Photos from the second April wedding

I'm extremely spoilt to have Bill Tingey also taking amazing pictures of my flowers, he just sent me these from the second April wedding, (very low res on screen) where he came to the studio the night before to see me making things up with extremely dirty hands (I hadn't realised how disgraceful my hands are until I saw them through his lens!!) and it's amazing to see my flowers through someone else's eyes.We're hoping to do a lot more work together, watch this space..... Thanks SO much Bill.

Photos from the first April wedding

A few lovely pictures from Lucy and Will's April 2nd wedding. Her bouquet was hellebores, tulips, ranunculus and lily of the valley, anemones and rosemary and ranunculus adorned the tent poles, one marquee entrance had tulips and variegated foliages across the awning entrance, the big dining tipi tents had dozens (literally) of candelabra, buttonholes were Mt tacoma tulips with lily of the valley, some had hellebores too. Lucy had lily of the valley and hyacinth pips on a barre in her hair, and the bridesmaid's headdresses were immaculate at the start of the proceedings, but got more and more wayward as the day drew on!

in the top gardens

No time to write, so just some snaps of what's going on in the top gardens around the cottage. too windy to photograph anything on the field this week but everything is really stepping into gear now. But I also love the gardens round the cottage - it's going to be all change later this year as it seems a move is scheduled, (lovely cottage with amazing garden to be for sale if anyone's interested, with flower growing neighbour in the field next door!) so many plants from the top gardens will also be on the move down to the field and to a new garden. All a bit daunting, but also very exciting, the chance to create another garden!

Proper snaps from Alex Ramsay

Amazing when a real photographer comes to call - Alex Ramsay popped over last Sunday when I was fiddling in the flower house.

Royal wedding flowers and cut flower garden capers

A very quick post as I have been too hectic to hit the keyboard lately.

Thanks William and Kate for such a beautifully decorated Abbey. Hoorah for seasonal English blooms and foliage. But I was a bit worried about her bouquet as I haven't made one like that yet!

I hope to post some photos from my own royal wedding soon, I think the lovely bride will send some this week. (She married one of William's cousins. It was a small church, not an Abbey!)

Tulips now over (last year I was still picking a few the last week of May and had a huge double tulip wedding on May 8th, you just never can tell), the ground is still parched here so I've finally succumbed to the hose to stop some of the perennials getting overstressed. My first delphinium is blooming, on 30th April, it's nuts. And alchemilla's getting into swing. But I'm mainly picking different foliages and mints with persicarias, ranunculus, astrantia, scillas, alliums, solomon's seal.....

The tunnel has become Dianne's territory, I venture in to sow the odd row of seedlings as I tend to use it as an emergency seed bed at this time of year, then I exit swiftly ! It really is looking very ordered.

I hope two wonderful german women are appearing this coming week to volunteer for 10 days or so, all weeders and sowers welcome now. I'm panicking about the next gap as seedlings are doing Ok when transferred from trays, but direct sown seeds are taking for ever.

No wedding this weekend, and a small one next, then it's full steam ahead. I had hoped to use cow parsley for several events the last week of May, including decorating the Royal Geographical Society Halls for a chelsea lecture, but a rethink is necessary as it will all be long gone.