Grasses, fresh shoots & violets.

It was lovely to have a whole day in the garden today.  We lost the sunshine and the air had a chill to it, but with a little physical activity (and a few toffee waffle biscuits) it takes no time to warm up and de-layer clothing.  The soil seems, dare I even say it, unseasonally dry, so although it is easy to work, my mind is harking back to last year, with it's drought during the sowing season and deluge during the blooming season. I'll keep all digits crossed that there isn't a repeat this year.

My ‘grass beds’ have been shaming me recently and nobody wants to be shamed by a grass bed! I didn’t get time in the autumn to clear my beautiful Frosted Explosion grass so that was one of my many jobs today.

Here they are last July (oh those heady days). They add great texture and an ethereal quality to any bunch or bouquet.

And here they are earlier this morning alongside my trusty perennial Quaking Grass.  They look a little sad but the seed heads still remain, providing potential for self seeding?

A gorgeous network of stems and seedheads.

Even time to stop, stare and make a plume of them!

I then finished clearing a space in the garden for some lovely Luzula Nivea grass that a friend kindly donated and I also wanted to make space for my new grass passion (you can never have too many grasses in my book) the delicious Spangle Grass.

I don't know about any other gardeners out there but no matter where I garden I always find this orange hay bale twine in land I work. I never use it myself, but there it is, in all gardens I have worked, in it's many guises, looking brand new or old and tangled in the blades of a rotavator.  Horrible stuff that never breaks down.

There are also gorgeous blooms and fresh tender shoots in the garden today.

A lovely, tender, hairy delphinium looking like a sweet miniature forced rhubarb, standing at only 4cm high, fit for any dolls house table.

Perfect blue pansy.

And velvety violets.  I have plans for these tonight ... I feel a confectionery project approaching ....