I sat out in my garden properly for the first time yesterday afternoon.
Admittedly, I had both long sleeves and trousers on, was in full sun, and had my knitting over my knees, but it was goooooorgeous.
Dora enjoyed being out too...after I'd moved her off my chair, she rolled around in the flowerbed, chewing grass stems.
Anyway, it was just the kick I needed to post some pictures of the garden. I took them during a break in the showers about ten days ago. Things are growing so fast at the moment that the garden already looks more lush, but they give you an idea.

I have always loved forget-me-nots. In the first garden I remember there was a corner flowerbed full of blue hydrangeas with lots of forget-me-nots round the edges. I just think they are so pretty. I've got a couple of clumps in my garden now, dug up from the gardens of friends and family...I'm hoping they'll self-seed and spread.
My friend Sam moved into a wonderfully mature garden two January's ago. In digging a new vegetable patch, she and her husband had to relocate a lot of naturalised primroses. I was more than happy to take a couple of pots off their hands.

As well as the primroses, some forget-me-not and aquilegias came too which was a lovely surprise bonus. They're just about flowering now...I'll try and get some pictures today if the weather stays good.

The white chaenomeles I bought for Lily has had lots of lovely white flowers, and this little acer, which my Mum gave me, is doing really well in one of the new beds I dug over the winter.


These pansies are a gorgeous shade of lilac-y blue.
The hosta (in the beautiful terracotta pot which my parents gave me for my birthday last year) has gone from the encouraging looking spikes shown here to shining green leaves in the last week an a half. I hope the slugs an snails don't devour it. The flower spike of the bergenia (or Elephant's Ears) in the foreground is now showing proudly pink against the beautiful shiny new leaves.

Later...
It's cloudier today and, with the brisk wind, just a little to cold to sit outside this afternoon. I did pop out to take a couple of extra photos.
This is one of my bonus aquilegias...very elegant.

The alchemilla molis and tiarella I planted last year with the chaenomeles have come back beautifully. The alchemilla leaves look amazing just after the rain...but as it's dry today, so I concentrated on the beautiful flower spears on the tiarella.

I have three clematis in the garden, all going great guns, though this is my first flower of the year...on the Warwickshire Rose...

I'm afraid I can't remember what this shrub is called, but I love the foliage. I bought it from the reduced section of the garden centre last year looking a bit sad and tired, so it's very satisfying to see it looking so lovely.

I've sown morning glories instead of sweet peas this year...they germinated and sprouted in less than a week, so I'm hoping for a fantastic show.
I shall keep you posted on how things progress!