Garden at the beginning of May

And this is the garden actually on 1st May, thanks to Sunday and daylight! It's changed quite a bit since last month, mainly as a result of the things we've been adding to it.

I was sorting out my files on the computer and found this picture from a year ago, so you can see how much it's changed:

I've taken a slightly more scientific approach now (!) and tested the soil after we lost a holly we'd bought in January (I suspect because of the harsh winter it had just been through, but better make sure). The soil proved to be neutral.

Closer in, you can see some sweet peas grown from seed, with a cornus and (new!) holly in the corner. Need to weed this bed a bit more as I have some plants coming in the post this month. Immediately below where the camera is will be a herb bed. But there's only some dill (given to me by a friend at work) in there at the moment as the herb order hasn't arrived yet. The idea is that that section is by the patio and just a short walk from the kitchen door, so it should be easy to nip out and get some herbs for cooking.

I've planted aubrietas along the edge of the raised bed, and also put in some nasturtium seeds, which are beginning to appear too.

On the other side the raspberry canes I planted earlier this year are all sprouting merrily away, and we've already eaten some of the salad leaves I'm sowing at fortnightly intervals.

And I've put in some more sweet peas, the rhubarb is coming along well, and a few other plants that caught our eye at the garden centre.

In the front garden, I've had a lot of compliments from people walking past who've stopped to admire the alliums - Purple Sensation. It's the first time I've grown alliums and I think they're cool! The bees seem to like them too.

And I've been digging up masses of these - the beginnings of horse chestnut trees. We have a lot of the trees near our house and the squirrels evidentally hid a lot of the conkers back in the autumn and then failed to relocate them!

I think that's all garden for now, I will have a knitting update too at some point.