A particularly handsome stand of Solomon's Seal.

The heat today is more like summer and the bees are buzzing.

 White Deadnettle (Lamium album) flowers early in spring and keeps on flowering through summer, autumn into winter. A prolific weed/wildflower much visited by bumblebees. 

 Made a start in planting the herb garden at the music school. The  tallest plants (Fennel) in the middle, low growing herbs for picking round the edges (Mint, Lemon Balm, Thyme, Chives and Garlic Chives), interspersed with various annuals (Borage, Nasturtium, Calendula). More to come.

 The circles are crushed eggshells to keep slugs and snails at bay; they don't like dragging their slimy bellies across the jagged edges. Actually I've seen hardly any this spring. The days have been too sunny and dry, the nights have been too cold and dry. However there may be another problem in this setting: deer. Muntjacs regularly come into the grounds to forage, they may or may not like culinary herbs. 

 

Apple blossom.

 

 Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) in its natural habitat which botanically speaking is sloping calcareous grassland. From the perspective of folklore Pasque Flowers grow where Danes' blood was spilled in battle. Seen here at Knocking Hoe, one of the few remaining sites in the country where they grow in abundance. Chalky for sure, blood-soaked I don't know.

 

 One of my favourite flowers in my back garden: Smyrnium perfoliatum. A busily self-seeding biennial or perhaps triennial. I bought one in a pot, let it self-seed and now it pops up here and there every year. Does well in dryish soil in half sun/half shade corresponding to a woodland edge habitat.