I have always loved magnolias but, sadly, this Magnolia stellata is the only that I have managed not to kill since I moved here. It is in a well-protected corner of the garden and as other areas mature I hope that I will have a chance to plant a few more varieties.
The leaves of the Magnolia stellata always have a crumpled look and hide hidden gems until they unfold.
One of the things that I like on a foggy morning is the collaboration with spiders to provide dramatic web patterns as on this gate to the driveway.
White is one of the predominant colours at the moment, as the blackthorn bushes start to flower. A number of shrubs have seeded themselves in the field and garden. I need to find out how to manage them before they take over.
The rare blue skies can be just as dramatic as the fog, as my new fence/sculpture and trees show. This is not surprising as the trees are in such an exposed position. They are usually some of the last to come into leaf and at least one has died from ash dieback, leaving a gap to be filled.
Another gem from ‘horsefly heaven’ and a favourite with the bumble bees. This Pieris japonica is in full flower and demonstrates the advantage of shelter and good soil. Its counterpart in the upper garden is way behind.
The camellias are still providing some colour, although it will be a few more years before they are mature enough to make a dramatic splash.
This is another picture of the walls in my field that I am trying to emphasise in my planting. I have decided to plant six silver birch and a native holly in this corner in the hope that the dark green will enhance the silver and grey tones.
Even the dandelions are following the white theme and are already going to seed. They do it with such flair.
This hooded crow and its partner have been spending some of their time perched at the top of my pine trees. Last year, I watched a pair stagger in flight with two-foot-long branches as they started to build a nest close to the top. If I could, I would have warned them that it was probably too precarious a position for a nest which was why there had never been any to date. Sadly, the partial nest came down with a branch in the next storm. Luckily there were no eggs in it but I felt sorry for their wasted effort.
I always love it when I find a new wild ‘flower’, in the garden. This field woodrush Luzula campestris (Good Friday grass) has turned up at the bottom of the driveway.
The flower of the field woodrush is so tiny that I almost missed it and it was the tiny yellow anthers that caught my attention. I will now have to section it off to prevent the postman from accidentally trampling it down before it can spread.
At last, I have been able to remove the plastic from my new shrubbery and cover the area with much more attractive homegrown mulch.
I am also trying to use hydrangea prunings to construct small wood barriers. The drystone wall in the background is the original wall and I rather like its aged appearance.