Looking at the garden today, Bertie. The grass appears to be growing still! Not surprising, given the rain and surprisingly high temperatures. Happily it is too wet to be tempted to mow.

Roger

Snowdrops noted in the village churchyard today! There have been a few earlier ones in local gardens.

Honeybees working Mahonia flowers in sunny spells.

Is winter over and done with?

Roger

Regardless, what lovely pictures that creates, Roger and DEW; I am just about at the point where garden depression is shifting!

Although the local fire station daffs are blooming as in all years, the snowdrops are just candling and there is a solitary purple crocus next the veg beds. We have failed this year to clear the woodland bank and front garden of dead debris. Looks grim. I just hope the new growth does what the Met might do to the Gray report- a bit of 'political scrubbing!'

Sorry - this thread should remain free of this stuff!

Hi All!

I hope the northern contingent didn't suffer too much damage at the weekend!

Definite activity in the garden now which has prompted me to focus my attention on planting strategy for this season - Always such an optimistic time of year if you can catch a calm sunny day like we had here IMBY on saturday (we even managed to enjoy a bottle of wine in the sun, albeit in full winter garb!)

Its curious that the bulbs seem a bit later this year as its not been particularly cold. Daffs are emergent spears here but nothing more. In certain years i've noticed them as early as late Nov!

Lesser celendine leaves are out now which is always a welcome sight. I must remember to spread them about a bit more this year...

Honeybees noted by a colleague swarming around a food source at the weekend which was a curious thing to be told (vacant hive - perhaps they'll move in?!)

I'm optimistic for my Echium Pininana which have been riding it out in giant pots in my greenhouse. They've been a challenge in recent years but i'm hopeful for big things this season if the spring starts out on a warm note.

All eyes on the Robin box i constructed last year after the local mog destroyed their low level nest site.

Greetings MRazzell and welcome to the gardening thread. Sounds like you have a busy, busy gardening life already!

Does seem early for lots of honeybees now- although my knowledge is very limited. Roger P is the one to ask about that!

Well done for looking after your robins- good luck with that. 

Clearing the winter 'fluff' from our beds revealed one little shiny celandine flower on sunny Saturday. What a day that was- gave me loan of my pulse for the day!

Hi Bertie,

Yes, I try to keep busy outside whenever possible so this recent spell of settled weather in the south is most welcome (although no doubt we'll be bemoaning the lack of rain soon...but not quite yet).

My focus in the garden is very much on naturalisation of species (mostly native but some ornamental) and also habitat creation. Its not a big plot but i've seeded a perennial wildflower meadow in lieu of the front lawn and the majority of my borders are now being turned over to the organised chaos of self seeded natives and curios (e.g. the echiums and a few non-native verbascums - all bee magnets).

I'm a commercial landscaper by trade so its very much to opposite of what i do for a living, which is construct rather sterile, ornamental 'paint by numbers' gardens, usually on the rooftops of London.

My hope is that the Robins pay their due by keeping some of the pests at bay. The slugs last year were the most destructive i can remember - i even had to buy them a drink for their troubles, although the beer traps did keep the numbers down a little.

The celandine was a favourite of Wordsworth's apparenty...i've suddenly come over all poetic...