May's garden treasures. Malvern, Worcestershire.

Tulip tarda

Tulips

Tulip and daffodil display

 May is the month when the garden really starts to come into its own. Colour appears everywhere, blossom on trees, clematis climbing, flowers in the tubs and flowers beds. The sights and smells are a treat for the senses.

Cherry blossom

Not only is the overall effect magnificent, but each individual bloom is a work of art in itself.  The detail is particularly easy to see in the detail of the aqualigias structure and contrasting coloured petals.

Clematis

Aqualigia purple

Aqualigia pink

Hosta

Purple tulip and allium flower bed

London blue

Yellow poppy

Blossom, Worcestershire.

Hawthorn Blossom also known as May Blossom

Pink Cherry Blossom

 I love blossom. Hawthorn Blossom is known as May Blossom and according to a little rhyme you shouldn't start digging your garden and planting things until the May blossom is out. 

White Cherry Blossom

I think what I love is the promise. Blossom means that spring is finally here and there should be no more frosty nights. Blossom promises a summer with cherries, plums, greengages, strawberries and over soft fruit and an autumn of  apples and pears.

Pear Blossom

I am hoping to have so much fruit this year that as well as just eating it straight from the tree that I can get a bit culinary with the excess. A freezer full of pies and crumbles, a larder full of jams, and some cider and perry. Yum.

Plum Blossom

Greengage Blossom

Priory Park, Lovely in spring sunshine, Malvern, Worcestershire.

Elephant ears flowers

Forsythia and ducks

General view

Heron fishing in the main pond

Formal beds with pond and bridge behind

Red quince

The Spring sunshine is delightful and the park is looking magnificent at this time of year. The flower beds are full of colour, yellow daffodils and forsythia, blue hyacinth, bluebells, purple fritallaria and elephant ear flowers, (sadly only know the common name and I am a little worried actually it may just be a nickname), red tulips and quince. Ornamental cherries and exotic magnolia fill the skies with blossom.

The park is well designed, with both large expansive areas and smaller secluded garden room sections. 

The large ponds are looking great as well and the ducks are very friendly. The pond used to have about twenty really huge fish in it as well as many much smaller ones. The last few times I have visited though, a heron has been in residence, and although the heron was still there I didn't manage to spot any of the larger fish. I expect they have eaten.  The park is well worth a visit at the moment as it is looking great.

Narnian Lamp and Magnolia in flower

Beautiful Bankholiday Bluebell Bonanza, Callow End, Worcester.

Bluebells

Wild garlic by the side of the stream

 The bluebells I had spotted on Malvern Wells Common and the first bluebell in my garden appearing yesterday made me excited about the prospect of a bank holiday walk with friends and family, so I thought I would check out the bluebell walk, (as described  in detail just over a week ago). I expected to find the wild garlic in flower, and so was surprised to see their heads still shrouded from bloom. Soon they will be beautiful- but not yet.

Hawthorn blossom

The hedgerows though are splashed with wide swaths of hawthorn blossom, also known as May
blossom and seen in folk lore as a good omen to a
 fruit full growing season.

The skies today are the azure blue of the Mediterranean sea, and brought back warm memories of holidays.

The azure blue sky and an old tree

The lambs are now much more self assured and are grouping themselves with their peers rather than hiding in mother sheep's shadow. They are stocky and have delightfully pudgy rolls of fat around their thighs and necks. Charmingly they gambol the very
 picture of robust health.

But the woods of course are the highlight. Delightfully dappled by the warm spring sunshine they are enchantingly mystic looking. A peacock butterfly flutters by grabbing my attention, and the song of birds fill my ears with angelic cheer. The bluebells are open. Not yet at full strength- but by the weekend they should be in their prime. Proper delicate English bluebells modestly hang their shy bonny blue heads. The intricate shape of these perfect bells so precise and artful, natures pure design.
 The woods adorned in these precious sapphire jewels
 could not be more lovely.

Blue bell detail

Dappled sunshine in bluebell wood

Aprils garden, beautiful things

Primrose

 April may have been cold, and flowers have suffered. Many which should be in full bloom are only just opening. There are however bright gems and jewels dotted around my garden, who's beauty illuminates the eyes and soul. 

A white, albino frittillery

The first tulip

Dotted about in my lawn are several types of naturalised bulb. The snowdrops are now a distant memory, but frittillery bloom in their place. Most of the frittillery are the snakes head variety, highly prized for the checker pattern of deep aubergine and paler purple. Some however are albino, and 
completely white. Whatever their colour they hang like curious anglepoise lantern.

Turks head lillies

Both the hyacinth and the smaller grape hyacinth are in their prime. The smaller grape variety form small clumps around the lawn. Both have a heavenly aroma.

Checker patterned Snakeshead Frittillery

The earliest of the tulip have opened. Less decorative than those that follow, they are closer 
to the original tulip cultivates.

Primrose, common easy to grow and with such a long flowering season are still performing beautifully, either the traditional yellow or the more modern purple, blues and reds.

Hellebore

Hellebore's, the Christmas Lanterns should really have all but disappeared by now, but maybe it is the unseasonably cool weather that has spurred them on to flower again.

The first blossom on the Victoria plum tree

 Just coming into season the fragile

Fat blossom buds on the greengage

 looking Turks head lily. These blooms are a reliable joy. They came free with an order about four years ago, and I was loathe to give them space. Every spring when they light up the little corner they were grudging planted in they bring me joy and do not deserve.

The trees are finally beginning to bloom. The pale beauty of the first blossom on the Victoria plum

Grape hyacinth

 are open, and the buds that bear the greengage and
 cherry blossoms are fat and round and expectant.
 I am hoping that this late start to the blossom
 season will mean the blossom will be safe from a
 late frost and that the harvest this year will be
 plentiful.

Newent and Dymock woods and nature reserves, Gloucestershire.

In Dymock Wood

Wild Primrose and Wood Anemones

Wood Anemone

 I thought I would share some more of the photos from my walk along the woods and nature reserves around Dymock and Newent. Yesterday's walk was just so delightful, and as well as the wide panoramic shots I shared, I also took detailed pictures of some of the flora.

Wild Watercress, (possibly)

As well as the native daffodils which the area is famed for, there are many other beautiful flowers. Here are just a few that I spotted.

Forsythia

There are a few who's names I am not certain of. I have had a go at identifying them though. The wild watercress I found in a book called food for free, but famously when that book was first published a reader died from accidental poisoning as they miss identified something.

Our native flora, almost always beautiful, but occasionally deadly.

Not quite sure, neither an anemone or buttercup

Flower on a clematis like woody vine

Apple Blossom

More beautiful things from Queenswood arboretum.

Nice blossom, possibly Quince

Detail shot of air roots

 Today I haven't had the chance to go anywhere. I thought I would share a few of the pictures that hadn't previously made the blog. The beautiful blossom had no label, and I wasn't sure what it was, other than beautiful. Chinese Quince is the name that keeps coming into my mind, but I am not confident that that is right. I think Chinese quince blossom maybe orange.

The roots, like fine hair, climbing up the host tree were just so lovely, and "drink" dew mostly. Nature can be quite fascinating.

The red wood I took a picture of simply because my son thought it looked like the tree had a thousand eyes. I think it's quite nice but what I really loved is how much my son liked it.

The panoramic shot was taken at the view point, and didn't really work as it was too overcast to see very much, but I rather liked the effect.

I just didn't want you to think I had forgotten you today.

The roots climbing up the host tree

A random pretty view

Red wood tree detail

Just quite a nice picture