Yesterday was St Davids Day here in Wales,

Unfortunately my hosting company had a problem with one of their servers so I was unable to post yesterday

So a belated

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant

Happy St Davids Day

This is a post of two parts.

Yesterday was St Davids Day here in Wales,

Unfortunately my hosting company had a problem with one of their servers so I was unable to post yesterday

So a belated

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant

Happy St Davids Day

The Clock House, Barmouth

At the beginning of February I decided to follow 12 blogs more closely for a month.

This worked well for me and I enjoyed it.

So for March I have picked another 12 to follow.

Again a mix of familiar (to me) faces and some

New (to me) blogs

My March reading list is:-

Staying with the welsh theme Welsh HIlls Again

Frances – Faire Garden, Frances, now you will get comments from me not silent visits!

Midnight Brambling, Lia Leendertz’s new blog.

If you read just one of her posts make it “The Horticultural is political”

Bush Bernie’s Garden Blog, Bernie is in Australia and it is the first day of Autumn there.

Anne Tannes Kruidenklets – ecological and wildlife gardening

Notes from a Somerset Garden, A blog I have been enjoying for some time now.

Claire at Plant Passion – some useful gardening knowledge can be found here.

Emma Bond at The Orchid Studio again another blog I would like to get to know better.

The Idiot Gardener, who has a very individual style

Flowerpot, who I am not sure posts very often, but her images of labyrinths have ensured she goes into my google reader just in case …

The last two new blogs that I would like to draw your attention to are more food orientated:-

My friend Christina now lives in Viterbo Italy.  She is both a fantastic cook and a garden designer.

She has set up a blog together with Donica Mesing, if you like Italy and food go visit Buonaforchetta

The last blog on my list to-day, is published by a certain “JD” and is called The Fourth Plate, it is thoughts about “life in the pursuit of food”

I enjoyed my February Blog Reads – the links for those blogs can be found in the “Monthly Reads 2010″ tab at the top of the page.

As it has been too cold to do the roof – it is currently covered with a blue tarpaulin.

It is similar to my studio, so when it is [...]]]>

The main change in the overview of my garden this month, is that our neighbors have built a chalet in their garden.

As it has been too cold to do the roof – it is currently covered with a blue tarpaulin.

It is similar to my studio, so when it is finished I am sure it will be fine.

There has been no change at all to the middle pond area, or the top garden.

I am growing things like mad to plant in these areas later in the summer

These are just a few of the many, many seed-trays that are sharing the house with us at the moment.

The area that has received most of our attention has been the new kitchen garden.

As you will see from the picture above – there are still a few areas which are rather rubbish …..

But the new beds are (mostly) built and we have started filling them up with soil and compost.

And I have even marked out the position of the lettuce plants in the furthest bed

But, perhaps most importantly, we have got our chairs in place!

The next image gives your a clearer understanding of how the new kitchen garden is slightly lower than the rest of the garden

Which is why the pattern the raised beds create is important to me.

There is still one more small bed to go in the very center.

Shedman’s seat is on the right of the picture – you can tell this by the handy pick-axe next to the chair.

I fully intend to go into more detail about the decision making process for the raised beds in a later post.

The “End of the Month Views” are brought to you by Helen The Patient Gardener

It is a great way to observe the changes in all or part of the garden so why not join in, post your end of the month views

And leave a comment on Helen’s End of the Month View post.

So happy to-day.

My second double hellebore opened

Isn’t she beautiful.

Yes, I had to lie on the ground again.

But fortunately it was another beautiful, if somewhat chilly day.

Living where I do – I think I have mentioned before that my garden has its own lovely little micro-climate.

It can snow in 10 miles up the coast – or 10 miles down the coast …

But here in an Artist’s Garden – no snow.

It comes [...]]]>

Living where I do – I think I have mentioned before that my garden has its own lovely little micro-climate.

It can snow in 10 miles up the coast – or 10 miles down the coast …

But here in an Artist’s Garden – no snow.

It comes as a surprise when I go out for a walk and see the mountains covered with snow.

Unfortunately despite the wonderful weather we have been having for the past few weeks, I don’t have many flowers in the [...]]]>

Two days late for Bloomday – Monday it was raining, and yesterday I was away from home all-day – but to-day was a beautiful day, with blue, blue sky and sunshine.

Unfortunately despite the wonderful weather we have been having for the past few weeks, I don’t have many flowers in the garden. The primulas, pulmonaria and the majority of the hellebore have not flowered yet. The daffodils are barely pushing their noses above the ground, and of course this year I don’t have the outrageously pink Camellia any more.

The daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ gently scents the garden

Structure and colour is still to be found in the old flower-heads of the sedum -

Although tomorrow I will cut them back as new growth is now emerging at the base.

However, my patience has been rewarded by the snowdrops – who have now spread from the original 5 to about 12 (way to go!)

Also by euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ – which I brought with me from my last house. It has never really thrived here – but last year I managed to find a part of the garden that was relatively well drained – and the euphorbia is starting to recover.

The biggest reward however has been two of my hellebores.

A small hellebore ‘foetidus’ that I bought three years ago is now flowering.

I think that it looks much better in reality than it does in the photograph – the lime green flowers light up the garden.

Although its common name is “stinking hellebore” I have not crushed the leaves to find out how bad it smells.

My real joy is the fact that my first double hellebore has flowered – the plant is very small and the bloom is resolutely pointing down

I did wonder whether I should pick the flower and float it in a bowl of water ……

Or to lie down on the soil and try and get the shot

Thanks go to Carol May Dreams Garden for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – and this February marks the begining of the 4th year of Carols sucessful meme