puddleshark

Yesterday a visit to Carey's Secret Garden, to see the progress of the restoration.

Outside the walls, there's a March gale roaring and shaking the trees. Within the walls, birdsong, almond blossom, bumblebees. And in those moments when the sun almost breaks through the cloud, warmth.

There's not much in flower. It is March, after all. Daffodils. Anemone blanda. Rosemary. Spurge.

Anemone blanda.

Rosemary.

Spurge.

Blossom on the fruit trees. Peaches, nectarines, apricots - non-hardy species that don't normally grow in this country, fan-trained against the south-facing wall.

And almonds! With bees!

Daffodils by the new Hugelkultur beds. "Hügelkultur, literally mound bed or mound culture is a horticultural technique where a mound constructed from decaying wood debris and other compostable biomass plant materials is planted as a raised bed." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCgelkultur

The withy tunnel in the Stumpery coming into leaf.

Crumble Corner ("...let's get ready to Crumble..."), newly planted with rhubarb, gooseberries, loganberries, various species of currant.

Pelargoniums in the greenhouse, waiting for summer.

And afterwards, a coffee, sitting listening to the wind blowing in the trees outside the walls. A chiffchaff singing.

Walking back through the woods to the car park, there's something unexpected in the trees: