Now are Evenings the best time to work in the garden

Just now it's too hot to work in the gardens in the middle of the day, so early mornings, or evenings.

Since the sun going down around 22:00 there is a good 4 hours to do some job.

Like shifting stones for a new path!

But first: The Great Globe Thistle opened up its first flower today and quickly the Bumble Bees where there, I love it, my garden is buzzing all day long as I hoped :D

And just below in the shadow is the Dahlia "Playa Blanca" brighten up with it's first flower as well

In my shadow garden behind the "barn" have some work been done, yes I do actually working in the garden as well as taking photos of pretty flowers, they all need a start :D

Some of You maybe remember the mudbath it was there when I started this spring, if not, here it IS

Digging new flowerbeds here is always intresting, and hard work. Since there wheren't any Garbage collecting in the old days, people digged holes in their garden and dumped the stuff there. I find a lot of animal bones, porcelain, rusty metal, corks,... but mostly rocks and slagstones.

The rounder rocks going to a new path in the large shadow flower bed, from the garden to the compost. I just fill up everytime I find one

My Yellow "Meadow-Rue"/"Aklejruta" is the first to bloom in the part to the west, but more is coming

It looks pretty empty now, but these plants will be pretty large so I space them out a bit and have planted a lot of different ground cover plants to keep the moist here in the future.

(far left is a willow from our cottage)

Here to the East have the Rhododendrons had their amazing show, and now it's the different Day Lillies time to show off. Here the "Bugle weed"/"Revsuga" quickly cover the ground.

Next to the shaddow flower bed is the Irisbed. My neighbor cats use this as their toilet so many Irises are gone :(, but I'm continuing my task and have planted a lower Pink/White Geranium to cover the ground here so the cats have to find somewhere else to do their dumps. The Geraniums will also give a soft contrast to the sharp Iris leafs.

The Willow to the left was a braided stick I bought at the Nordic Garden Fair from some Danes.

Here in the end of the "Mid Easter Report" You can see when I planted it!

I put it there for fun, and since it's the lowest most moist part of my garden so I thought I could use it to suck up some water.

It seems to like it there

Not being a Fuchsia Lover/Expert, this "Fuchsia Jubilee" makes me change my mind!

I love it by my evening coffee place and it's quickly growing to a small bush.

My first Garlic Harvest of the "Aglio Rossi di Sulmona" from Gourmetgarage

And with that it's time to get out and enjoy the sun&heat, Per!

Lupines everywhere & first Salad harvest

Just now there is Lupines everywhere around, and I also have a few in my garden but plan to have a small field of them together with Poppies, Digitalis and others next year.

Lövstabruks Manor House Park

Along the forrest roads

With The Early Bumblebee/Ängshumla in my garden

Yep, pretty much everywhere, it's a invasive flower in our landscape, but oh so beautiful

Excited over that I'm able to harvest my first greens from my garden (beside Rhubarbs), this is Salat and Spinache that I just topped with Basil infused Olive Oil, mmmh

The salad to the right is a mix from Gourmetgarage and to the left is the Spinache, somewhat nibbled on by Venisons, but I put in more seeds and hope for more.

Borlotto Beans, also from Gourmetgarage

Beet root, massacred by the neighbor cats, also here I put down more seeds :(

My Red Garlic Rossi di Sulmona from Gourmetgarage planted in the fall as the first veggies in my garden, so excited to see how they turn out. I have never had Garlic before and Anna at Goutmetgarage have been a patient supplier answering all my novice questions, like it was a heart surgery I was performing :D

My Potatoes growing quickly and to the right Red Onions

I have planted several Irises, what the neighbor cats haven't killed, some of the frostnights did, but there is still 7 kinds that survived, but only one blooming so far this year, and like a Paparazzi I did attack it from all angles and in all lights

But I also have wild Irises along my stream and in my Wood/Wetland in the back of the property

Most of my flowers are choosen to support the Bee & Bumblebee populations, but also for photography!

The Great Globe Thistle/Bolltistel, a long time photo favorite I got last fall from my friend Ann-Cathrin start to have beautiful green buds before they turn magnificent purple

And with that do I end today!

Have a great day, Per!

Wonderful feeling of Spring & Preparations for Climbing Roses & Peonies

Back in my garden after a hectic time in Stockholm where I worked with Jewellery during the viewings at Bukowskis Auction house "Fashion and Diamonds".

And what a comeback, sun and around +15C, fantastic and I used every second because it's soon cold again.

Along the south end of my house where it's now just graveled parking, I want climbing Roses and Peones. The roses because it's a two storey empty wall, only with my bedroom window on the second floor and I need something with height.

I already started with a Pink New Dawn in one corner last fall and it survived.

My plan is to plant in pallet collars instead of digging deep down in the compact graveled ground.

First assemble the natural untreated pallet collars

I glazed them black to match the buildings

I took away the gravel and put down the collars, leved and screwed the in the wall and to eachother

It start to look great! Next is to cover the inside with black plastic and drape the botton to let water through plus stop the weed. I will also dig out pits for the Peonies that I have ordered to be delivered in the fall.

Meanwhile I will have a lot of summer flowers and perennial flowers for the edges.

 On the left side have I planted the reliable Climbing Rose "New Dawn" that already coming fine, and I have ordered the Rose for the right side, the new "Iceberg Clg".

Fika break in the warm sun

 The Post woman came with a great delivery while I had my coffee: From Gourmet Garage did I receive exciting seeds; Borlotto Beans and a rare Salvia "Nana Blue". 

And as a really nice moving in gift from Anna at Gourmet Garage I got Lemon salt from Italy "Fior di Sale al Limone"

After the break did I take the bicycle to the north side of the village, there outside the gates in the forrest can this amazing field of Snowdrops be found, amazing! 

In the Manor house park did I find these Chionodoxa/Vårstjärna with the first Bee of the season :D

Today's Fika/coffee break with a Semla was special, the Post woman came with the newest issue of the Garden Magazine and a book I've been longing for: "Lundens Skugga" (In the shadow of the Woodland) by my friend Hannu Sarenström

That inspired me to clean up in the area where I plan my woodland, it's a huge task and will take some years to complete.

Today I discovered this little Daisy/Tusensköna in the lawn :D

I prepared one more pallet collar for the Garlic, with Coldpressed Linseed Oil

Inside my house do I have some branches I found in the forrest by a pile of logs, they are the bearer of spring :D

I have a small Walnut tree in a pot that I bought at the Hellekis Manor in Kinnekulle, it's going for it's 3rd year in a pot and seems to like it. It's too cold up here to plant it outside, so a Bonsai it will be.

I have been busy in the evenings re-planting all the Pelargoniums/Geraniums for the summer and are very grateful for my deep windows with a lot of space!

Have a great Spring All!

Regards, Per!