Life bursting forth.

Agapanthus coming up, it's so much larger than it looks here.

A chartreuse daffodil about to burst forth.

A day later it opens slightly.

When planting it's always worth remembering that most plants have a 'good side' that you want to front up. However, the daffodil from the back is just as lovely, I think.

Here comes the paeony. Let's hope this 'Shirley Temple' variety gives us flowers this year. An argument continues as to whether paeonies 'sulk' if moved. A paeony grower told me that as long as they are dug in deep enough they will flower the next year but I had nothing last year so it will be interesting to see how we get on this summer.

 The tree paeony leaves look lovely though, these have survivied being in a small holding pot over the winter so I'll be impressed if I get much from them this year but who knows?
 

Up come the lupins. They remind me of upturned umbrellas, catching the rain in their centres. A lovely design.

To me, ranunculas always herald the onset of Spring. Although the forget me knots, crocus, mini iris, daffodils and snowdrops have been in the garden already I have an affinity for this showy beauty. It is just so frilly and colourful, like the prima ballerina of early Spring gardens.

Here is the rockery at the front of the house with such poor soil. Still, it's holding it's own till I can really give it some proper attention.

The oak is starting to leaf up, three weeks ago it was bare. Summer is on it's way.

I love pure white flowers, they sing out in the dusk when every other colour has been dimmed and they glow in the first shafts of sunlight.

Back to back

I have returned to digging the back patch after a break of a week.This is how it looked after we'd got the fence sorted. The ground was very compacted and lifeless. Nothing but stones, cement slabs and fence posts!

 Where we had a multitude of worms in the rest of the ground that we'd worked and fed this patch has no signs of life apart from flat, dead-looking worms that I think are called Flat worms. Here is a photo of one.

These are predators of the common earthworm so I've removed every one of these worms that I've found along with the mass of bindweed roots.

It'll be so satisfying when we've changed the soil structure of this patch and produced life in it.

Half dug, these are just some of the stones I've removed. They have now filled the entire coal bunker.

Tulip fever.

I'll let the photos do the talking.

Snake's head frittileri in the foreground, parrot tulips in the background.