The garden today (May 20 2014))

This is the jasmine that hangs down the wall outside my flat. Can you imagine how beautiful it smells!!

The lavender is flourishing

 

And finally the violas

The garden today

I have some wonderful lilies this year - the scent is amazing!! Unfortunately I can't reproduce it here! I brought some in from the garden and they are scenting the entire flat! And the yellow lilies are absolutely HUGE!!

There are also pink lilies, with an even stronger scent.

I have also been fortunate with the salad veg, especially the radishes. They are so crisp and delicious!!

I can hardly bear to tear myself away to go to Italy tomorrow, were it not for the fact that I have a garden there to look after as well. We have a beautiful rosemary hedge, that my mother-in-law planted 30 years ago.

I have started growing lavender there, and when we arrive we are greeted by the beautiful scent and sight of these wonderful herbs.

The garden this month

It has been a disaster!! Fortunately, I was able to retrieve something from the damage....
I'll start at the beginning. I was away in Italy for two-and-a-half weeks, and the neighbour promised to look after the garden for me...he's done this before, so I didn't think there would be a problem.


However...I came back to a scene of utter devastation!!! He hadn't watered any of the climbing plants, so they all died......and before I left, I had a beautiful display of sweet peas.

I had also planted honeysuckle and clematis, AND peas and beans, which were starting to grow up the fence. Why had I planted these?
Well, the peas and beans to eat, but the others I had planted TO GROW UP THE FENCE TO CONCEAL IT!!!
And do you know what my idiot neighbour said in excuse?
HE HADN'T REALISED THEY WERE PART OF THE GARDEN, SO HE DIDN'T BOTHER TO WATER THEM!!! 
Not only do I now have to replace the plants, I have to replace the dried-out compost. Not surprisingly, he has avoided me since that one discussion...he might just end up in the compost, if he's not careful!!!
There are also hardly any tomatoes, only leaves, because he didn't pinch out the side-shoots....and he let the violas die.....

However....all is not lost! 

I saw a huge bumblebee gorging itself on the remaining lavender, and the lavender itself is really beautiful.

And...the apple tree is flourishing. I don't know when the tree was planted, or if it self-seeded, it must have been there for decades. The apples are rather tart, cooking apples rather than eating apples, but I've made a spicy apple cake and will make some chutney....which I am hoping to sell on my craft stall later this month.

So I suppose it could have been worse.....

Today I bought a couple of petunias, to put in the empty troughs. Some of the petunias I already had have survived too.