My Gardening View #12

My gardening view at the moment is one of daily excitement as new spring flowers break through. I keep having to remind myself that we’re only in January and that February often has the worst winter weather. Still, I can’t help being cheered by the sight of another bloom.

It may not look much but this is the first crocus of 2021. I nearly missed it as the wallflowers were in the way. Since then, I’ve seen two more in other parts of the garden. It looks as though I’ve managed to plant without the squirrel noticing.

These are the first of the snowdrops under the old apple tree. A week ago they were just tiny shoots but they’re now growing quickly.

I planted these just a few years ago and I’m hoping they will spread to make a big display.

Looking a little worse for wear but she has been partying hard since before Christmas, is ‘Mrs Macnamara’.

This flowered about three weeks earlier than usual. I love this for its tall, upright form and have it planted by the path where it can also be seen from the house. A real mood-lifter in the depths of winter.

The gardening view also includes hellebores, which are starting to open around the garden. This is one of the first.

There’s the promise of plenty more to come but, looking over the borders, I’ve spotted some gaps that would be ideal for more plants.

The wallflowers are also showing signs of colour. They are last year’s plants as they were still flowering on and off all summer and I didn’t have the heart to pull them out.

The plants are quite big now so I may have to be brutal this year or they will take over the border.

Often the small things are the most important in winter. It’s a time when tiny flowers shine, things that would be trampled in the rush in summer.

This cyclamen has the most wonderful bright pink flowers. It’s something else I’ve decided I need to plant more of – I think an online shopping trip may be needed.

Most of year this is a rather nondescript evergreen but over winter it comes to life with lime-green flowers tinged with red.

It’s rather cruelly known at the ‘Stinking Hellebore’ but is easy to grow and will tolerate a shady spot so very useful.

It’s been too wet to do much with the borders and too cold most days to linger long outside. However, one job that has been tackled is ridding the old apple tree of mistletoe.

The three counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire are a stronghold for it and our tree had rather more than its fair share.

Mistletoe is hemiparasitic so as well as photosynthesising, it also takes some food and water from the host tree. Keeping on top of it is an annual job.

The wisteria has also had its winter prune. Now I just have to hope we don’t get a late frost to damage the flowers, as has happened for the past few years.

The gardening view of the veg plot is mainly one of bare borders waiting out winter until planting can start properly. About the only thing moving is the rhubarb, which is starting to show bright red shoots.

There are early broad beans under a cloche – to keep the pigeons off as much as the weather – and new shoots on the garlic. Over the next few weeks, I will be starting to chit potatoes as well. The season is well underway.

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