Is it Spring yet?

The calendar has flipped over to March, and signs of Spring approaching are all around, but next week is threatening to be cold and possibly snowy!

Even so the garden is starting to come back to life. 

There are early daffodils appearing here and there (seemingly not quite where they should be), though a bit battered by recent wind.

Lenten roses adding a touch of purple 

and bergenias, a touch of pink

This is the time when the front garden looks its best. The early clumps of snowdrops now have crocus and primroses growing alongside them.

I'm just hoping that everything survives next week's weather,
 

Snowdrops

I've let this blog slide for a long while - years, in fact - but what better time to revive it than when snowdrops are flowering and Spring seems round the corner.

I've been out and about - to Kedleston and Hopton Hall  - to see snowdrop displays, but the photos here were taken in my garden.

Starting many years ago from a small clump they've spread, by seed, by me dividing and re-planting just after flowering, by birds lifting the shoots in early spring, till they almost circle the back lawn (and a couple of escapees have rooted among the rhubarb).

As the first real sign of Spring (or at least the end of winter) snowdrops are always a welcome sight, and this year they seem to have done exceptionally well. The weather has been kind. They don't mind cold nights, and so far February has been free of snow or heavy rain which can flatten them.

Apple blossom time

 This year's apple blossom has been stunning, with the first flowers appearing in early April, and the last still waiting to open (perhaps those knew about the cold nights forecast for next week)

 This is the first time that all five trees have flowered, though some are covered in blossom while a couple only have one cluster. I'm hoping this will all lead to a bumper harvest, but I'll have to wait and see

Picking this week - 22nd April 2020

We're not really into the swing of spring crops but things are coming along nicely.

In the greenhouse I've trays of  rocket and mizuna  growing well and supplying me with fresh salad leaves

From the allotment there are radishes and the end of winters leeks.










And both garden and allotment have rhubarb ready to pull.

Pansies

I thought it was time I updated this blog as I've been busy in the garden of late; digging keeps me active, and sowing seeds and planning for future harvests helps me keep anxiety at bay in these strange times.

 I was going to share pics of my seedlings and apple blossom but checking out the last post I realise I mentioned some 'clearance' pansies - and they're now all doing well. So I'll start with portraits of them :)

Post-christmas

It's a dull time of year, especially in the garden. Here and there though winter jasmine brightens up walls and fences, and I now have a couple of pots of christmas roses flowering - hopefully this time they'll stay live through summer.


















On a diy store trip to buy bird-feed I got slightly side-tracked and rescued some pansies from the reduced-to-clear rack. They're now potted up in wall baskets and tubs, and will hopefully bring more colour into the garden in the coming weeks

Pumpkin time

The allotment pumpkins aren't huge this year, but hopefully they'll prove to be enough for us.

I started using the smaller pumpkin this week, and so far we've had two meals - soup and chilli - from it, and I've not used half.

Once they're chopped of course, they have to be eaten quite soon, so I shan't be carving them for Halloween, as if I do the flesh never gets eaten quickly enough.

I might just draw scary patterns on them.