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The Newt (Somerset, England)

After Stourhead , the second garden on the tour that day was "The Newt". Talk about a change in garden styles! As I review my photos, I can appreciate the beauty and style of this garden, but I must confess, it was one of my least favorites.  I remember mostly the heat (it was one of our warmer days), the glaring sun with few trees in sight, and the commercial feel of the whole enterprise. But then again, this was mainly a vegetable garden and I was having an "off" day (I had just toured Stourhead, where I missed some of the main landmarks). The entrance took us through an area with gift shops and display areas (nice thing about photos is you see things you missed - I had not noticed the intricate ceiling design) - We did have an actual tour guide at this one, and he led us through the entire garden - Down a winding, blinding white walkway, towards the large vegetable garden - Leaving one vegetable garden, we headed up a grassy avenue with water features.  Along th...
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Finally - a good weather statistic

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra 'Gold Heart')


Weather is in the news a lot these days and it always seems to be for the wrong reasons. Just the past year has seen records in temperatures (last summer), diminished rainfall (most months) and late snowfall (this month). But now, a statistic to cheer about - the month of April has seen a record amount of rainfall. Recordings at PDX show that we got a total of 5.37 inches. One year ago (April 2021) was the driest on record at .37 inch. 

The rain is welcome although the weather hasn't been conducive to working in the garden. In addition to the wet weather, it has been really cool and night temperatures are still dipping into the 40s. I'm sure vegetable gardeners are having a frustrating time.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'

Camassia leichtlinii

Daphne cneorum (Rock Daphne)



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowMay 1, 2022 at 9:21 AM

    It appears that your garden is responding to all the rain. I am happy for you. We have had a decent spring too. The wind has been annoying but it has been cool and wet enough here too.

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  2. Kris PetersonMay 1, 2022 at 1:10 PM

    Congratulations! I love the Camassia, which isn't something that will grow in my part of the country.

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  3. AnonymousMay 1, 2022 at 4:32 PM

    We've had a cool rainy spring too, but it's too early here for annuals. But soon!

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  4. RobinLMay 1, 2022 at 4:36 PM

    We’ve had a cool wet spring too, but we aren’t quite ready to plant annuals. But soon!

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  5. AnonymousMay 3, 2022 at 3:22 AM

    The chartreuse of the bleeding heart is shining in the shady garden like no other. What a sight! Brunnera 'Jack Frost' is an old favorite; I've moved volunteers into other places in the garden: I could ever tire of this plant.

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  6. AnonymousMay 5, 2022 at 6:25 AM

    Wonderful news on rain for your region. Happy for you. Maybe next year for us...

    The Camassia leichtlinii is gorgeous! "moist soil" means not for "SoCal". 😒

    Do you grow any Martagon Lilies?

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