The weather has been remarkable this week. Even more remarkable is that I am hoping it rains tonight. There is a slim chance we might get a shower but I would really like a good downpour. On the other hand the sunshine does make the garden look good even though the dry ‘soil’ makes it difficult to chip out the weeds.

I planted a few alliums last autumn to add to those already in the garden. The most mysterious was ‘Party Balloons’ which seems to be a pretty standard ‘purple ball’ allium but with the difference that each bulb produces two or three stems. My three bulbs each produced two stems. It is nice because it is not too tall. Other new additions are not yet in bloom. I did finally add ‘Summer Drummer’ which is most notable for being very late. I am not enamoured with the rather small, dour, flower heads and at the moment the long, scrappy foliage makes it look look like I stupidly put some leeks in the border. At least the bees will be happy later in the season and maybe I will too.

In the part shade of the ‘Freya’ crab apple, ‘Globemaster’ is still being magnificent, five years after planting. It really should not be this good, the base rather overwhelmed with crucianella, but it does help disguise the unsightly allium foliage.

There are happy little moments around the garden this week. By the seaside garden the Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ is at last beautiful, after three years. It was a gangly, awkward youngster but is now maturing wonderfully. The foliage is really silver and right now there is the bonus of the perfume of the small, ‘square’ yellow flowers. The scent is wafting on the air in the unseasonable warmth and is spicy and exciting.

Star of the garden is surely Helianthemum ‘Hartswood Ruby’. It is a remarkable little plant that flowers on and on. It counters my unconscious predilection for pale colours and is gloriously red! I must take cuttings later and I need to add more helianthemums. I really must.

And now in their third year, the crataegus ‘Crimson Cloud’ are becoming small trees and flowering well. One is even beside some purple beech in the hedge and looks especially good. The beech did not like my awful soil and the hedge has been ‘infilled’ with hornbeam where beech died. So the hedge is mostly hornbeam with splashes of purple.

This area is finally becoming enclosed. The formality is supposed to be a contrast to previous areas and make the bedding plants in the box bed a surprise – though to whom I am not sure since I just planted all the bedding! The box were moved in early spring because a lot were lost to blight. So the intricate (LOL) pattern is now just an edging. It was my fault because I planted flowers too close to the box and it swamped them and stopped air and light getting to the foliage – thus box blight.

But I am so pleased that the hedges are now dividing the area successfully. And providing shade on these wonderful sunny days.

allium globemaster, allium party balloons, crataegus crimson cloud, Crucianella stylosa, elaeagnus quicksilver, flowers, garden, gardening, helianthemum hartswood ruby, Plants, spring