At the end of December I took you on a frosty walk around our garden. This month I plan another walk around the garden but this time going in the reverse direction taking in the different views as we progress around. The old kitchen garden divides the garden making circular walks the best way to see the whole garden.
This is the view you get as you enter the garden through a gate in the garden wall. The lovely tulips are Tulip Ballerina. The urn is designed to be a focal point as you enter. In fact when the plants have grown up in the summer the view of the garden is restricted making an element of surprise as you walk in.
From this point, with the urn on our right, we can see diagonally across to the steps which provide access to the higher level lawn. The Tulip Red Impression is continuing to create a good display.
As we move further into the garden it begins to open up. In the distance you can just see small lake which used to be the fish ponds for the rectory that was next door.
Further still on the paved area we get a different view down the garden past the tree that got damaged recently in a storm. Behind us is the back door of our house with a number of climbing roses on the walls.
This one is Rosa Old Blush China. Actually it is not meant to be a climber but if it wants to climb I happy with that. 
Next to Rosa Old Blush China is Rosa Madame Alfred Carriere. These two roses are both flowering very early this year.
Going up the steps on to the higher lawn we get to the spot where my classic End of Month View is taken. (See January, March, October, September, August)The tulips are continuing to put on a display and the aliums are just beginning to open up.
The blossom on the apple tree is out and looking good despite the storm damage.
Behind us is an area, beneath some large lime trees, which we treat as a woodland garden. We have made some cobble paths here to enable easy access. A seat provides an interesting viewing place across the garden.
Continuing on around the garden we can see the end of the garden wall on the right.
In the circular bed as well as the Brunnera Mr. Morse, Tulip Hageri Splendens is now in flower.
Tulip Hageri Splendens
We have now come round to the bottom right hand corner of the garden and are looking up behind the garden wall. The planting here is mainly shrubs designed for relatively easy maintenance.
Continuing on and just before the first yew hedge there is a small pond on the left. This pond has been designed to be very nature friendly with a sloping edges enabling easy access to the water and an easy escape route should something fall in!
Having walked along behind the wall we get to a small grass lawn and flower bed. The Geranium himalayense has just started to flower and looks great with the tulips. The bed is called Ivy’s bed after the lady that lives in the cottage over looking the border.
Across the lawn we get to the Italianate area. Twenty years ago this was all paddock and we added the pond and landscaping. As I mentioned, in 2016 the pond developed a leak and a major repair job was done. With this disruption we decided to renovate the whole area.
The gravel borders were contained with wooden edging and this had rotted away. These are being replaced with metal edging and the gravel, into which the garden had been growing, is all being cleaned up! The obelisks each have had a rose planted in their centre to grow up with clematis. Work has yet to be done on the joints between the paviours which need cleaning and re-pointing.
The seat by the pond is one of our ‘gin & tonic’ seats and this is the view from there. With all the work on the pond it is going to take a year to stabilise.
The little green house at the end of this area is even fuller and there will soon be standing room only!
Looking back at the ‘gin & tonic’ seat the Carpinus betulus Frans Fontaine columns are just coming into leaf.
Having completed the tour we get to the shady border by the end of the house with Erythronium Pagoda, various hostas and ferns providing the main planting.
| Gardening Hours | ||
| This week | Total since June 19th | Average per week |
| 27 | 778 | 17 |
Do have a look at Helen The Patient Gardener’s blog where you will find links to other gardens at the end of April. Thank you to Helen for hosting this meme.
Some of the smaller plants are also putting on a spring display. Euphorbia myrsinites is technically in flower but the effect is a foliage delight.
And similarly Euphorbia griffithii Dixter is in flower but look at the leaves which are green stained with red giving a huge pallet of colour.
This cardoon Cynara cardunculus has come from nowhere in a week!
Fatsia japonica never really loses its leaves but in spring the new growth is refreshing and very architectural.
Aruncus dioicus is an herbaceous plant that is cut down in the winter and is now coming back quickly for a summer display.
These Betula ermanii were planted a few years ago in groups of three which will eventually grow together. When they were planted the bark was a bronze brown colour but as they grow they are developing a warm silver bark. These have been jet washed to maximise their colour.
Another flash of gold from Sambucus racemosa Sutherland Gold 
The side of our house is very shaded and we really focus on ferns, hostas and rodgersia. The snowdrops are long over but we have planted Erythronium Pagoda commonly known as dog’s tooth violet ‘Pagoda’ due to the shape of the tuber.
At this time of year there are plenty of leaves as well as the delightful flowers. 
Once the flowers are over the leaves decay very quickly.
This one is Epimedium Akebono. 
Here they have been planted beneath a standard rose in a planter. Planting like this was a bit experimental last year but so far it is looking good.
and the flowers are delightful.
Elsewhere we have Epimedium x versiclour Sulphureum planted around the base of a tree. This seems to work very well in an area which is often dry and shaded.
Lastly we have 
which is one of those plants that we were given without a name. On the 
In this circular bed we have created a ribbon of plants going through the middle. Over the spring these change from Iris Reticualata, to Anemone Blanda White Splendour, to Brunnera Mr. Morse now and in the future Tulip Hageri Splendens (sorry I used the tulip word but they are not out yet!) and then Anemone Wild Swan. 
Brunnera Mr. Morse is a very nice Brunnera, similar to Brunnera Jack Frost but with dainty white flowers.
This time a shrub; Viburnum carlesii Diana .
The scent from these flowers is outstanding.
Fruit trees are in blossom everywhere. This is a Morello Cherry which is considered the best sour cooking cherry for the UK.
Tulips have really come out this week. For many years we have planted Tulip Red Impression all along the left hand border to our garden. It is hard to get the effect in one photograph but standing looking at the display with the sunlight shining across the flowers is just magical. Most of them come up each year but we look for any gaps and replenish them. Probably we plant around 100 extra Red impression each year plus many other tulips and bulbs. See blog with 
Looking along the same border. There is a small cobble path running through this part of the border although it is covered in twigs from the tree above (another job waiting to be done).
The same border with Anemone Blanda Atrocoerulea and Leucojum Aestivum 
Leucojum Aestivum which resembles a snowdrop but is much larger. Worth a space in any garden.
Looking from the back of the same border.
Another part of the same border.
Tulip Turkestanica a species of tulip native to central Asia. It was first described by Eduard August von Regel in 1873 as a variety of T. sylvestris, then elevated to full species status two years later.
Tulip Turkestanica on the edge of the “Dingly Dell” border which is actually at the back of the Japanese border.
Another tulip species, Tulip Humilis
Tulip Ballerina lining the path to the pergola with Tulip Apricot Impression in the background.
Close up of the lovely Tulip Ballerina 
Sitting under the pergola looking towards the corner bed. Tulip Gavota in the foreground.
From the pergola across the main lawn with Tulip Ballerina in the foreground.
Tulip Ad Rem at the back of the corner bed. When the sun comes out Tulip Ad Rem really fluoresces.
Tulip Apricot Impression together with many alliums.
Tulip Purissima (white) and Tulip Beauty Queen (pink) both plant in 2007
Tulip Indian Summer and it has a wonderful perfume a bit like wallflowers.
A final view across to the border full of Tulip Red Impression with the evening shadows across the lawn.
As I walked back to the house I noticed that Rosa Old Blush China had started flowering
Glebe House Garden 