It's soooo dry!

Lots of mini-chores have been keeping me in the house, and there seems to have been so much decision-making and research regarding the future building work taking up most of my time this week.  To be honest, I feel like I have barely set foot outside or really done anything productive for days.  Not a good feeling.

It hasn't helped that we haven't had a drop of rain for at least 3 weeks now.  In April this feels a very bad thing (I wouldn't mind it raining at night!) as of course all those little green shoots are appearing and desperate to romp away.  So far (touch wood) anything that was already fairly well established (ie, was planted in the autumn or earlier) seems to be fine.  I suppose their roots are down far enough to sustain them through this dry period. The Hesperis matronalis (sweet rocket) is a good example - it is looking so robust it's almost shameful:

Hesperis soaring away with flowerbuds looking almost ready to burst, among the developing mounds of geraniums and lavender (Hmm - I notice that I still haven't got round to relocating that poor little hydrangea yet)

Hesperis on the other side of the path, with the pale pink fuchsia which I chickened out of pruning in March - it doesn't seem to have any fresh growth emerging from its base and I'm worried I will kill it)

But the newly sown and planted stuff is starting to turn brown! Eeeek! I have practically exhausted my water butt supplies - if it doesn't really rain soon, I'm going to have to resort to a thorough drenching with the hose...

The daffodils are over now (so soon!) but they looked breathtaking all over the garden and even my wee half barrels full of accidental dig ups did better than I had expected:

but the tulips are early and looking amazing (considering they are last year's replants):

Ballerina tulips around the bird bath

The Ballerina tulips were the first up and out - but are still going strong several weeks in, though not as many have emerged as I remember replanting.

The Venetian tulips, also replanted from last year, gave me a few moments panic.  The Ballerinas were frolicking merry away, but all that was visible here were the promising buds of the darkest variety in the mix 'Havran':

They looked healthy though, so I resigned myself to the fact that the other two varieties hadn't come back the second year.

The Havran opened, looked lovely for a whole week or more by themselves, and then suddenly - whoosh! The others all appeared!

Venetian collection - 2nd year (Sarah Raven)

I think the stems may be a little shorter than they were last year, and the flowerheads a little smaller - though not a problem in a container raised up from ground level like this.  But they are certainly making a good show - for free!

I know the books always say some varieties do return better than others, and we had a cold, but less wet winter this year, which may have helped a lot.  But for me the possibility that I might enjoy more than 1 year's display mitigates greatly against the expense of buying tulips...well, that's my excuse, and now I have evidence to back it up.

The blue iris clump I unceremoniously shoe-horned into the front courtyard last year (at the wrong time - just before flowering so I only got one flower stem) has settled in beautifully and is looking extremely promising - but potentially very early again?

Blue iris with underplanted Allium 'Purple Sensation' just showing too

I 'recycled' my Allium 'Purple Sensation' from the container which also held the Venetian tulips last year (from which I learned the lesson not to plant alliums and tulips in the same tub together - the tulips were well over and looked awful, the alliums were in their prime but I was desperate to empty out the container to plant up the summer display!!) so I popped these around the iris as I thought they might enjoy the sunbaked dry heat which this area usually suffers. Fingers crossed, and we'll find out soon enough if it has worked.

Interestingly, having planted that iris at a totally inappropriate and unrecommended time of year - it looks like I might be about to do the same again this year.  Having weeded, dug and cleared the area here in the courtyard under the window, it's finally ready to plant (just waiting for some rain, as is every other job it seems..), and guess what I'll be tranferring here with the lavenders and mexican daisies? Yes, more irises! Don't do as I do, isn't that the saying? Hmmm.

Hostas are appearing rapidly despite the drought (and the rather worrying way they disappeared horribly in the late summer drought last year, making me think I'd killed them). Trouble is, with the much awaited rain will come the slugs and snails, won't they.

Variegated hosta on shadier side of courtyard.

 I took this photo of the Choisya ternata looking splendid in all its glory from an unusual position - inside the back of the border!  I wanted to remind myself how pretty it can look, as I plan to augment it's number to create a 'swathe' under the trees as a good ground cover and foil for some of the other plants I plan to move here.  But at the moment, from the other side standing on the lawn, it's quite hidden by the mass of something else in front and the slightly weedy and sick looking crimson camellia.

Choisya ternata in woodland border, looking delightful

Well, I'm off to rotate the chicken pasture before the ladies overdo it on my poor grass which is starting to feel the lack of rain too xx