Madhouse diaries : Madhouse, Madhouse, how does your garden grow?

When I was a kid, I used to hate being dragged around garden centres by my parents but it must be a sign that I'm getting old (or turning in to my parents? Eeek !) because I actually quite enjoy it now. As we only have a patio, we rely on pots and containers to add an instant splash of colour.

I loved the look of these sunflowers - I've never seen this type before. Underneath the big central flower, there are a bunch of smaller buds which will hopefully open up in the not too distant future.

I couldn't resist giving strawberries a go again, even if they failed abysmally last time. This plant has a few fully formed strawberries which will give them a head start - hopefully the slugs won't eat them before they go red !

We usually do well with cherry tomatoes so we planted some more of those.

And I couldn't resist buying these pepper plants - how cool will that be when I can use them in cooking and salads ?

Red ones and orange ones. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers !

Staying on the kitchen garden theme, we bought another laurel bush for bay leaves because our last one died, after several years of loyal service.

On to the colour ! These bougainvillea plants (which is also what's in the top picture) remind us of our first family holiday to Tunisia because they had loads in the hotel grounds and scattered them all over the tables in the evenings.

There's something special about lilies too so this will liven up the front balcony.

And we loved the pale blue of this hydrangea (I think that's what it is ?).

That's set the scene rather nicely for lots of outdoor playing, barbecues and - if the weather holds - alfresco dining, starting today. Summer is definitely on the way !

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

KidsGrowWild Gardening Challenge Even Without A Garden

Children's Book Review : I Spy in the Garden

Cargo Spinners & Wobblers Garden Decorations review