It’s a lovely time in the flower garden now that we have plenty of colour again. The daffodils were really good this year, except that the very dry weather in mid-April didn’t suit them and they only lasted a short time. Now the borders are full of their green leaves and despite them being a bit of a mess, it’s not a good idea to cut them back. We will have to be patient until they die back naturally and only then can the borders be replenished with summer plants.

The tulips are in full bloom and they don’t last very long either. There is a mixture of the lovely blue forget-me-nots that I am very fond of as I brought them from my mother’s garden many moons ago. They are still going strong as the plant self-seeds and has to be hoed out to keep it from taking over.

The shrubs are also coming into bloom, with delicate peony blossoms now appearing. We have two in red and one of yellow, and I prefer the yellow one. Another shrub coming in bloom is the lantern tree with its dainty flowers hanging downwards.

We have three flowering cherry trees and they were laden with blossoms. Sadly the harsh east wind over the latter part of April played havoc with them and a lot of blooms ended up on the ground. Another great shrub is the flowering currant, with an old time favourite – the lilac – coming next, followed by the white orange blossom which gives a lovely perfume around the garden.

It was not a very good spring in the vegetable garden as April started off wet and cold. This was followed by a very dry spell in the middle of the month, with harsh east winds at the end, along with severe frost at night. This weather didn’t suit early potatoes and as they were just coming up, they had to be covered every night. This knocks them back a bit, but hopefully the worst is over.

All that’s needed now is a bit of mild weather and plants will get going. We have cabbage, Brussels sprouts and Savoy all ready to transplant. The runner beans are on lay-by in pots for frost-free weather before they will be transplanted.

Just to remind readers that Bloom is here again next week. Hope to see you there.

Email me at lilysgarden1@gmail.com.