Five Favourites, May 2026

Before May goes slip slidin' out of the back door I'm joining in with Cathy over at 'Words and Herbs' and her 'Five Favourites' and a chance to share five favourite monthly blooms. My five May favourites included : 

The flowers of the horse chestnut tree - officially not in our garden but just the other side of the stream which forms one boundary of the garden. It's a delight every spring.

Chive flowers which are enjoyed not just by me but by the bees too.

This aquilegia which I'm fairly sure is aquilegia 'Hensol Harebell'. It self seeds but never enough to be considered a nuisance.

The very first rose of the year. This year rosa 'Bathsheba' was first past the post. Here she is on a rainy 13th May.

My final choice is a hardy geranium and this one is geranium maculatum 'Stormy Night' - the foliage provides interest long after the flowers have gone over.

Thanks for the invitation Cathy ❤️

IAVOM ~ Between The Showers

Finally there has been enough of a reprise in today's intermittent heavy showers for me to pick a few flowers for me to join in with today's 'In A Vase On Monday'. In my vase are :

• Some stems of orlaya grandiflora - this hardy annual was sown under cover in September. I've sown a second batch in April but as always the September sown ones always germinate better and make for larger plants.
• A couple of stems of aquilegia - this is the offspring of the one of the first flowers that I ever sowed in the garden. I obtained them from seed exchange of 'The Cottage Garden Society' and I think that they were aquilegia 'Hensol Harebell'. Other seedlings over the years have produced a mix of flowers including a double of this form, as well as a pale blue double, but these single ones are my favourites.
• Finally some dottings of the hardy milium effusum 'Aureum' also known as Bowles Golden Grass. it can I believe be a vigorous self- seeder but it's never caused problems here. This was also grown from seed many moons ago.

Thanks to Cathy for as always for being such an excellent host. Do visit 'Rambling In the Garden' and see what delights she and other bloggers are sharing this week.

Here the weather shows signs of perking up after what has so far been a cool, windy and wet May. I'm hoping that the worse is behind us. Last week a rather violent hailstorm came from nowhere battering plants including my potatoes which not only finished the experience with some broken stems but also with a smattering of holes on their foliage. It looks as if for once that the forthcoming bank holiday is going to bring sunshine and warmth so I'm hoping to catch up on some jobs that needed doing last week. I will enjoy being at home and pottering, especially as we've just had a couple of days away in the Lake District. Hopefully I can plant my new purchases from the nurseries we visited. Have you made any new plant purchases recently? Do tell.

Wordless Wednesday ~ The First Rose of 2026

 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Storm Cloud