Centaurea Montana

Yesterday's bud opens to be this. And if you look carefully you can see an ant.

The door bell went this morning and the post lady had delivered the plants that I had ordered. So that was the job for today.

Like most jobs in the garden, one job generates another.  To put the new plants in the tubs I had to remove and replant the plants that had been them during the winter.

I then decided to cut back some of the plants by the front door.  The mahonia was getting very large so I chopped back one stem and there was a mother blackbird sitting on her nest.  So I put the branch back and now I've tied it back in place.  I realise that it is going to die but it might give her some cover for a while.

The additional photo is the crab apple tree