French Garden

Our holiday weather is as nice as we've ever had it at Easter and of course everything has that gorgeous freshness of Spring. The leaves on all the big trees are opening so fast you can almost see the leaf buds burstng. It really is such an exhilerating and uplifting time.

The area I began to clear last year where the builder had dumped piles of rubble and rocks has covered itself beautifully with a carpet of wild flowers.




And although there is no sign of any bluebells, at least the wild garlic I planted is beginning to establish.


The floor of the wood is a mass of little wild violets and the scent is almost intoxicating at times - if I'd known how lovely they were going to be I would have tried to clear some of the leaves last winter. Next year perhaps.

I'm considering digging up a few and planting them near the garlic, I think there's enough clear ground for them and the white and blue together would be lovely.


We've had two of our big Scots pine trees cut down while we were at home and there are at least another six that will have to go. They've got some bark beetle disease which completely destroys the bark and kills the tree and spreads very easily so the only hope is to get rid of the diseased ones and hope the rest are ok.

So we've been doing lots of this...


And this....


And do you like the start of my olive grove? There are a total of three of these little olive trees, all with flower buds so I'm hopeful that they will fruit.



I'm not allowed more until we know how these get on. I don't really care about the olives themselves but I love the silvery leaves and the symbolism of the olive tree - peace with its leaves and joy with its golden oil - so if they can survive the winter I shall be very pleased.