Moving towards an easing of lockdown, and along with it a return of sunny weather. Clothes shops and even hairdressers re-opened in the middle of the month and there was some easing of travel restrictions.

The deer have continued to leave the roses alone. A splendid showing in “Petit Versailles”

the box, sadly suffering in places from blight, still waiting to be trimmed. The pink roses alongside the Angels have also managed to escape the usual munching, complementing the last of the Iris, and accompanied by honeysuckle.

Viburnum Kiliminjaro has survived in the stone circle

but sadly not elsewhere in the garden. Alongside it the deer have pruned Cornus Winter Fire, again!

The Prairie is growing up fast

Only localised splashes of colour as yet, in mid May. One exception was Baptisia australis

one of which at least held its flower spikes for several weeks. The white Lychnis flowered early too

earlier than their deep pink cousins in the Gravel garden, which are still not flowering as I type at the end of the month.

The glory of the prairie at this time of year, however, are, as ever, the Phlomis

yellow russeliana, and pale purple tuberose Amazone, and the Stipa gigantea

providing a spectacular focus in several of the massifs, although it will disappear later in the year as the tall members of the daisy family grow up around it.

Finally yellow Coreopsis, self seeding enthusiastically, and threatening a takeover in places, fortunately mostly places where it is too dry for much else to go, and deep blue Salvia nemerosa provide a glorious contrast of colour.

No apologies for another post focusing on the Iris as they are the highlight of the spring garden. The tall bearded have come into their own in the last 2 weeks, sadly fading now, but they provide so much colour between spring bulbs and tree blossom and the summer flowers.

In the Stone Circle at the end of the parking lot, planted to discourage visiting tradesman from driving over the piping to the geothermie, Secret Rites was the first to appear

Next was Brasero

then “Caramel Delicieux”,

not sure this one is in the best place, it shines out well against the dark green leaves of the Punica, but looks slightly out of place with the other shades in the bed and might be better alongside the other “unusual shades” iris at the drive corner, I may move it in the autumn.

Last in this bed, Poivron Rouge

In the “Hot” bed, planted to conceal the excavations of the fosse, first out were Bold God and Feu Follet

then, a more apricot shade, Amplified

and moving to the coppers, Tabac Blond

and last, rather overwhelmed by the grasses and probably needing rescuing, my favourite in this bed, Hermes,

somehow makes me think more of a silk scarf from an expensive Parisian shop than the winged messenger of the gods!

Jaques Couer and Futuriste in the Mediterranean Garden were quickly followed by Lumarco

and a very lovely gold standard, gold and pink falls iris which I cannot identify

Bois Précieux was a gorgeous deep red, but this year produced only a single spike which fell foul of a passing gale, but I have hopes for it next year.

Next was Haut les Voiles

which has proved substantially more wind resistant, and last in the Med Garden Gold Galore

The blues in the beds beyond the pool have been disappointing this year, probably because I thinned and divided them last autumn, and flowering in the lower terraces has been patchy, with the exception of the planting of Hot Spiced Wine and Rustic Royal which have finally established at the end of Walnut Terrace

May Day – cold and very wet. Be careful what you wish for. A week or so back, after 4 dry, and for April, hot, weeks, we were wishing for rain to top up reserves before the summer drought. We were even in the pool, now a distant memory!

There is obvious growth in the prairie now, some of the grasses already quite tall

The first flowers are out, all shades of blue at present, apart from the buttercups which have so far escaped weeding. The Nepeta were first to appear

Next tha Amasonia

and most recently the first of the salvias

There are salvias out on Walnut Terrace as well

along with the dwarf cornus, dwarf, in the case of cornus, dwarf being a relative term.

Most precious of all, a rosebud, well sheltered, which presumably explains why the deer have failed to eat it, although in fact the deer have not been much in evidence in the past couple of weeks, possibly our constant presence in the house has discouraged them.

There are early alliums too, both purple and white, in some years also victims of the deer, and still more Iris, with my collection of “unusual shades” on the corner of the drive, looking particularly fine. Thornbird, with pale standards and darker falls, and Patina, dark standards and pale cream falls, complement each other well, and Burnt Toffee, in shades of purple and brown completes the picture.

sadly the wind and rain are taking their toll, but there are some still to come before May is out.