Its the end of March already - already! It only feels like four weeks since it began! What a March it has been: as with most Marches the days are much longer at the end than they were at the beginning. The clocks have sprung forward and it is indeed now Spring. It has been incredibly warm and yet the frosts also keep coming to remind us not to get too ahead of the game just yet. I am writing this after yet another overnight frost.
It is also a year since my first End of Month Review. As mentioned previously I keep a garden journal so I can track the first snowdrop, first daffodil etc, but having now a library of EoMRs mean I can see even more clearly what was happening this time last year. As a gardener this is a valuable resource. What it mainly tells me though, is that this year is pretty much like last year. Not really further forward and not really further back. Same old same old. Except the thing about Spring is that it is never same old same old. It always feels new, it always feel full of hope and potential for the year ahead.
So the magnolia is flowering well, it is the most magnificent tree and I have said before it was one of the things that led me to buy this house. Where would our front gardens be this time of year without magnolias? As I was out yesterday driving past tree after tree in full bloom I thought what an incredible addition they are to our gardens. It is also daffodil time. Mine are sort of mid-season at the moment. I have started deadheading some, yet others are still in bud. These are some miniature ones I planted last Autumn. They are rather cute.
The tulips are starting to open, the splashes of white here are the species tulips which are doing really well now. They have started to self-seed I am sure, each year there are more.
I have always like tulips a lot, but these species ones are a real joy.
The anemones, daffodils, fritillerias and scilias are flowering well in the wild garden. The grass is alive with colour, bees and on the warmer days the butterflies are already visiting. I am really pleased with how this corner of the garden is developing.
This clump of comfrey is also growing like mad this year. I was given a small bit of it a couple of years ago and I planted it in the hope it would rampage around these stones and hide them, it looks like they are starting to do that job. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?
This is my Spring corner of the garden. It looks its best this time of year and is sort of hidden behind the bramley tree, but for these few weeks it is one of favourite parts of the garden.
The amalanchier is about to flower. It is it's second year in the garden and this year is covered with potential flowers. Can't wait for it to open.
The woad is about to flower too. I am a great fan of this plant, which is a good thing as it self-seeds well and I have lots of it this year.
The broccoli is still broccling and I have sown some more for next year.
The now perennial leeks are growing well. They never got eaten so have been a flowering plant for the last two years at least.
The greenhouse is now empty of the prairie, that has been planted out, but filling up with new seeds already. The cuttings taken last year are still looking ok. Some may even have taken.
The chilli harvest is looking on track.
The cannas are showing signs of life.
The wallflowers are starting to open
and splashes of colour are appearing in the borders.
The doronicums sown last year have flowered,
the forget-me-nots are opening
and the pond, still never quite reached truly full and now I think it looks a little lower again as we haven't had much rain lately. It is full of life though, teaming with tadpoles who are setting up a one-way system so that they can get around the pond unimpeded.
Thanks as ever to Helen, the Patient Gardener for this meme.
It is also a year since my first End of Month Review. As mentioned previously I keep a garden journal so I can track the first snowdrop, first daffodil etc, but having now a library of EoMRs mean I can see even more clearly what was happening this time last year. As a gardener this is a valuable resource. What it mainly tells me though, is that this year is pretty much like last year. Not really further forward and not really further back. Same old same old. Except the thing about Spring is that it is never same old same old. It always feels new, it always feel full of hope and potential for the year ahead.
So the magnolia is flowering well, it is the most magnificent tree and I have said before it was one of the things that led me to buy this house. Where would our front gardens be this time of year without magnolias? As I was out yesterday driving past tree after tree in full bloom I thought what an incredible addition they are to our gardens. It is also daffodil time. Mine are sort of mid-season at the moment. I have started deadheading some, yet others are still in bud. These are some miniature ones I planted last Autumn. They are rather cute.
I have always like tulips a lot, but these species ones are a real joy.
The anemones, daffodils, fritillerias and scilias are flowering well in the wild garden. The grass is alive with colour, bees and on the warmer days the butterflies are already visiting. I am really pleased with how this corner of the garden is developing.
This clump of comfrey is also growing like mad this year. I was given a small bit of it a couple of years ago and I planted it in the hope it would rampage around these stones and hide them, it looks like they are starting to do that job. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?
This is my Spring corner of the garden. It looks its best this time of year and is sort of hidden behind the bramley tree, but for these few weeks it is one of favourite parts of the garden.
The amalanchier is about to flower. It is it's second year in the garden and this year is covered with potential flowers. Can't wait for it to open.
The woad is about to flower too. I am a great fan of this plant, which is a good thing as it self-seeds well and I have lots of it this year.
The broccoli is still broccling and I have sown some more for next year.
The now perennial leeks are growing well. They never got eaten so have been a flowering plant for the last two years at least.
The greenhouse is now empty of the prairie, that has been planted out, but filling up with new seeds already. The cuttings taken last year are still looking ok. Some may even have taken.
The chilli harvest is looking on track.
The cannas are showing signs of life.
The wallflowers are starting to open
and splashes of colour are appearing in the borders.
The doronicums sown last year have flowered,
the forget-me-nots are opening
and the pond, still never quite reached truly full and now I think it looks a little lower again as we haven't had much rain lately. It is full of life though, teaming with tadpoles who are setting up a one-way system so that they can get around the pond unimpeded.
Thanks as ever to Helen, the Patient Gardener for this meme.
Its all happening isnt it. I havent heard of perennial leeks - how do they work surely when you pull them up thats it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in again this month
Thanks - a perennial leek is one you don't pull up and then it flowers and looks pretty so you leave it and then next year it's still growing so you leave it, then it flowers again and it just keeps going :)
ReplyDeletePhew, so much going on in your garden. I am fully with you, regardless of the many Springs which I have experienced, every single one still feels like the very first. Can you believe, after the beautiful weather, we are told to expect the first snow of the year in Aberdeen.
ReplyDeleteThanks - its turned very cold here too and allegedly it will sleet/snow on Wednesday!
DeleteI planted an Amalanchier last year so am looking forward to it flowering for the first time.I do like your species Tulips - I much prefer them to the more showy ones.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the combined newness and familiarity of each Spring that is so attractive. We know what to expect, but somehow it's still always a delightful surprise. I had to laugh about your tadpoles' one-way system, that's such a great image. Everything is looking fresh and lovely there.
ReplyDelete