Once May comes the garden really starts to brighten up.This year I have planted Lupins, Antirrhinum (Snapdragon), Nemesia, Kniphofia (Redhot Poker), Pansies and Dahlias. Now all I have to do is wait for them to bloom. It is raining today after days of heat and sunshine so they should really take off now. In the meantime I am enjoying some photos I took of various gardens I visited. Hope you enjoy them too.

Magnolia Trees are so pretty when they are in bloom

Now that Summer is here, I am trying to get my garden into shape. I have set a wildflower patch like last year and also some nice flowers along my fence. I had to remove half of my shrub bed as the soil was very poor and now I am in the progress of extending it in the opposite direction with the help of my husband. I hope to plant hydrangea, some lavendar perhaps lupins and alliums. I know very little about gardening so any tips or any guidance is welcomed. Do feel free to comment. Is it too late to start planting flowers or any suggestions of some nice ones to plant?

Below are some photographs I took of my recent trip to Lissadell House & Gardens, most of them are from the Alpine Garden. I can only dream of having a garden like this...

As some of you may already know, I am new to gardening and particularly flowers, I have shrubs in my garden for two years now and I am trying to introduce lots of flowers  too. We are in our new home three and a half years and there is still lots of work to do, but the garden is one place I like to spend my time. Below are a few photos of my new wildflower area. I set some flowers and spread lots of wildflower seeds, however if I am not mistaken a lettuce popped up in the middle of them (see the tall stem with the yellow flower, is that a lettuce??). I also have this rambling rose and have another one of them along my holly hedge at the front of the garden. I have lots of Gladioli coming up this year too but they won't flower until September. I want to set lots more daffodils along the edges as some of them didn't do so well last year.... Have you any tips for me on easy to grow flowers, I'd love to hear them... Happy gardening..... until next time....

Here is some DIY I did over the summer, but never posted it. My birdhouse which my Dad made for me was beginning to get a bit weather beaten so I decided to paint it using Ronseal Wood Sage paint. I think it turned out pretty. My shrubs are still small as they are only planted a year but they are coming along well. Did you do any DIY jobs over the Summer? You will also notice that we now have the wall to the rear of the house painted and it looks much better. So we don't have that much work left outside the house. The next work to be done is finish the sitting room which I painted over the Summer months too. I will post some photos of it as it progresses. Hope your enjoying the weekend.