It might be
strong tea/weak tea/Earl Grey Tea lol ... something like that ...

How about Sweet Tea, Hywel? As always, even in the rain, your garden looks lovely and so nice to see that Bella isn't a wimp like Millie who hates rain! I love the way the blue foreget me nots thread their way around the garden, linking everything together, beautiful. I like the idea of raining knives and forks, makes a chance from stair-rods :)

Lol,Hywel..Think of me and call it Yorkshire tea :o)

hahaha !! :D I might just do that Sandra :o))) x

Thank you Gee, I believe that's the one. I knew it was some kind of drink :o)

Thank you all for your comments :)

Lovely pictures of your super garden Hywel Forget me nots are lovely just now like a sea of blue everywhere
but of course Bella owns all she surveys! =^..^= prrrr
Have a lovely weekend :o)

Thank you Neena :o) You have one also ...

Wonderful photo's of your lovely garden just love all your plants Bella's looking good and I am really envious of your your St Francis he gives such a calm and peaceful look to your garden .

Thank you :o)

I suspect that Bella doesn't 'think' she owns the garden; She Knows she does.
Lovely to see 'proper' english Bluebells in a garden. Along with other delights.
All in all, well done you Hywel. :)

A truly lovely garden Hywel, I just wish my dicentra had as many flowers.

Klahanie. Here, we talk about it raining stair rods. I love all the regional differences in idioms.

Thank you all for reading my blog, and all your comments :o)

Love the Photo's I thing you get better pictures in the rain than in full sunshine sometimes. I just want to pick your pussycat up and give her a cuddle.

Thank you ...
Bella isn't a cuddly cat, but I'll try to give her one from you :)

I think your heuchera is brass lantern, I have one just like yours and they are beautiful, by the way love your pic,s

I recently saw a St Francis statue in a catalogue - not the same as yours, but similar. I am currently trying to find a garden statue of Our Lady. It's hard to find one that is for outdoors and that I like.

Thank you both.
Taz I shall have to make a record of that name ... thank you.
I hope you find a statue Melchesedec.

Thanks, Hywel. We have had a couple, but they have tended to disintegrate in the rain. (Well - they were basically plaster! No amount of varnish will protect them. I'll just have to cough up for a proper one!)

lol :) It will be worth it I think :)

Only just seen this blog Hywel - everything's been said already so I'll just add "I second that..."

hi, Hywel...what a wonderful garden you have! thanks for posting...i had many forget-me-nots in my old garden, but have been intimidated by the wildlife here...now, i'm going to go for it..going to sow seeds everywhere, let's see what happens..i just love this...

Thank you both :)

Good luck with your seeds Odaatpat. Maybe they'll sew themselves in future years for you, like my forgetmenots and aquilegias do :)