Lunch break

There's wildflowers and there's weeds. I think our garden is a wonderful mix of wildflowers including


bluebells...



and bleeding hearts.

There some plants that are just annoying but which are beautiful despite their nuisance factor.

bracken which spreads slowly but surely...


the quince japonica which sends little treelets up everywhere in the surrounding garden...



And, then, there's the buttercup. Every spring, we spend hours uprooting these persistent plants. Unlike the glorious (and well-behaved) dandelion, the buttercup is like an infiltrating army. Leave one and before you know it there's a hundred. If they didn't choke things out, I wouldn't be so determined. But look at our poor parsley which managed to survive the winter. I have to dig up the good and the bad then replant. It's the only way.

Joy!

This morning I walked outside and there was spring. The garden has rebounded from the ice and snow. I couldn't resist taking some photos of the strong crocuses which force their shoots up through the tough old rhododendron leaves.

And the beautiful snowdrops which don't last very long. Our colony is slowly growing. It's not quite a drift in its space but, definitely,is starting a trend.

I was also very glad to see that our beautiful white clematis survived the winter in its container. There are two nice strong buds growing on otherwise dead-looking branches.

My daughter informed me that a garden with lots of dandelions indicates good soil. Well, we don't have many dandelions and I thought it was because we routed them out quite quickly. (This despite the fact that they are probably my all-time favorite flower.) We do have, even this early, a whole ton of buttercups which prosper in our soil. I wonder what that indicates?

The garden work calls...it's very loud today.