A day off for a nurseryman - So visit a garden and nursery

Nursery closed today after a small tour round the garden in the morning so checked the plants, dogs, ducks and chickens and collected the eggs including an odd looking one, we think the first from Hetty this year (a odd looking Polish Bantam hybrid chicken). The egg is shown below as is a blurred Hetty and Lulu the sheep, the only one of my ten sheep to have a name.

So we set off for an hour or two in one of the most beautiful gardens in England Great Dixter. Harriet has always been fascinated by chimneys. This ones a cracker.

Geranium palmatum, allways remember the way Great Dixter has a great pot of this wonderful tender geranium by the front door, beautiful glossy leaves.

Loved the colour combination of the strip of fresh yellowy green ivy along the roof and the forget-me-nots planted with these deep red tulips. Looked fantastic.

And finally another great colour combination the sharp lime green of the Smyrnium perfoliatum flowers and bracts sit strikingly with the yellow and orange welsh poppies. The sun on the Smyrnium doesn't show the contrast quite as well as it could.

A fine day for the NGS

 After the shock of discovering that instead of opening the gardens at two in the afternoon we were in fact open from ten and a brief rush around gathering kettles, cups and cakes, a steady stream of garden lovers strolled along the lush spring  paths throughout the day.

Early purple orchids in the wild garden, these are the first of all the meadow flowers really, now the spring bulbs have come and gone. The Japonica primulas (probaly hybrids of millers crimson among others) around 'the secret pond' are in full glory, though the stand off withe the lily-of-the-valley which has been advancing on their territory is looking striking. Bloodshed is only spared by the old York stone path that seperates them.

 Worth having a few pictures of the wild garden up before it gets to its peak in late May and early June when it is all waist high and the roses hang from every arch and branch.

Finally a couple of shots from the nursery, very pleased with my plant selection this year though next year more home grown is the plan. One of my favorite and first ever trees to grow from seed Albizia Julibrissin Rosea, very easy and a beautiful little plant. NGS day two is open us and the hoards are set to arrive at any moment, end of first ever blog.