Some snowdrops just breaking out of their buds. Others are about TWO inches high but can see the buds beginning to form.

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The best and for me the only time to plant snowdrops is "in the green" i.e. when they've just flowered and with foliage. In fact if you need to split clumps, this is the best time to do so.  If you planted dry (such as desiccated leftovers from a garden centre or wherever) snowdrop bulbs in November I would think it likely you left it too late and they are no more. Maybe the same for your crocus? Tulips planted in November/December seem to be no problem and should come up and flower.

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If the bulbs dried out then they will not flower.

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Thank you, all for your kind and helpful advice.  I have just looked at my plants in my garden and the crab apple tree with it's ripe apples and the Fire Column shrub is heavy laden with red berries.  There are a lot of wildflower plants waiting to blossom.  There has been a lot of rain in Thurrock and many of my planters are flooded with rain water.

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Ive been away for a while and so haven't been contributing,  Last summer we replaced a lot of our flower beds with vegetables, and i have continued that during this winter. We were endlessly watering as it was such a dry hot summer.

 I will remember this  autumn and winter as cold wet and miserable  but not exceptionally so , the lack of sunshine has been the most depressing aspect but the days are getting longer

So getting out in the garden and digging and preparing for this year , has been a 'breath of spring , especially as we have so many spring flowers pushing through and the snowdrops and early daffodils out, and also so many birds out there.  With gardening you always are looking forward and  I have just been looking at the latest  copy of https://www.gardenersworld.com/, and its now time to plant your summer bulbs!  I look forward to checking everyone's planting tips!

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More herbs will be grown this year. Need plenty of sage and basil also chives as they are well-liked. More mint aswell. 

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More herbs will be grown this year. Need plenty of sage and basil also chives as they are well-liked. More mint as well. 

Some Old English Customs:

• Eating sage every day in May will grant immortality


• A woman who ate sage cooked in wine would never be able to conceive


• Where sage grows well in the garden, the wife wears the trousers

There you have it Art.

A few years back I found particularly fragrant strain of spearmint in Waitrose I think might have been one of the sought after Moroccan strains that one of their growers cultivated. It still thrives. I love Black Peppermint too as a tisane.

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I have placed five of the most recent containers in my shed to protect the plant from any ice and snow for the next few days.

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Optimistic Art. My cannas and dahlias have been in the shed all winter more to stop them becoming waterlogged.  The neighbours leave their dahlias in the ground and have got a way with it since 2014 even with the so called beast a few years ago. It's a risk I won't take though.

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More clumps of snowdrops flowering than I thought we had. I think maybe I've disturbed bulbs during autumn clearing of the woodland bank and spread them about a bit.

Nice drop of sunshine in the Itchen Valley today- crocuses just trying to open their eyes. I've only got orange ones out at the moment.

Mahonia smells beautiful and actually the gorse flowers have got that coconut scent that you normally get on warm spring days.

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Having been outside earlier, chopping away some brambles, I noticed an unusual splash of colour at the edge of the lawn, an area underneath the spreading branches of my neighbour's Scots pine and hazel trees...

Sweet violet, I think, having looked online - usually found in road verges and woodlands. (Goodness knows where they've come from, but it was nice to see them regardless!)

EDIT: I went out and snfifed them. They have quite a pong which, disappointingly, doesn't smell much like those parma violet sweets (which are a favourite of mine - I love the smell of them). I guess, no surprise really, that Swizzels use fake violet flavouring in them!

 

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One of my Ceanthus/Californian Lilacs is in a right state with browned leaves. Pretty sure it must have been the heavy snowfalls combined with no wind which meant it was weighed down with snow for days. Didn't even happen in 2018, but the wind may have helped keep deep snow off it then. Not sure whether it will recover? Also have a waxy green evergreen plant with yellow edges , not sure the name , all wilted, probably same reason. 

Some pictures, any advice? 

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My peach tree has buds and flowers and is looking good. I hope to have more than one fruit this year. No doubt the cold weather will see it off.

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I found a large roll of 'leaky pipe' https://www.leakypipe.co.uk/ from my horticultural days so a task for this weekend is to unroll it and fit it around two borders that otherwise receive overhead watering. With a mulch it should save me water on the meter too if I'm not forgetful about turning on and off. Just need to get two hose connectors and stops.

If that's not a recipe for a wet summer I don't know what is. There again from a selfish angle if a wet summer reduces the masses from descending on Dorset this year maybe that's a plus after last years incredible inward mass migration and congestion from dawn to dusk. 

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My crocuses are now full in bloom. I have photographed them with my android phone.

 

Hello, please can you help me as I have forgotten how to download photos on this site.

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There are quite a few TWO posters who will be interested in the following nhbs piece:
Author Interview with Dave Goulson: Gardening for Bumblebees
https://www.nhbs.com/blog/dave-goulson-gardening-for-bumblebees

Enjoy.
Roger

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There are quite a few TWO posters who will be interested in the following nhbs piece:
Author Interview with Dave Goulson: Gardening for Bumblebees
https://www.nhbs.com/blog/dave-goulson-gardening-for-bumblebees

Enjoy.
Roger

That's an interesting site generally Roger

Back to gardening or more truthfully the prospects for the sloe harvest later. The other day I noticed that there are many blackthorn still in bud even this far south in Dorset. Remarkable for April.

Certainly a Blackthorn Winter as I type this. I hope this snap doesn't turn into a spell.

The worst of both worlds when you have to water pots at this time of year because of the dry and the plants are wilting and it's well below freezing at night. 

Nick

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Glad you found it of interest, Nick. The weather has been a bit uncooperative - we've been having our old garden wall rebuilt/pointed with lime mortar and frost is not what we want just now! I think it has gone off OK - but what can you do? The mason/flower bees will be impressed with that decision! Next task - painting of the old school railings!
Roger

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I noticed bumble bees out and about today despite air temperature high only 8C briefly.
Winds were lighter so must have been enough for them to keep warm enough to fly.

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Bedding plants - buy now and spend the next fortnight watering or buy later and find the best choice has gone?

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