We are now two months into this year and still it rains. The week ahead looks a little brighter which is good because the garden looks abandoned. It is making me quite sad to not be able to get out there and get on with things.
Just inside the front gate there is this happy sight of the hellebores starting to flower and the hamamelis looking that a lemon frizzle of colour. The snowdrops are pretty much over and the tree peony is developing buds. It is all starting to happen.
This hamamelis has been in the front garden for some years now, and this year it seems to be particularly wonderful. It is slower than the ones in the back garden that are now all but over.
The Narcissus Rip Van Winkle I planted in the front garden eighteen months ago are starting to flower. I love this little raggy daff more than is reasonable.
I have been pruning the roses, I am about half way through. I usually wait until they start to sprout in the Spring. Look at how determined to grow this one is.
In the back garden there is a mix of Winter structure and new growth.
The back garden is still mainly green and brown but you can see glimmers of the yellow daffodils. You can also see a Tim and a Fluffy Pete.
In the Courtyard Garden the bonsai are overwintering well. This was a self-sown seedling I found in the garden some years ago. It is work in progress and a labour of love.
The Daphne Jacqueline Postill still has a few flowers left. This shrub has flowered for weeks this Winter. It is very garden worthy.
The primroses have been enjoying this weather, they are doing very well this year.
The Edgeworthia is just starting to flower. It is not as covered in buds as it has been been previously. I am concerned about this. I don't know if it has been too dry, too cold, too wet or too...... I wonder if it might be too shady where it is now. The other trees around it have grown quite a bit since this part of the garden was planted up. I wonder if it needs more light?
It has been a good snowdrop year, despite it raining so much I have hardly got out into the garden to see them. There will be some dividing happening very soon (weather-permitting).
The Cornus mas is flowering very well. I pruned it quite hard last year as she is rather large now. She has responded well.
The medlar is starting to green-up - huzzah.
and the Dancing Lawn is bejewelled.
The Narcissus telemonius plena are starting to flower. I planted a few and now there are quite a lot.
The Magnolia Jade Lamp is leaping ahead into flowering, which is great, but I hope that the frost holds off.
The Magnolia Black Tulip, which frankly has not been thriving, seems to be wanting to flower at last. Its only taken it six years to reach this stage. I know they can be slow to flower, but this has not been the strongest grower.
This is not the pond, this is puddled ground. It really is wetter than wet out there.
This is the young ginkgo tree in the back garden. I must have planted it around ten years ago (more or less). I suddenly looked at it as I was wandering around the garden and thought what a great shape it is becoming. I never really look that much at it until it has its leaves, but it is a beautiful tree even without them.
The Iford Cherry is also maturing into a fabulous tree. This has been in the garden 10+ years and is a delight. I am looking forward to it flowering soon.
and look at the contorted hazel behind it. This tree lived in a pot in my previous house and was one of the first plantings in this garden.
I always get excited when the catkins extend and the tiny red dots of hazel flowers appear.
The Spring Border is not in full swing yet. I think a couple more weeks and it will look full of its Spring colour.
The Pond is full, of course it is. If it wasn't it would be leaking. This is the pond from the other side, I hardly ever photograph it from this side for no reason whatsoever. As I stood there I could see flickers of movement which were most likely newts. They seem to appear before the frogs do. I am waiting to see the first frogspawn, always a turning point in the season.
Until next time.
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