Springtime in my Garden - 6

Here we see some young geranium and petunia plants.



The geraniums are Thompson & Morgan's Jackpot F1 Hybrid and the petunias are Easy Wave Union Jack Mix. I am growing the petunias in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Springtime in my Garden - 5

Here we have a view of two of my infant tomato plants - the variety this year is Apero F1 Hybrid.



The seed, supplied by Thompson & Morgan, has a RHS Award of Garden Merit - impressive! Apero has strong plant habit producing a good crop of long trusses of bright red, small 16g cherry plum fruits each with a superb balanced acid/sweetness flavour.

Roll on Harvest Festival!

Springtime in my Garden - 4

Here we see three of my six tomato plants - they sure have a lot of climbing to do!



The plants are less than 1 ft tall at present, and are expected to reach a height of 8 ft before the growing tips are removed. This photo was taken on Pentecost - the seed was sown on Good Friday.

Springtime in my Garden - 3

In addition to the wallflowers, I planted tulip bulbs in my raised bed for colour and dramatic effect in the Spring.



Tulip Greigii Cape Cod produces orange flowers edged with yellow on short stems ideal for planting in large pots on the patio or group planting at the front of flower borders.

I purchased these bulbs at RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate. They provided me with a container and invited me to fill it with bulbs - I filled it up like an ice cream cone - with plenty of bulbs siting outside the container. I don't think the lady at the check out was very amused - but they look wonderful in my garden!

These bulbs were supplied by Taylor's - suppliers of flower bulbs to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Springtime in my Garden - 2

Wallflower My Fair Lady Mixed is the perfect Wallflower for your spring displays.



It features a bright mix of pastel shades on neat, compact and uniform plants. An eye-catching variety for bedding, borders, containers and window-boxes. The flowers have an irresistible fragrance in the evening, and the bees love them!

A packet of seed costs £2.49, and the average content is 400 seeds. A real bargain!

Springtime in my Garden - 1

We have had a solid chunk of 14 weeks of spiritual posts during the Seasons of Lent and Easter, so now that we have returned to Ordinary Time I thought I would give the blog a more relaxed feel for a few weeks.



One of my favourite spring flowers is the wallflower. The seed sown last year was My Fair Lady Mixed from Thompson & Morgan. Wallflowers are a hardy biennial - you sow them one year to flower the next.

I can take no credit for having sown the seed. They was sown by the Verger of St Andrew's Cathedral on 30 June - 2 days after I broke my leg. This photo was taken yesterday, Pentecost. Spring is very late this year in the Highlands.

8th Sunday of Easter - Pentecost

Today we celebrate the 50th (and final) day of the Easter Season, and recall that day when the Holy Spirit descended on the infant Church.



Sing to him in whom creation
Found its shape and origin;
Spirit, moving on the waters
Troubled by the God within;
Source of breath to all things breathing,
Life in whom all lives begin.

Sing to God, the close companion
Of our inmost thoughts and ways;
Who, in showing us his wonders,
Is himself the power to gaze,
And his will, to those who listen,
By a still small voice conveys.

Holy men, both priests and prophet,
Caught his accents, spoke his word;
His the truth behind the wisdoms
Which as yet know not our Lord;
He the love of God eternal,
Which in Christ was seen and heard.

Tell of how the ascended Jesus
Armed a people for his own;
How a hundred men and women
Turned the known world upside down,
To its dark and farthest corners
By the wind of Whitsun blown.

Pray we, then, O Lord the Spirit,
On our lives descend in might;
Let thy flame break out within us,
Fire our hearts and clear our sight,
Till, white-hot in thy possession,
We, too, set the world alight.

Praise, O praise the Holy Spirit,
Praise the Father, praise the Word,
Source, and Truth, and Inspiration,
Trinity in deep accord;
Through thy Voice which speaks within us
We thy creatures own thee Lord.



Happy Sunday!