This post is in response to Gayla’s latest Grow Write Guild challenge - where she asks us to write a descriptive post on our garden right now
My favourite spot in the garden is sitting on the slab steps leading to the top of the garden. From here I feel enclosed, safe, secretive, wrapped up in the garden. I can’t see my neighbours and they can’t see me.
Sitting on the cold hard slab step I am low down close to the plants, seeing everything so much better. Above me are the intermingled branches of the Prunus and Willow. They are forming a tapestry of branches above me filtering the sunshine. The buds are forming, soft green tiny leaves on the willow and plump flower buds on the Prunus. In a week or two the Prunus will be a mass of white flower blossom and the air will be alive with the buzzing of pollinators. Now though on a quite evening I listen to blackbirds calling to each other and a solitary bee bumbling around looking for pollen on the early flowers.
In front of me the garden slopes down to the house. This area is mainly the woodland border full of my favourite plants. If you look very closely you can see the filigree foliage of Wood Anemones appearing, thick fleshy glaucous shoots of Solomons Seal pushing skywards as are the bullet like shoots of the hostas. Here live my treasures, the dainty Erythoniums and Epimediums and the promising leaves of Meconopsis. To my right is a Rhododendron, I seem to remember it being called ‘Happy’. It has magenta pink flowers and I love the decadence of the large flowers but not yet I have to wait a few weeks. At least this year it is covered in buds thanks to all the rain we have had in the last year.
To my left is the bog garden, dank and mystery. The sumptuous foliage of the Ligularia is forming a large clump already – all shiny, glossy and dark. Small carmine fronds of the Astible have appeared and clash magically with the bright yellow flowers of the Marsh Marigold. Behind me the steps continue to the compost area but more importantly to the second woodland section. An early border which I am beginning to see again having ignored for the last year, here too are some small treasures. A small trillium was spotted looking far healthier than a year ago. Lots of treats and treasures which make my heart sing and fill me with excitement and joy and remind me why I love gardening.
This part of the garden is shaded, cool and special. I can see the rest of the garden from here. Sometimes I think and plan, sometimes I just listen and loose myself in the peace.
