After the rain.

We've got the howling winds back again today, SBG, really contrary weather at the moment, though as you say everything is so much fresher after the rains.
I like your yellow paeonies. Is the Lutea a tall one? I have been trying to remember what my Paeony was which I grew a while ago from seed and it was that colour. I would like another (although life is too short to try again from seed!) I'm waiting for my first ever 'Molly' to show her face!
Your Atrocity Corner can't be worse than our bottom border. We have a full green bin to go out tonight and a half filled compost heap and that's only from half of it. But you're right, the wildlife is very happy with it.
Your crab apple border is stunning. I don't count borage as weeds....

Your garden is looking fabulous! So many plants in flower as well!

I didn't know those tiny black beetles were called 'pollen beetles'! My wife likes to wear a bright yellow coat & it gets covered in these tiny beetles! It's a real magnet for them! I see them coving many plants on the balcony as well.

That Crabapple is wonderful! I took a photo of an old Crabapple tree this morning with its white & pink flowers! For some reason it's a tree I'd not noticed before! But that could be because, although it's only a few minutes walk from our place, it's not a place I often pass by.

Lovely read and smashing pics too, Eileen. That's a lovely paeonia lutea, such a strong yellow! Molly is looking pretty too!
I agree, the rain has spurred a lot of plants to wake up and put in some new growth.
It has been warmer too, which we hope will last...
Doesn't quite feel like May..
Your atrocity corner is awash with spring colour and I love your Marsh marigold too.
My tree ferns are really starting to unfurl..better later than not! I, like you, love to see the unfurling...so architectural!!!!
I do love to see a field of borage...lovely shade of blue...

Ange, P lutea is a tree paeony and it is about 6 ft tall now but it is easily kept in check by 1/3 pruned out every year and then new buds break lower down.

Thanks for the lovely comments. Dahlia merckii is a fully hardy dahlia in the UK so doesnt need lifting. it is a single/simple flower in a soft lilac/pink.

Sorry about the weed alert, SBG. No sign of my Molly flowering this year, usually so reliable! Spent the afternoon staking my Tall Iris as with the rain the flowering stems have shot up and the high winds will do for them.

No apologies need Siris, that is just nature isn't it?
I have very few iris flower stalks as yet. I hope they are not going to be blind this year.

I wish we had some warm sunny weather. Your peonies look gorgeous. Today was warmer but still wet here.

Love your sort of garden Eileen - little unexpected treasures in every corner! The Crab is a joy - bet you smile every time you see it...
I was interested that you give house room to Spanish bluebells - makes me feel better about mine. They are so beautiful its almost impossible to hard hearted with them even though they are all self sown. The ones in our lane are a mixture since some dear unknown added some to the original wild ones, and the pure English ones are getting diluted.
Love your little group of Anemone blanda - can't be cross with them can you? Atrocity corner indeed - needs renaming now!

Very warm here in comparison to previous days so lots of butterflies flitting about.

I let the Spanish bluebells flower then pull them to stop them setting seed but I am slowly removing them. There are some supposedly native's in the back garden but they look more like the hybrids to me. Again a good source of nectar and pollen.

If we rename Atrocity corner no one will know what I am referring too. and it is one of the 'wilder' areas. ;o)

True, and by now we should miss you using that name...
Guess I need to harden my heart re removing the bluebells but it seems so ungrateful when they are so beautiful...

If you love them then leave them in, its your garden and I do the same with lots of British natives Yorks.

Lovely blog and photo's Seaburn, I can see why these are favourites and they would delight me also, I love the yellow paeonia's and the crab apple is gorgeous, I bought one last year for my Juliet, absolutely smothered in blossom, sadly no room here so I couldn't treat myself as well..
The flipping weather is ridiculous, we waited weeks for rain then when it arrives it doesn't know when to stop, was so cold as well, at least this week it's warmer even on the grey days when we don't get any sunshine at all, oh the joys of being a gardener. I'm ashamed to say I still cannot work out the difference between the bluebells but I think I have both.....

Spanish bluebells have blue or green pollen. the native is creamy/off white. Thats the way I tend to check. The native is also slimmer with a tighter throat and the petals reflex more.

Weather is really warm and sunny these last couple of days and there are even more weeds germinating.

thank you so much for your advice on tree bark, i have def decided to go with that rather than chippings, your garden is amazing, i wish i had a bigger garden.... but its lovely to enjoy everyone elses stunning efforts.

The only reason for removing themwould be to protect the proper English ones that are on the bank outside the garden. But they are becoming hybrids fast anyway.