Moving towards an easing of lockdown, and along with it a return of sunny weather. Clothes shops and even hairdressers re-opened in the middle of the month and there was some easing of travel restrictions.

The deer have continued to leave the roses alone. A splendid showing in “Petit Versailles”

the box, sadly suffering in places from blight, still waiting to be trimmed. The pink roses alongside the Angels have also managed to escape the usual munching, complementing the last of the Iris, and accompanied by honeysuckle.

Viburnum Kiliminjaro has survived in the stone circle

but sadly not elsewhere in the garden. Alongside it the deer have pruned Cornus Winter Fire, again!

The Prairie is growing up fast

Only localised splashes of colour as yet, in mid May. One exception was Baptisia australis

one of which at least held its flower spikes for several weeks. The white Lychnis flowered early too

earlier than their deep pink cousins in the Gravel garden, which are still not flowering as I type at the end of the month.

The glory of the prairie at this time of year, however, are, as ever, the Phlomis

yellow russeliana, and pale purple tuberose Amazone, and the Stipa gigantea

providing a spectacular focus in several of the massifs, although it will disappear later in the year as the tall members of the daisy family grow up around it.

Finally yellow Coreopsis, self seeding enthusiastically, and threatening a takeover in places, fortunately mostly places where it is too dry for much else to go, and deep blue Salvia nemerosa provide a glorious contrast of colour.