Winter into Spring

 

There are quite a few photos on this post, but when there is so much happening in the garden, it isn't surprising.  The two daffodils above seem to be sharing some gossip.

The crocuses took a while, but have now graced us with their elegant presence...in purple

...and white.

 I love to see primroses - simple but beautiful.

 The blue of a scilla just doesn't show on this photo.

 Then there are the hellebores...speckled pink

 Picotee pink...

 Not sure, but pretty anyway...

lovely pure white...

 ...and the latest addition 'Hello Ruby', not in the border yet but acclimatising to the garden.

 Pale and beautiful narcissus Elka.

 Camellia St Ewe.

 Cardamine Quinquifolia (three flower stems this year and slowly spreading.

 It has been really windy this week, but Spring is on the way.

First garden visit of 2019 - Brightwater Gardens - snowdrops and friends

Last Sunday, my garden visiting friends Katy and Alison and I headed out for our annual pilgrimage to see snowdrops.  This is the start of the gardening season for us and we always look forward to it.  We were undecided where to go as there were quite a few snowdrop gardens open locally.  In the end, we plumped for Brightwater Gardens .  It is a relatively recent garden but every time we visit, there is something else to see.  There aren't the ancient wooded areas that some places are lucky to have, but we found plenty to enjoy.  Above is a lovely area full of white crocuses.

This wooded area was really beautiful.

 The snowdrops were nodding in the breeze (and I was glad I had taken my woolly hat!)

 A lot of planting has taken place.

 There were crocuses enjoying the sunshine.

 They just say 'Spring', don't they? (Even though it is still Winter).

 The cornus Midwinter Fire was shining brilliantly in the sun.

 Different coloured stems of cornus and willow were working well in this border.

 There were some hellebores...

 ...with different shades of purple.

 We hadn't noticed this little group under the tree before - Badger, Toad and Ratty -  but where was Mole?

 There he is, on the left.

 The crocus bank was full of colour.

 One garden I glanced at had me intrigued by the pale blue flowers.  When we got closer, we found they were clumps of irises in pale blue and creamy white/green, with the beautiful speckled markings.

 One of my favourite gardens, surprisingly, as it has such a meditative and peaceful feeling once yo are inside.  Hedges, pleached trees and grass are the only ingredients.

Looking through the vegetable gardens with a vista which draws the visitor onward.
We had a lovely visit and it was a perfect start to the garden visiting year.

Looking forward to Spring

I like looking at Winter - snow enveloping familiar landmarks and creating a quiet atmosphere, dark branches silhouetted against frosty blue skies, winter sunrises and sunsets - but I don't much like the cold.  This winter in particular, my hands have been suffering a lot thanks to Raynaud's Syndrome, which I have had since I was fourteen.  It is where extremities are ultra sensitive to temperature and the blood vessels constrict, cutting off circulation.  My fingers go white and numb and I then have to work at getting the circulation going again.  Irritating and sometimes painful, but not life threatening, I am pleased to say. 
I am always cheered by the sight of snowdrops and other winter flowering bulbs.  My snowdrops in the garden are starting to flower and are a sign that winter will soon be over.

 Cyclamen coum will be flowering next month, but the buds are preparing themselves.

 As I have mentioned before (just once or twice), snowdrops are one of my favourite flowers as their delicacy belies their inbuilt toughness.  They don't seem to be worried by the winter weather.

I noticed more signs of life with the tips of some crocuses just starting to show above the extremely soggy soil - you can tell that it has been very wet!

I always want to add more colour to the winter garden and decided that I needed this plant; 'Nandina Domestica Firepower', which is a small shrub with lovely autumn and winter leaf colour, and white flowers in Spring.  

I was sorry to hear on last week's 'Gardeners' Question Time' (Radio 4) that Chris Beardshaw does not like Nandinas and rather dismissed them.  I shall enjoy my little plant, which has already given me a lot of pleasure through the dull winter weather.

In the Garden

 I spent a very happy couple of hours in the garden on Sunday, making the most of the sunny weather.  I did some cutting back and a little tidying of wayward stems.  I also had a good look round to see what was progressing.  Above is Lathyrus Vernus which I always look forward to seeing in Spring.  This one has pink and white flowers, rather than the usual purple and blue.

 One of my patio peonies from last year is budding up nicely.  I have recently bought two more bare root patio peonies which I potted up so I hope they will do well.

 Tulips are just starting to nose out of the soil.

 A little further down the garden, in a bit more sun, more tulips.

 The crocuses were very pleased to see the sun too.

 A few flowers from Prunus Kojo-no-Mai have opened too.

 White phlox plants are just starting to grow.

 White crocus 'Jeanne D'Arc' are looking lovely - you can just make out a pale lilac line inside the flower leading to the stigma and stamens.

 You might be able to see the lilac line better in this close up.

 I still have some snowdrops in flower in this rather full pot.  Some dividing may be required I think.

 The other hellebores are in flower now too.

 They needed a bit of support in order to see into the flowers.

 An erythronium 'Rose Queen' (Dog's Tooth Violet) is also starting to grow.   This was rather dry when I planted it in the Autumn, so I wasn't sure it would grow at all.

A hyacinth providing a splash of deep blue.  I think this plant may need to be located in the sun, rather than the shady spot I planted it in.  Another job to do in a few weeks' time...

Enjoying the sunshine

We have actually enjoyed some sunshine today, which has been lovely.  This was the sky this morning.

I had a look in the garden and saw a small number of double snowdrops.  They always need to be lifted up in order to appreciate their lovely markings.

 One of my hellebores is flowering too, but also needs to have its head lifted up.

 This is the best clump this year.  I do have two other plants, but they are still in bud.

 Cyclamen coum and snowdrops in a pot together.

 Snowdrops, crocus and a grape hyacinth also in a pot together.  I should probably divide the snowdrops once they have finished flowering.

Finally, a second double snowdrop with the lovely green and white combination.  I think the flowers were as pleased to see the sunshine as I was!