Cheering Me Home

Today I remembered what I have decided, forgotten and remembered a number of times before: that my most favourite place in this whole wide world is my own back garden.  There are bigger and bolder and better.  There are classier and cleaner and colourful....er.  But when I get off my backside inside and sit on my backside outside in the garden for a while it's like my body begins to absorb all the life around me. The growing plants are celebrating life both because and in spite of everything it brings them.  And I begin to feel that there really is nowhere else on earth I would rather be.

So, here are some of the plants that cheer me just now when I arrive home and take the time to look beyond my own internal little world.

The red tulips of Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Show Winner' are at the end of the drive and are making me smile on each homecoming just now.










The daffodil Narcissus 'Jet Fire' with its orange trumpet at around ten inches has just begun opening in the last few days and is one of my favourites.

Meanwhile the Narcissus 'January' is at last beginning to flower - though I remain a little sceptical of its name it is proving to be a little gem nonetheless.

Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Johann Strauss' opened in the full sun today and looks stunning to my eye.







More subtle but no less cheering is the sweet violet, Viola odorata, which came from Beth Chatto's Garden, surrounded by the blue Siberian Squill which is just opening up now; Scilla sibirica.

Even these bulbs can throw up an unexpected surprise - in this case a white form has burst forth amongst the blue - or is it?

Crocuses are still delighting me too.

Crocus tommasinianus 'Barr's Purple'



















Crocus x cultorum 'Pickwick'










I read today an article that said if one wanted the contrast of blue and green in a lungwort in one's garden one shouldn't use that old fuddy duddy Pulmonaria angustifolia 'Munstead Blue.'  Too late, I already have but it doesn't look fuddy duddy to me:

Of course, the days are extending and this spring light cheers my soul as well.

Shining through the leaves of the Tulipa fosteriana which should come into flower in April.

Shining through the emerging leaves of the shrub Spiraea japonica 'Goldflame' which came from New Hopetoun Gardens.  Please forgive the wind torn plastic greenhouse in the background.

Shining through the sedge Carex buchananii - perhaps you can understand why I can't just yet bring myself to trim it even though there will be new growth in there just wanting to get going.

Shining down the side path illuminating the Narcissus 'Jetfire' mentioned before and the smaller Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete' in front of them.

And casting a mysterious shadow across the back garden.

This garden is my home and I love it.

Three cheers . . .