Pink and green harmony

As May comes to an end, the garden has turned lush and green. I'm so pleased at how the Double Late Foxtrot pink tulips I planted in autumn have opened up and put on a great show, even though they suffered a bit during the many late spring frost and hailstorms we've had. I will leave them in and see if they make a new appearance next spring too.

My pink garden furniture has moved out to the rose pergola, and slowly the border underneath it is coming to life. I must remember to plant more early spring bulbs here for next year... it is funny how the gaps in plantings show themselves and there is always room for improvement. I place my old cast iron rods in the gaps where I want more bulbs, as there is no way I will remember where exactly I had gaps in my plantings come autumn.

At Portvakten (the Gatekeepers Cottage) the big English border is growing like crazy, but as yet there are no blooms except for the blackcurrant bushes framing the edges. In a week or two the Allium Giganteum will put on a wonderful display, but as yet it is only a sea of green colours and forms. Here too I have placed decorative cast iron stakes to remind me where to plant more spring bulbs and for that I'm thinking May flowering narcissus to bridge the gap in early flowering blooms.

At Stensund I have planted different kinds of basil as well as two chilies in the pots by the kitchen door. Here the garden around the house is a bit more wild and unmanaged, and I let dandelions flower in the lawn. Dandelions are wonderful feeding plants for bees, butterflies, bumblebees and the insects so even though they are technically a weed they do have a place in my wildlife friendly garden.

This year we have been renovating a little guest house next to Stensund, enlarging the kitchen into a proper living area so that someone can live there all year round. Many, many moons ago it used to be the oldest sauna on the farm. Back then the room that is now the bedroom was a sauna and the room that is now the kitchen a cold storage for wood.

Back at Humlegård my menagerie has grown with the addition of some quails. They are funny little birds, not very clever but with Houdinis talent for escape artistry. They also don't lay eggs as the hens do in a neat collection in their little birdhouse, but randomly anywhere in the pen, so each day is like a treasure hunt. Both Boomer and Luna are quite keen to keep an eye on them and help catch the escapees... not a good combination! So I'm off to find more netting to try to make the outdoor playground even more bird proof.. Have a great weekend!