Oh my days, I'm not sure where January went. It seems to have disappeared straight up its own you-know-what! And now it's February, which means spring gardening season is on its way. (Like, like, like. Big smiley face!) Decided to mark the new month by having a walk around our garden looking for signs of life.
Some of the winter shrubs are still adding a flash of colour. This pyracantha has been covered in bright berries for what seems like months now.........
........and the winter jasmine, while almost over, still has a few cheery yellow flowers.
Even the witch hazel, which is pretty much pot-bound at the moment is ignoring my neglect & throwing out a few spiky blooms.
The bulbs are mostly poking through the soil now, despite the cold of the last week, with the snowdrops just beginning to get underway..........
Dotted here & there are tiny splashes of colour where primulae are defying the biting winds to add their own little touch of spring promise.
Meanwhile in the Vegetable Plot, there are positive signs of future food! The late autumn-planted garlic has sprouted well.......
......and the frosty nights this past week should have helped the bulbs to form decent cloves. The sorrel is putting up new leaves, which add a fresh lemony tang to salads, as well as making great soup later in the season.
I popped the rhubarb crock into place last week.......
......& a quick peep down the top this morning revealed the first signs of pale pink loveliness which will almost certainly find their way into a crumble when they've climbed to the top of the crock :-)
I have had to put a little bit of work into the broad beans this week, as the weight of the Boxing Day snow collapsed half of my support frame & netting, then the gales saw off the rest. Spent a bright chilly morning replacing damaged plants, tying them in & re-staking, while our tame robin sang to me from the apple tree.
Robin-help was cheery & uplifting. I wish I could say the same about Cat-help, but swiftly came to the conclusion that cats have little to offer in broad bean cultivation which can be deemed remotely constructive. Albert Whiskers was of the opinion that I had wrapped myself in 4 layers of clothing & even more layers of mud for his own personal amusement. As fast as I wound twine around my bean canes, he pounced on the other end & pulled it off.
Unless I've missed something, fishy cat saliva does not much add to the strength or tying properties of twine. Thankfully his assistance levels dwindled significantly when the Tabster & Big Massive Blackie took it upon themselves to cross the garden & had to be Promptly Dealt With!
So those are the signs of life in our garden today. What's happening in yours? I'd love to know.
Until next time, when I'll be telling youo about the big decluttering challenge I'm attempting throughout February. Yes, it has started today!
C x
That's a cheering blog post! Very enjoyable. I've noticed a few snowdrops and pleased that early mornings are lighter :-)
ReplyDeleteI think February will fly by. Think we'll have a bit more snow, but Spring isn't far away. I seem to achieve so much more when the evenings are lighter.
DeleteWe have the odd primrose, a few snowdrops and our rhubarb is showing too - do I need a special jar over it or can I use something else instead - (told you I have lots to learn ;) )
ReplyDeleteThanks for another lovely read
Thank you. If you want ordinary rhubarb stems, you can just leave it to grow & start picking when they look ready in Summer. If you want a crop of those young thin bright pink stems, you'll need to force it. No need to buy a forcing crock though, just pop an upturned big flowerpot over it & when the stems get to the top, you can start pulling them. I leave a few on to start off my later crop of the darker thicker stems. Hope this helps! Just opened a jar of last year's rhubarb jam......it's so nice!
DeleteThank you. If you want ordinary rhubarb stems, you can just leave it to grow & start picking when they look ready in Summer. If you want a crop of those young thin bright pink stems, you'll need to force it. No need to buy a forcing crock though, just pop an upturned big flowerpot over it & when the stems get to the top, you can start pulling them. I leave a few on to start off my later crop of the darker thicker stems. Hope this helps! Just opened a jar of last year's rhubarb jam......it's so nice!
Delete