A Cornish Garden

St John's Wort, which grows like a weed in our garden, always blooms for the Feast Of  St John, which is celebrated in Penzance with the Mid Summer Golowan festival.  Golowan is a week long festival which culminates in a mad week-end of festivities! Saturday is Mazey Day, with street parades throughout the day. The fantastic models are made by the local schools. This year the theme is 'Back to the Future', and the festival is back after a 2 year break due to the dreaded virus.   Sunday is Quay Fair day, when the action moves down into the harbour area.

Well, the walls looked lovely covered in Bluebells and Wild Leek, but when they have finished, it is time for a good tidy up.  Out comes my little wheeled trolley, which I rely on as I cannot kneel anymore. Yes, there is a wall under there somewhere!  Also some Osteospermum which need some space. The patch of Bluebells has been left to die back, but now they are ready to be mowed.  First, of course, checking for baby hedgehogs as they like to nest in high grass. There is the wall!  the grass will soon pick up and more Osteospermum have been planted.  I am hoping for a good display this year. When it was in its full glory.  Sham it can't stay that way!  

A rather lovely, pink amaryllis that I have had for a few years.  It has already been divided to create another two plants. This was the Roller Garden, for obvious reasons!  A large pile of granite rocks were there, which are probably the remains of an ancient bridge across the river.  It therefore needed to be made into a rockery.  The rockery has now become home to my fairy garden.  I add to the collection every year, and this year I have added two wine glasses and an ice bucket to go on the little patio table.  The fox and the wheel barrow and the fairy having a chat with a rabbit. Another small table and chairs and a fairy asleep on her moss bed.  More new additions. Last new addition, spot the unicorn.  This was all very well, but a creature/creatures seem to be plodding across the garden at night and causing disruption.  The sleeping fairy has been tipped out of her bed and the ice bucket thrown off the table and one of the tiny bottles of wine has completely disappeared!  I will

  The Bluebells are out in perfusion, along with the Three Cornered Leek.  They spring up all over the lawn and borders, and we will just mow around them until they have died right back.  Pugsley is particularly interested in this patch because he found a visitor in there yesterday. The visitor - a hedgehog! The edges of the stream, also adorned.  I will wait until they have started to die back, and then I will have to tidy them up and allow the primroses to have centre stage.  They are a bit swamped at the moment.

  The first Acer in full foliage is glorious in the sunshine today, such attractive golden foliage.  This was here in a pot when we moved in and over the last 10 years has thrived.  It first became too big for the pot so we moved it to the edge of the rose garden, but it continued to thrive and became too large for that location, so it was moved to its present position against the Cornish hedge that is the front boundary of the property.  I would imagine that it is the variety japonicum 'Aureum'.  This is the third season in its current position, and at first it was not too happy, but it really seems to be thriving again this year, so here it will stay! There is another Acer behind the Aureum, and its history is the same.  First in a pot then moved to the other side of the rose garden.  It is thriving but its foliage appears quite a while later than its companion.  It, like all the Acers, is an attractive tree.  Its foliage starts green but changes to red. The shield bug also s

  This area is at the top of some steps  leading from our main patio area on the east side of the property.  The steps seen in the background lead up to the composting bins. This area has not been touched yet this year, so the pots need a good tidy up first.  Once the dead foliage is removed, I will leave them as there are bulbs coming up from previous years - tulips and daffodils.  There should be some lovely tulips including some of the parrot variety, a red and yellow flower and also a black one, that is if they survived the winter.  When the bulbs are done, I will put in some bedding plants. Next is clearing the weeds from the cracks between the slabs.  You can see the handy tool that I use laying on the patio.  You can also see my trolley. This handy little seat on wheels allows me to continue to do low level work as I can no longer kneel. The dirty pot you can see needs a good clean and refilling with water. It contains a floating fountain feature. All tidy.  On to the next job.