Our garden was largely developed by the people we bought the house off. They were extremely interested in acid- loving plants like azaleas and rhododendrons. They are not my favourite plants, but right now they are at their absolute peak and the garden looks amazing. I’m just going to paste in a few photos (taken with the iPad) and let them speak for themselves. Most of the flowers are unscented, but this gorgeous peachy orange variety has a delicious lily scent. 

Talking of lilies, the lily of the valley are also out now. These are one of my favourite plants, I look forward to this time of year for so many reasons, including asparagus, the first strawberries and of course the absolutely exquisite scent of these very delicate flowers. I will be picking a couple of bunches today to scent the house. They are also a tremendously useful ground cover plant as they grow well in dry shade under trees. The one problem is the leaves have a marked resemblance to wild garlic, a plant I also enjoy eating (mostly in the form of pesto) at this time of year. So pick with care!

Anyway, here’s a selection of our finest roddies

 and azaleas…

We have not planted any tulips here yet, but this autumn we’ll be doing a big order. They don’t last more than a few years and the ones a,ready here are getting past their best. 

These are my favourites right now, the last few remaining. I’m not normally a pink fan, but I really love the contrast with the acid yellow. I will be trying to replicate this combination… 

Now my coffee is ready and it’s time to get to work…