The idea of reviewing the garden year is primarily to relieve the winter grey with some bright sunshiny photos of flowers that bloomed in my garden. Last night, as I started sifting through my spring photos, this project had just the effect I had hoped for; I was smiling and felt so much happier afterwards! I can recommend it!
I decided to do three posts: Spring, Summer, and Late Summer/Autumn – one each week running up to Christmas. Anyone who wishes to join me and post some photos of the seasons past will not only make me and lots of other readers happy – it will honestly make you smile looking back through old photos, as I did!
SPRING
March: While reports across the Ocean told me of a long and cold, snowy winter in Northern America, Europe had an extremely mild and wet winter, and barely any snow. Spring came relatively early and as always I was overjoyed to see the first flowers: Hepaticas. Above is my Hepatica nobilis ‘White Forest’.
The Mahonia was lovely this year, not having to cope with being frozen back during winter. With its honey-like smell and golden petals it attracts bees and other insects very early on.
March continued with the delicate Ribes flowers, cheerful Narcissi and Corydalis solida…
~~~
April was mild and spring marched on at a pace, with reports of us being a good three weeks ahead of “normal”. An Orange Tip on the Aubretia, which flowered better than ever this year, was one of those “jumping for joy” moments we gardeners frequently have!
As the month progressed, I was convinced we would have summer in June and by July it would all be over – so much was in flower early. My roving Geranium phaeum was in full flower by the middle of the month…
Then came the cowslips, pink Pulsatilla, Summer Snowflakes, and the gorgeous Tulips (“Purple Dream”) next to lime green Euphorbia and white Narcissi in the west-facing rockery…
~~~
May was, as you can imagine, an explosion of colour. One of my favourite flowers this year was my Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’…
The Aquilegia flowered for much longer than usual, the meadow just beyond our garden gate was fabulous, and my first peony opened too. The Alliums were also a real show – I had forgotten how pretty they were until looking back!
But the nicest surprise in May was this water lily showing up out of nowhere…
Aah, that’s better. And all that is to look forward to again next spring too! I shall now go and look through the photos for June…
Have a great week!
🙂
Words and Herbs 
What a great idea this was. And I loved your photos and slides. Nice effect! Your flowers are beautiful.
Thanks Sue – glad you enjoyed it! It was nice looking back – and forward to next spring at the same time. 🙂
This is a lovely idea but I think I’ll have to do it in January! your garden and flowers glow with the sunshine which is lovely on what is today a cold (not very) but very windy, wet day. And yes, I did smile!
That would be nice too Christina, as January can be such a long and grey month too. It’s nice to see some colour and blue skies in the depths of winter! 🙂
Hi Cathy, this is a lovely idea, now for the technicalities, how do you do a slide show?
Hi Julie! I’ll try and explain step by step. Select “Add Media” at the top of the new post. Then the “Insert Media” page opens. On the left at the top press “Create Gallery”. Now select as many photos as you want… they need to be already loaded into your Media Library. When you have selected them they appear at the bottom of the page. Now press the blue “Create a new gallery” button at the bottom right, and arrange the images as you want. Then on the right, under “Gallery Settings” look at the “Type” box and select the last option “Slideshow”. You don’t need to change any other settings as it won’t work then. Finally press the blue “Insert Gallery” button in the bottom right corner. It then looks like you have pictures on your post page, with a blinking bar to the left, but it appears as a slideshow when you look at the preview or when you publish. Good luck! 🙂
And what is the name of that lovely butterfly (moth?)
Hi Lori. It’s an Orange Tip – a butterfly that I only ever see early in the year, and one of my favourites too. 🙂
What a lovely spring visit, just what I needed! It is also very useful to recall the garden as I have made errors in planting by forgetting what is to come up in the spring or summer. Amelia
I find it useful too Amelia. I have planted some more alliums and now hope they will fit in with these I had forgotten about! In fact they might even be the same ones. I must check!
I very much enjoyed all the sunshine captured so beautifully in this post! A great reminder what is too come!
Good to hear you also enjoyed being reminded of spring – both past and future! 🙂
Yes, it works! I am smiling and filled with joy from the past and the upcoming spring! 🙂
🙂 I had forgotten how wonderful it was/will be!
Hi Cathy! You’re right–I did smile seeing your lovely spring highlights. I decided to jump in this afternoon and accept your invitation to do a review of my garden also. It’s at http://pbmgarden.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/a-garden-review-of-2014-spring/
Thanks!
Thank you Susie – I really enjoyed reading your post earlier too. This is great therapy against the grey and cold weather we are having again today. 🙂
So so beautiful! I can see why it made you smile 🙂
Thanks! I’m still smiling! 🙂
The photograph of the butterfly on the aubretia is marvelous. I can understand why you were jumping for joy.
I love the orange tip butterflies ever since learning they like Honesty, some of which is growing wild next to my garden fence!
A lovely idea Cathy. It’s sometimes difficult in December especially on dull days to envisage what the garden looked like in spring. I’m not surprised to learn that you were smiling.
It certainly did raise my spirits Anna, and choosing photos for next week’s post has kept me smiling too, despite the cold, grey and damp weather we are having!
What a beautiful post Cathy. I particularly love the gorgeous Hepatica and the Corydalis. Thanks for the lesson in creating a slideshow. I often wondered how it was done.
I always get so impatient to see the Hepaticas, so having a couple in warm spots in the garden means I can often see them unfurl before they are visible in the woods!
I’ve done my Spring review, though I’ve limited it to early spring.
https://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/days-of-the-little-bulbs/
Great! I bet it made you smile too! 😉
I forgot how amazing the meadow was, awesome pictures!
I’ve been reviewing the year lately but only in a lazy, dreaming of warmer weather way! I’m hoping January will bring me the motivation to do my own review, but until then I’m enjoying yours 🙂
I shall have your review to look forward to then Frank. Yes, that meadow really was wonderful and I do hope we have another similar one next year nearby, as the farmers change crops in each patch every year.
What a great spring review and how cruel, as these images really make me yearn for the warm days to come back. New blog design? You’ve set such a high standard for the review…won’t be able to keep up with that, I fear. Thanks for sharing it. Always a pleasure to pop in 🙂
I only changed the header Annette! Thanks for your kind comment – can’t compete with your photography though! 😉
Similarly, I am posting monthly about an annual flower I love to grow and each month I will be highlighting a specific area of the garden looking at what grows there, and what changes may be in store in that garden….indeed it does help to review the garden! Loved your retrospective Cathy!
Glad you enjoyed it Donna. It certainly does help, both practically and mentally, to look back and simply remember what is out there waiting for another spring to arrive! 🙂
Oh Cathy, looking at your lovely spring pictures really relieves the winter grey. I especially love your white Hepatica nobilis, the Aubretia with the Orange Tip and …and…and. Such a wonderful idea to remind us of spring! Thank you so much!
So glad you enjoyed it Elisabeth! It did me the world of good too! 🙂
Oh my that is just a yummy collection. Roll on Spring!
Glad you enjoyed it Dorris! 🙂
Your garden photos are always a treat in any season, but what a great idea featuring one season a week on your blog. It’s hard not to smile at spring flowers, isn’t it? Thank you, Cathy.
Pleased I got you smiling too Alys! This was a very enjoyable project, looking back at the year’s photos. Can recommend it!
How did we ever manage before digital photography?
Doesn’t bear thinking about!
Beautiful and Inmight try your idea coming up to the New Year I have made a calendar from my blog photos for friends and have so enjoyed seeing and sharing with like minded folk.
A calendar is a really good idea. Might have to do that next year! 🙂
Pingback: A Garden Review of 2014: Late Summer/Autumn | Words and Herbs