It was a beautiful day today, warm and sunny, an ideal day for working outdoors. I’m not a very early riser but I was up at 7.30 today, woken by the feeling that is was going to be one of those perfect days.
The garden is green and fresh and feels so vibrant right now. One can almost see things growing. The old cottage garden favourite Granny’s Bonnet or Columbine has burst into bloom. It all over the garden in shades of blues, pinks and creams. Luckily I like it very much.
The Tulips are still giving some colour too. These are late partly because of the cold Spring but also because they were planted late, a bargain buy in the January sales.
Most of the day was spent working on this bed. I planted about 30 plants in here, all grown from cuttings from my old garden. The exception being the Maple planted at the top, the dogs are admiring it here, this was a birthday present from my Mother.
This is the same bed about a month ago. A good transformation I think. After everything was planted, I mulched the bed with wilted grass clippings. These will keep the weeds down, hold the moisture and feed the plants as it rots down. I watered everything when the Sun went down, first with water and then with a manure tea. That will feed everything and also get the soil microbes active.
As I was planting I hit rock a few times. Further investigation revealed some lovely flat stones. These will be used in another part of the garden as stepping stones.
Sitting on the verandah in the cool of the evening and I’m still enchanted by the day and the lovely way the long Spring is sliding nicely into Summer. Hopefully there will be many more days like this one.
fromacountrycottage 
Love your daily Garden blog a beautiful place to be..Blessings to you both x
Thanks Tina…hope to get to see you soon. x
We all deserve a few of those days where you wake thinking you went to sleep too soon and that something perfect is about to happen.
They’re great are’nt they. When you get one though you just want more.
Everything’s looking gorgeous and lush in your garden, Bridget. Yes, today was a gloriously sunshine-filled day…and even warm! Ireland is transformed into another country altogether when the sun is out. People are out and about, in good form, with smiles on their faces, along with their tee shirts and sunglasses. Amazing how much it differs today from yesterday’s cold and grey and wet weather. I think we’re well deserving of this fine weather today – long may it continue. And I’m thinking that hey – maybe that special mass that was said last Wednesday in Ballyhaunis worked some magic from ‘on high,’ as well. 🙂
Long may it continue indeed. Fingers crossed. x
Great work on that bed,Bridget.Everything looks really vibrant in your garden. It was a beautiful day down south in Cork also.I was outside til 8.30p.m. Hoping tomorrow is just as nice 🙂
Nice! Glad to see the weather is good. I was beginning to feel guilty because all I was hearing were the usual tales of woe. New bed looks great.
Thanks Rich! Weather has’nt been too bad of late. Quite a bit of rain but isn’t that what makes Ireland so green and lovely.
I usually spend half the summer longing for more rain. We should get regular afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains here, but the weather patterns have been messed up for the past few years. Several summers in drought.
The spring was wet, however, so things are alright at the mo.
What awesome yard you have — all sorts of plants and trees and green and not just lawn. Do you get lots of weed or do you have to spend time weeding?
Everything is planted fairly close together so that helps keep the weeds down. I’m not obsessive about weeding although I do like to keep the veg area clear. Don’t want anthing interfering with the precious crops.
Lovely post. It’s cold and wet here so it’s your turn for some sunshine 🙂
it was a beautiful day wasn’t it Bridget and today is looking good too, I’m going into the garden very soon while I can,
the transformation of your new bed looks amazing, I have stoped using grass cuttings as a mulch here because I found the slugs can hide in them then either they eat plants or the birds chuck the mulch every where getting at the slugs! I expect where you are the worms soon take the grass down and feed the soil,
how wonderful to have aquiligias poping up at random around the garden, I think they are beautiful, nice to find flat stones as well as lumpy ones, here’s to many more nice days, Frances
A lot of the plants I use are fairly big, mostly propogated from my own garden last year. Slugs, in my experience tend to go for the smaller plants. Apart from Ligularia…they just love that at any stage…so the battle is on.
Hi Bridget, I love the view from your verandah, it really is a peaceful sight. I love those ferns in the metal bucket in particular. The bed has really improved with the new plantings but I guess the dogs already told you…
The dogs are delighted with it all Alberto and love sunbathing on the mulch.
My dogs and cat also love to nap on the mulch, I shall try it too…
What a lovely post! It sounds like a perfect day, spent out among all of your good work! Plantings and beds are looking wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
and today is sunny too. No guesses needed as to what I am doing…
Bridget I love your lush gardens and those columbines…that circular bed is coming along quite nicely!
AWESOME!!!