With very little thought and effort it's quite easy to create a garden that has something of interest in it all year round. I don't class myself as a 'gardener' but all of these photographs have been taken by me in my own garden and go to show that gardens aren't just for the summertime.
The year begins with the blooming of the Snowdrops. Pushing their heads up throughout December, the New Year seems to be the signal for them to open their flowers and lay a blanket of white over the cold hard ground. The white Heather opens her flowers and Magnolia, Lilac, Ribes and many more are showing the first buds of the year.
Still adorned by swathes of Snowdrops, the Garden is graced with the first colour of the year as the Crocuses and wild Primroses wake from their winters sleep. Ribes and Hebes provide colour above ground level.
Wild flowers push their way up through well trodden gravel and grow in places that seem impossible. Of course, many call them weeds but each to their own. Daffodils and Hyacinth bulbs provide low colour while Ribes and Forsythia compete at higher levels.
Tulips make their mark with vibrant hot colours and the Apple Blossom is a joy to behold but the wild Bluebells pushing up through the lawns give the greatest pleasure. It will be a long time before I can mow those patches of grass but it's worth it.
As the Bluebells begin to fade so many shrubs burst into life. The most predominant force in the garden in May has to be the Lilac trees. Their heady perfume fills the air and reminds us that Summer is just around the corner.
Fragile and they need stakes to prevent them being snapped by the wind or broken by the rain, but Delphiniums light up the back of the borders. Roses produce their first flush of showy flowers and I especially like Tess of the D'urberville's, which was bought in commemoration of our recently departed pet dog, Tess.
So many flowers to choose from in July. My main passion is growing Fuchsia's and they are abundant now but Roses are also a favourite and the Buddleia attracts Butterflies like nothing else.
At last, my Fuchsia's are really working overtime now. Showy frilly one's like Swingtime and plainer simpler ones. Bright bold colours and pale pastel shades. It's hard singling out just a few to display. Perhaps I should do another page just for Fuchsia's. The garden is a riot of colour with flowers of every description, but these are definitely my favourite.
Gardens in England are well past their best now, but the Fuchsia's still provide a pleasant show. With its delicate pastel shades and simple linesCarla Johnson is one of my favourites. Geraniums, Marigolds and Pontentilla's have been working their socks off all summer and provide the backbone of the late summer colour.
As Autumn takes hold and Winter approaches, the Heathers will give another showing of warm colours. Of course, my Fuchsia's are still flowering away in my Greenhouse but this page is about my garden.
The long bright yellow spikes of the Mahonia are always a pleasant surprise as winter begins to set in, and the ornamental fruits look very seasonal.
The hard working Mahonia brightens the garden and with the summer flowers gone and the garden in winter-mode, the Conifers on the Rockery come into their own and continue to please the eye just as they have all year round. Snowdrops are eagerly pushing their way up through the Autumn debris ready to bring in the New Year.
