Spring Anemone - May 2016

We've had a gorgeous week so far this week, and with the fantastic weather has come the arrival of lots of new flowers to my garden.

I always think that summer isn't far away when the Anemones open, and this week my first one opened up to embrace the sunshine. I think it looks rather stunning, but I may be biased.

Clematis Montana - May 2016

The warm weather and bright sunny days also encouraged my Clematis Montana Mayleen to start flowering. This particular Clematis is supposed to be a prolific climber and is supposed to produce masses of these pinky white blooms, but this is the fist time I've had flowers on mine. I'm hoping that in a couple of years it will have engulfed my garden shed in blooms.

Tulip Ballerina Arrival - April 2016

I was hoping by the time I wrote this article that my Tulip Ballerina would have opened up its orange blooms, but it's still a couple of days away. You'll definitely be seeing it in all of its glory next week though.

Dark Tulip - May 2016

Another Tulip not quite there yet is this dark variety called Tulip Black Prince. As you can see, it's not actually black, but rather a very dark purple. Still quite stunning when it opens though. Again, look out for it in next week's post.

Frill Seeker - April 2016

One Tulip that has been performing very well for the past couple of weeks is Tulip Gold Dust. It's taken the fringed Tulip to new levels, and I think it looks fantastic.

Secrets Beyond - April 2016

I don't recall the variety of this pretty pink Tulip, but when viewed from above it looks more like a Wild Rose than a Tulip.

Removing Barriers - May 2016

To complete the Tulip parade this week, this more conventional looking bloom gave me a helping hand by lowering one of its petals, so I could get a better peek inside.

Blue Star - April 2016

You may remember me writing about a cold snap we had in the weather last week? In the article I bemoaned the fact that my Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) bulbs were remaining underground. Well, the late frosts seemed to have done the trick, and encouraged a couple of dozen of these pretty little plants to reveal themselves.

Title - April 2016

My California Lilac (Ceanothus) bush is now in full flower, and its mass of blue blossom looks fantastic. However, I took the opportunity to zoom right in on an individual floret, and discover just how intricate the tiny structures are.

Hanging Around - May 2016

One of my favourite plants made its return this week. I was wondering where it had got to, but my Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) had been hiding beneath the leaves of the very Anemone you can see at the top of this post.

Hebe Hello - May 2016

The small Hebe bush I have planted in a large concrete pot also returned to bloom this week. It should soon be covered in masses of these small white flowers, and they should remain for the next couple of months.

Nemesia Buds - May 2016

This Nemesia isn't so much a returning guest as a permanent resident. It has been in flower since I planted it last summer and has survived all attempts by the weather to dissuade it from remaining in flower. This week I gave it a bit of a trim to reveal new flower buds.

Blueberry Blossom - May 2016

Last year I decided to have a go at growing Blueberries, but didn't have much luck. Although the plants had attractive looking leaves, they didn't produce any blossom, and therefore no blueberries. This year may be a different story, as the blossom is already present.

Cherry Blossom Forming - May 2016

So far I've concentrated on my own garden, but last weekend saw the first buds forming on my dad's Cherry Tree (Prunus). It shouldn't be long before the whole tree will be covered in lovely pinky white coloured blossom.

The Last One - May 2016

It had to happen, but the Camellia has finally stopped producing new flower buds, and this will be the final flower of the season. I still can't believe that this one shrub has produced flowers since early in January! It will be missed - until next year!

Calling Out - May 2016

As always, during the photo shoot at my dad's, I was accompanied by this cute fellow. Always the showman, he was pleased to pose for a few snaps during our shoot!

Birthday Bouquet - May 2016

Finally, I wanted to show the bouquet of flowers bought to commemorate my mum's birthday last week. They opened up into something she would have really enjoyed looking at.

So, it was a busy start to the beginning of May, with lots going on in the garden. However, there was one clear winner for my Image of the Week, and it was easy to select Spring Anemone, simply because the flowers are just so photogenic...