2025/24 - May flowers, what's not to love?

 Website: Renée Grashoff Schrijft for the latest blog about my novel.

Three days of rain (and one storm unfortunately) and my parched desert garden has rediscovered her oomph!

Even the frog pond has filled again, rescuing my beloved Waterlily from a nasty thirsty death. 

This is the view from the other side. All those aquatic plants you see were wilting in the drying up slush.

My Iris are happy as well, eventhough they were alright with the lack of rain. This is called 'Sultry Mood.

The Bearded Lily was the first to bloom, and is still going strong. I hope the three new ones, babies really, I planted in the border next to my greenhouse in October will be as lovely as this one. Their colour will be a surprise, they didn't come with a label.

This is that border (to the left; to the right is the plot of my neighbour who lets it go to ruin). In spring my border is gorgeous, filled with spring bulbs, but then there is a huge gap until the Hydrangeas start to flower. So I thought to fill the gap(s, literally) with Hemerocallis and Bearded Lily. Smart, eh?

Look who greeted me on that path. There were two, but the other one didn't want to pose. In Dutch this butterfly is called a Kleine Vos (little fox), Aglais urticae. They lay their eggs on nettles, so I make sure I leave them a patch near the rhubarb. They are one of the most common butterflies in my garden, but I am always chuffed to see them.

Sorry, my camera could not deal very well with the glowing white of Schneewitchen... But I wanted to show you anyway. It makes a lovely combination with the Valerian and Nigella, don't you think?

The giant Fennel has self-seeded on both sides of the planter, but I'll leave it. I love the scent, and I save the seeds for cooking, so three are better than one. All plants on this patch are self-seeders, and I let them do their thing.

This Sisyrinchium striatum (Bieslelie in Dutch) or Carex flava, is looking better than ever. Two years ago it struggled to establish, but look at it now, eh?

The Valerian has made itself at home all over the garden, both in red and white.

It tolerated the lack of water. The Aliums did not...they have failed to show themselves, there are only three left. But the spiked leaves of the Crocosmia are promising.

The Heuchera, looking brittle and sad, have rallied. Such a lovely colour, this 'Palace Purple'. I am on the fence about that latest colour to come from the nurseries though, too unnatural.

Here you are, one of the three Aliums in amongst the Sweet William.

And thus ended my gardening, as the next shower blew in very fast on that SW wind...

Have a great weekend, won't you? And check out my website when you have a moment.

Renée Grashoff