Geranium ‘Rozanne’ peering through some iris leaves. Beautiful as ever, but somehow not as many flowers this year. I’m hoping…
Category: gardens
Small Successes
Something went well in the garden! Here are some of my wonderful tulips. Before they go…
Visitor
The welcome sight of a blackcap visiting the garden.
It’s Starting!
Definitely a feel of spring about the place today. And about time too!
Snowdrops abound; a suspicion of daffodil buds. Two or three pale crocuses have opened today, lonely and straggly in their oversized planters. (Where are the others?)
I’ve planted out some more red tulips, which were a most welcome gift. A lot to look forward to there …
Tiny shifts, tiny events everywhere, from the unidentified and intriguing (dark red shoots emerging in unmarked pots) to surprise discoveries (shy, white blooms of forgotten winter-flowering honeysuckle). And last year’s biggest rescue mission: white narcissus bulbs, found in a terrible, neglected state and given an emergency home in a huge plastic box. Too close together, too many in the box, but still alive and raring to go, by the looks of it. Let’s wait and see.
Return of the primrose.
What are they?
Discovered this morning.
Hardy geranium returning.
Grape hyacinth bud.
Narcissus nursery.
Green heaven.
January Ends…
Some dark January shots from the garden …
but also signs of new life:
A Garden in Winter
With not a snowflake in sight (though I’m hoping for snowdrops)!
It’s so mild that I’ve been tempted outdoors to do some jobs in the garden. I’ve re-potted a cyclamen (an indoor plant, this one, so not very daring of me) in the hope of keeping it flowering a little longer. I’ve rescued some hyacinth bulbs that I put away last summer and forgot about. Guilt made me look for them and give them a new residence. They were sprouting, and therefore deserve a chance, but they’ll have to remain outside as I found a large grub in the roots of one; I can’t risk them around my avocado plants and cacti, in case any more beasties are lurking therein. The amaryllis bulbs had completely collapsed – eaten by said grub, I suspect.
Last but definitely not least, I’ve tidied up the two old sinks I use for bulbs. A few plants had decided to set up camp: marjoram, which had seeded there from an adjoining sink; Ajuga, or bugleweed, which spreads like purple wildfire; and a berried shrub whose name I don’t know. Nothing wrong with any of them, but they were threatening to drown the spring bulbs. Now I’m looking forward to the colourful return of my miniature daffodils and irises.
‘Someone’ had put a plastic pond-liner at the bottom of the garden, exactly where my snowdrops come up, year after year. It didn’t seem important in summer, when we bought it, but I suddenly realised how close we are to snowdrop time and moved it away. The shoots look pale and flattened, but I think they’ll recover! (I posted about snowdrops in February 2015.)
Definitely a lot to look forward to in the next few weeks.
Robin
Taken on a frosty day in the gardens of Chatsworth House. So many robins there – some spirited territorial disputes!
