May 17th to May 23rd
Weather: The cool showery spell continues
Maggie Sugden is back again, still finding flowers in this substandard spring!
And in the Hackett garden, there are some soggy blooms too
Tulip lasagne -the second course begins with T. ‘World Expression’ joining the early T. ‘Burgundy’ and T. ‘Lasting Love’ showing below 
An Early Osteospermum starts to open 
Epimedium x rubrum, looking a little soggy 
Dodecatheon meadia, now fully open 
Dicentra formosa ‘Bacchanal’ at least I think so. I could be D. ‘Luxuriant’, but that may be a shade lighter 
Maianthemum racemosum 
Lunaria rediviva – the perennial Honesty, but not the fancy variegated one we saw last week 
Japanese Tree Peony ‘Very Double Cherry’ growing through the cordon apple trees. Beautiful, but gone in a flash 
Exochorda x macrantha ‘The Bride’ 
A nice dark Centranthus ruber, growing against the house wall, ready to feed the bees and butterflies
Amanda Fincham says she had to go back and take all these again, because there were too many raindrops on them the first time!
Judith Ladley surveys the queue of plants awaiting a space – and wants to see a favourite restored to York Gate
The ‘waiting room’ at Victoria Close 
Known to me as Meconopsis cambrica but I think it has changed its name. Also sorbaria sorbifolia and a golden Hypericum. I think I’ve said before that my original Meconopsis came from York Gate – I would like to see it growing there again! 
I am very fond of multi-coloured erysimums and this is one of my favourites 
A beautiful iris bought from a lecturer who came to Friday Forum – sadly I have lost its name
Judith Edmonds says that the cool damp weather has made her tulips last for at least three weeks – she leads off with two Sarah Raven tulip mixtures
‘Dark Paeony Flowered’ including Antraciet, Black Hero, Orange Princess and Royal Acres 
‘Byzantine’ including Black Parrot, Queen of the Night, Ridgedale and Caviar 
Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ – this has taken 4 years to settle down and flower 
Aquilegia– no name, came from a market stall! 
Clematis alpina ‘Frances Rivis’ 
Tiarella with pretty leaves 
Rhododendron ‘Temple Bells’ 
Maianthemum racemosum 
Geum ‘Farmer John Cross’ 
Epimedium x warleyense
Sue Gray was burning the midnight oil on Sunday to get these beauties through to the Gallery in time!
The first of just 3 buds to open on the tree peony 
Paeonia ‘Claire de Lune’ 
Primula seiboldii – mauve form, but no sign of the white form, which I have lost more times than I care to remember 
Geum ‘Bell Bank’ – nothing special but a ‘good doer’ 
Corydalis ochroleucha 
Seedheads of Pulsatilla vulgaris shimmering in the sun after rain
Thanks Brian. Your time doing this for us is much appreciated. Joyce and John
A very long time ago! my brother and I were lucky enough to be taken round York gate by Sybil Spencer and have a cup of tea with her on the terrace. Talk about being on our best behaviour. Definitely milk first into the china cups.
At that time the Welsh poppies were in the garden but she preferred the double orange and pulled out anything else before it set seed. These went into the woven ‘weed baskets’ strategically placed around the garden for later collection.