Peas flowering, strawberries, and a few flowers

Finally I have seen some flowers on my pea shoots. Most of them are still way behind everyone else. I was late putting them out this year and the weather here in Ireland has definitely not helped!

My first red strawberry too hiding in the foliage - now have to keep a close eye out for slugs, birds and the other 2 legged animals that rob them in me :-)

 

My sunflowers are growing well - if a bit close together - about 8inches now. There is a family competition on to see who can grow the biggest sunflower - not a competition I have lost yet, but there is always a first time!

 My hosta bed with a tree fern in the middle, a honeysuckle thats just about to flower with a few other plants - including my monster chives on the far left. Think this bed is now complete - just have to split my chives during the winter. I have some pistachio nut shells around my favourite hosta and it seems to be working a treat at keeping the slugs at bay - perfect excuse to eat more now to protect the rest of them! As this is a corner bed with two walls - plenty of hiding places for the slugs and snails, so I have to be extra vigilant. This bed only gets sun in the early morning and late evening as the old wall on the right is facing due south and blocks the sun.

This is an old type of rose - I'm afraid, I don't know the name of it, but the smell is unbelievable! I have already had a few requests for cuttings from it for next year. This is its second year in-situ. It really makes me wish that they had smelly vision on the internet. I have cut a lot of flowers from it to bring indoors and the aroma when you walk into the house is amazing.

My lupins with a bay tree hiding in the back. Gives beautiful colour right outside my kitchen door. The bay tree still has another year or two growing until it fills out nicely - already has trebled in size over the past two years.