From sun to rain…its Spring

More random shots of the garden whilst spring is still with us. 

Wonderful blossom on the wisteria on the side verandah - THEY think by scaring the plant with a severe pruning in winter it will give out a lot of flowers - seems to work !

The courtyard close by the kitchen door with HER herb garden on each side of the path, held in with a dear little little twig fence made by HER & John.

the purple wisteria gives off an incredibly heady scent

Lovely soaking rain………always welcome

cottage garden

The cottage garden is a fave for THEM because it is higgeldy pigeldy and full of flowers.
Bella & I love it also because there is direct access to the paddock where the Dexters (cows) live, with  a constant supply of nice smelly manure to roll in.

Spring has sprung and apart from a profusion of flowers the buxus is all fluffy with new leaf. 

Last year John reduced the two buxus balls by the entrance to the cottage by half, they had got very big and blousey.
SHE had a nervous moment as he cut them  back to twigs but as always John was right and they are now full of leaf…..  a good tip for anyone with blousey buxus syndrome.

That's me in front

Most of the perennials have come from Frogmore Nursery and Lambley Nursery mail order. 

 Whilst a lot of self seeding goes on in this garden SHE also loves a parcel in the post especially one full of tiny little plants.

Perennials are good and tough and make their own arrangements for the spring and summer then get a thorough hair cut at the end of autumn. Sometimes here we leave everything as it is till well into the winter.

HIS espaliered apple on the side of the cottage, full of tiny tiny apples

and here is the fig on the side of HER garden shed.

The Apple Walk leading to the peony garden.

The tree peonies are very tough and easy to grow.

The old cow bales where they took out the stalls and popped in a fire place. We love going there with THEM for afternoon tea or gin and tonic's with a nice big fire going (B and I do NOT drink G and T)  but there's always a nice green spatter ware bowl full of water for us

That's me on the left

Pierre de Ronsard rose in full bud on the obelisks made by a local carpenter years ago

HIS espaliered cherries on the rock wall. HE lets the birds have these as HE has a tree in the caged orchard where they cannot get in

A (bath) Room With A View

Even though it is hard for a Shi Tzu to know these things, I think that SHE must have some Roman blood. Why else would SHE love sitting in the marble bathroom, in a bath fit for an Emperor, looking at the view ! 

The  new bath mat from Pigott's Store (click here) - all the bathroom fittings came from The Bath House (click here) 

Don't you love the coral and the sea shell mirror ?  both were happy junkshop finds.

That's me on the left.

Apart from the heated floor, the gas fire keeps everything very cozy on a cold day.

The scales are from Water Works (click here) whilst the towels (click here) were a present from HER Ma years ago. 

The slipper chair is from Pigott's, covered in Bowood from Colefax & Fowler (click here)

This is the best drying area in the world - the terrace off THEIR bathroom - used for drying much more than for lounging around (sadly).

The view from the terrace (HE is very proud of the gates that HE makes).

This week at Lynwood

Every photo tells a story. Make sure you take a peek at The Old School Masters House where you can see where our great friend Ingrid paid us a visit and took some great shots. Her blog is adorable!

This week at Lynwood we had some welcome rain, and spring is finally getting warmer.

Espaliered heirloom apples form a fence - the perfect spot for a spring breakfast on a warm morning.

and here's a busy bee working hard in the blossom.

John has finished the hedging around the kitchen garden - it's as straight as a die !

First we have the snow drops, then freesias & lastly bluebells, just about finished - here they are beside John's hedge.

Pleached lindens just coming in to leaf, with the hornbeam hedge on the outside.

and here are some more views of the hornbeam walk.

Espaliered sasanqua, and citrus tunnel, in the kitchen garden, with blue wisteria on the coach house in  the background.

Here's another shot of the blue wisteria, together with the tulips (Queen of the Night).

This is the entrance to the kitchen garden.

 

Cottage garden about to come into bloom.

Espaliered apple on the side of the cottage.

pale pink wisteria on the old cow bales - a good place on winter afternoons with the fire going and  a cup of tea

Wavy escalonia hedge

Another pale pink wisteria, on the kitchen verandah (that's me on the left).

Bella and I with Ku Chin, Mrs McGregor, Harriet and Henrietta (I'm on the right).