Confession...

I managed to delete the pictures of the tulips at their wonderful eccentric best!   And several others at the same time.   But here is a detail of the luscious fresh green foliage of Crocosmia Lucifer with a water droplet early one morning which I didn't delete, just for the fun of it....

First swifts

I heard the first swifts "peeping" in the sky above the garden today, having seen my first swallows of the season a few weeks back.  
The grass has shot up since last weekend with the rain we've had but the new seed I put down is still not growing as it's been so cold.   Most other things have really taken off, some sweet pea seeds I put in pots (rather late but will plunge straight into the ground, pots and all) have germinated really quickly.
At present the lily of the valley are putting on a wonderful and delicious-smelling show,  clematis montana is flowering well, alliums seem to be popping up all over the place - I am sure many of them must have self-set - and any tulip sceptics really should see the delightfully eccentric shapes the long-lasting burgundy tulips are making....   Pics to follow soon.
I have never seen so many flowers on my three currant bushes so I will really have to try and remember who it was I promised the red currants to this year....  

Narcissus Thalia

This year the narcissus Thalia have put on a stunning show.   I am sure they have multiplied since last year.   As the area is completely taken over by lily of the valley later in the year it gets virtually no attention - which the narcissi evidently thrive on!
Here they are in the early morning light.   Worth getting up for!

Bouncing fledglings

On Saturday my bleary-eyed wander into the kitchen was greeted by the sight of 2 lively, healthy and evidently hungry blackbird fledglings bouncing around outside the French windows with both parents in eager attendance.  

The garden has suddenly burst into life and with it its wildlife.   Along with the resident blackbirds - at least 2 if not 3 fledglings, all flying short distances fairly confidently - there have been plenty of blue tits and fluffy young ones, great tits - whose rather tedious call I have only just identified www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nDLF2fxoWQ - green finches, dunnocks and robins.   Nowadays there are always red kites on patrol overhead and while I was clearing last years dead leaves I disturbed a fairly large and very splendid frog.  

The snails have also started waking up and have managed to chomp the tops of all my shooting dahlias in the greenhouse.   Apparently it's due to be a bumper year for slugs and snails after all the rain we had last year.   One can only hope this is good news for thrushes, hedgehogs and the like.

Hellebores and double figures

It's just such a relief for the temperature to be back in double figures and this week the garden's had a thorough drenching - the first rain in several weeks so very welcome.

The hard winter may have been detrimental to we poor humans but it looks like it's done the garden some good.   My hellebores have flowered better than ever before, the blooms lasting longer and several things - including pansies - seem to be thriving, perhaps benefiting from pests and diseases being killed off by the cold...?

Managed to pot up some dahlias (from Wilkinson's) in the greenhouse and give the grass another thorough raking over,  removing a lot of moss before re-shaping it - mainly by giving in to the plants which have been overshadowing it and causing the moss problem.   Not quite satisfied with the curves I have created but it makes a change.

Lots of things bursting in to life - mainly with a yellow theme for now - including forrsythia, mahonia, primroses, daffs and yellow epimedium.   Clematis armandii is well on its way.   It seems spring is finally here at last - hoorah!

A little light at last

Three months and no posts - and no gardening either since I thought about moving.   But today I was tempted to begin a good clear up and rake out some of the moss from the grass.

I am rewarded by finding the solar-powered garden lights have come on this evening - the first time since I can remember.

The gardening year has begun - hoorah!

Hoar frost

....No entries for a whole month and I am ashamed to say this rather reflects what I have and haven't done in the garden.   Thankfully, we haven't been flooded but the rain and the short dark days have not provided much of an incentive to get out and as I might be moving it is tricky to know what to do - other than pot up some treasures that will have to come with me - although I have put the bird baths out of the frosts's way and a couple of tender climbers which I hope to over-winter.  

The nerines have put on an excellent show again and one or two really hard frosts have cleared up any possible doubt it being time to cut back anything tender.   

This year there is a real dearth of berries - none at all on the amelanchier which was a great attraction to the birds last winter and for the first time ever the seedpods have all fallen - or been blown - from the Judas tree.   So I am trying to remember to feed the birds as much as possible.

Here are a couple of quick shots of the front privet hedge with a prickly intruder which seem rather seasonal.   Pity I didn't have time to get the tripod out!