First up, this post isn’t about motorbikes, rather it’s about one of the reasons that I turn the bars towards home at the end of a ride!
I have often commented in the blog about our garden here at Dookes H.Q..
It’s a rambling plot of about two acres, which is pretty large… OK, enormous, by average U.K. standards! I never take for granted our piece of Cornwall, it’s a haven from the hustle of day-to-day life and a bit scruffy in the quaint way that old cottage gardens are. Here you will not find regular sized borders with neat rows of herbaceous blooms, but rather random mixes of trees, fruit bushes, flowering shrubs and vegetables.
Wild flowers bloom during the Spring in various nooks and crannies, whilst birds and other wildlife share the real-estate with us, our dogs, chickens and ducks!
The garden has sort of evolved, I never really sat down and planned anything in totality. Trees were planted here and there, a hedge grew from cuttings and soft fruit bushes were placed in the sunny lea of it. Norway Firs got planted because it seemed a good idea to grow our own Christmas Trees! It’s all been rather random really, but I like it!
Anyway, enough of these inane ramblings!
I had just finished cutting the grass the other evening when stuck by the beautiful light, one of the benefits of being near to the coast, I took a wander around the garden and grabbed a few photos of the seasonal blooms on show. I hope you won’t mind me sharing some of them with you.
It’s funny, but no matter how many intended plantings we have, it’s the wild flowers that really captivate me. These are the plants that nature has chosen to grow here, mostly uninvited, but always welcome wherever they decide to struggle to life from wind-borne seeds. Their bright cheerful colours seem to be concentrated and amplified by the clear Spring air.
In the ancient hedges small intense blooms compete to attract visiting pollinators
Red Campion; Silene Dioica.
Common Violet; Viola odorata.
Away from the hedgerows, some of my favourites can be found amongst the longer un-cut grass.
Cowslip; Primula veris.
This next one is a real little beauty, with delicate petals, subtle colouring and delightful fragrance it’s welcome here anytime!
Ladies Smock; Cardamine pratensis.
The seasonal fruit blossoms are also joining in by contributing to the carnival of chromaticity!
Wild cherry; Prunus avium.
Crabapple; Malus sylvestris.
Thanks for drifting through this little gallery with me, Spring is well underway as you can see. Now all I have to do is hear the first cuckoo!
“If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now, it’s just a spring clean for the May queen.”
Catch you soon.
Dookes
Hogrider Dookes 