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.