More path

Today I continued working on the path I started yesterday. I had to dig deep grass further to the right. It is slow work and my back is broken.
I had a lovage and a pineapple sage in pots for a while, since these get so big, I couldn't decide where to put them. Lying down paths makes decisions easier, as I can visualise better how things will go further from here.

I collected some muscari (grape hyacinth) seeds from the ripe pods.

The white muscari I planted some time ago have completely disappeared. I think the shredded branch mulch is serving as shelter for slugs. I collected 4 or 5 sugar snap peas and that's all the slugs and snails have left of the pea plants, and all the beans have disappeared as well (also mulched). So... I think I have to find another way. Perhaps grit. Sigh.
Well, the insane amount of rain we've been having is surreal as well.

At least not all strawberries have been munched:

We aren't having tomatoes in full ground this year, and perhaps in years to come. Mine were sown way too late and are very small still. We got these two from my in-laws. The redneck roof went back up again over the unfinished terrace to protect them from the rain.

Fig and other stuff

This one's from last weekend, we got hail:

This is a couple of days ago:

It froze at night. I put a fleece over the apple blossoms as a precaution.

And then I found this large bulb in the basket. Oops.
Peruvian daffodil. Been there for nearly two weeks.
Large! I planted it near the hyacinths.

All of these which follow I took today. It was a sunny day and all creatures were lazily sunning themselves.

Well, some were busy with lovemaking! video here.

Eyes!

Redcurrant

Hyacinths

Apple blossoms

Fig leaves

Peony

Wild strawberries

I planted some pole beans around these branches.

We'll see.

We dug out the fig again, the roots were still holding up nicely as they were in the pot. Pim dug a hole (about 60 cm cube, bit wider), we poured rubble (we got plenty) on the bottom, I lined the walls with recycled bricks (also got many), we then planted it back in.

This pallet has been a huge hit with the insects. I've never seen so many ladybugs together.
They are always crawling around it, sunning themselves, sheltering in the crannies.
Many other bugs are also always crawling around, lots of spiders!

Some Lensbaby indulgence, and...

I took out the Lensbaby today! I just love this lens. There's also a few taken with the 50mm and the 100mm macro. Guess which is which ;P

Some cherry tomato seedlings sprouted

And lettuce

I still need to plant these! I have no idea where to put the lavender...
Wheat will be the herb garden is now a mountain of soil.

These guys! We left a large pallet on the grass, and ladybugs seem to have
made a home out of it. At any time there are lots of them around!

At some point the strawberry bed got weeded and bedded with
the chippered branches from the willow tree we coppiced

I just like this overexposed blurry mess

White muscari waiting to be planted, I wanted white ones for a long time!

Some tulips from some bulb mix and roses

Louvre hyacinth

Hawthorn <3

Fern fronds

Fern fronds

More of the tulip-like-whatevers

Ginesta <3

A blue snail! apparently these eat the eggs of other snails (and other things).
Oxychilus alliarius. "Garlic snail", I think. 

We've been out in the garden most of the day (at it has been raining on and off all day also). Pim digging the terrace up, me just... what have I done today really? I don't know where the hours went, only planted the hazelnuts and the Japanese quince, and by the end and Pim had to help me dig and bring in soil and chips.

Been walking up and down a lot for sure, trying to visualise the "landscape", the view from every corner, thinking how to lay down the paths and beds and masses of plants and all that.

Since I wanted to plant the new bushes at the back, in what will be "room" 3 of the garden, I finally stopped wandering around, grabbed the hose and tried to lay down paths for that area before I decided where to plant.

I want to divide the garden in three chunks, since it is narrow and super long (5 to 8 metres wide by about 40 long). The first part will be the terrace (eventually we will build a conservatory over part of this large terrace) and kitchen (herb) garden. Second, orchard and vegetable garden. Third, berry orchard and shady fern corner.

So anyhow, I had a huge pile of old branches just where I wanted to plant the bushes, so I had to untangle the partially rotted mess and move it elsewhere (close to the hedge which will be a long term project anyway). That took me a while. As I worked I also picked out the bucketful of snails that were resting there and placed them elsewhere.

So finally the grass gor removed, the bushes got planted, the soil topped, the chips spread. By then it was pouring so I snapped a quick one with my phone:

Incredibly impressive eh? looking at the big picture is still quite deflating in my garden... these guys have a long way to go though. I posted about it yesterday, but I'll mention again the cultivars:
Corylus avellana 'Webb's prize cob', Chaenomeles × superba 'Jet Trail' (stays 1m high and 1m wide with a ground cover habit).

I have a pretty good idea of what I want and where, but the Japanese quince was a total impulse buy in the garden center. I am so glad though. This guy was totally unknown to me, but white blossoms attractive to bees, perfumed fruits, gnarly branches, cute ground cover habit, limited height and spread: I'm in! It is already pretty it's infancy. When I google I see mostly bright red blossomed varieties, that's a bit too much for me, but I've added "geisha girl" to my Pinterest plant board, those peachy blossoms are very tempting. I don't think I have the space for another, larger one even, though. Perhaps trained against a wall...

Update, and a visit to the local garden center

Two days ago the sugar snap peas just POP! today I saw the snow peas are also starting to pop up.

I took a few pictures around the garden. Not too bad for phone pictures, but I should take out the camera soon:

Hawthorn

Fern

Fern that I grew from spores

Fern

Fern - Cyrtomium fortunei

Fern - Cyrtomium fortunei

These Louvre hyacinths I planted in March have turned out beautiful
(and fragrant as ever)

Bad photo of the first flowers of my pretty white broom

Lilac. I lost the label, but I investigated today in the garden center where
I bought it, I think it may be Agnes Smith (white, single)

Will we get a HUGE LOAD of fruit?? (redcurrant)

Elder

Boston ivy on the front door. I killed its predecessor so I am really
pampering this one! it's a harsh façade...

So in the garden center we got:

A superbly staged vignette ;)

Corylus avellana 'Webb's prize cob' x2 (hazelnuts!)
Salvia × sylvestris 'Schneehügel' (a white flowering sage)
Lupinus 'Camelot white' (white lupines)
Chaenomeles × superba 'Jet Trail' (compact Japanese quince)
Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' (honeysuckle)
Hymenocallis 'ismène festalis' (x1 bulb peruvian daffodil)
Iris hollandica (white of course)
Muscari botryroides 'alba' x3 (and three sprigs per pot)
Lavender alba (dunno which) x3
And a pot of something I promptly forgot WTF it is! I know it is an herb and it is white although normally it isnt? may it be Verbena hastata or am I confusing that with something I sown yesterday?? sigh my memory...

More on these later today or tomorrow when we plant them.