View from the Back Door

The garden is thriving thanks to the rain. In the foreground the chives have flowered. The clematis on the arch is in full flower, though it has fewer flowers than last year probably because I cut it back last autumn. The arch was originally wooden but it was blown over two years ago so now there are metal uprights supporting it. It also has honeysuckle which will bloom later.

The clematis is a vigorously growing plant with no where to go. I did extend a trellis to the right and allowed the clematis to grow along it but it also was a casualty of the storm and was not rebuilt. It did block the full view of the garden from the kitchen window. There are two views (!) on gardens, 1. you should be able to see everything from the kitchen window and 2. the kitchen window view should be a taster which tempts you outside to explore the garden. I hold the latter view.

The sycamore tree is in full flower also though the flowers being green are difficult to see. Under the tree the bluebells are to the right but the cow parsley is head-high on the wild patch. Trim poet Tommy Murray, has a good description of "lace curtains of cow parsley" in a poem on this page.

The red X at the bottom of the garden came from railway gates at a closed west of Ireland railway station.