A bit over dramatic, but last Tuesday the sun shone, the birds sang in rousing concert, the weather was positively balmy, all the overburdened frogs and toads came out to play. Spring has sprung, no more miserable grey and cold – hah! Today an absolutely brutal northerly is lashing the garden with flurries of snow. At this moment the sun is shining gold as it sets, a small compensation as I fight the cat for space by the woodburner.
Daffodils nodding everywhere and the first of the wild cherries are in blossom, less definite than the later sloe but another welcome sign of spring.
More holes dug into the lawn, more worms temporarily homeless. The garden jigsaw puzzle continues. The most recent hunt was for Hesperis matronalis alba and white lupins at a ‘reasonable’ price, Whitehall Garden Centre at Lacock came up trumps. I shall keep them in the greenhouse whilst we experience this lovely cold snap.
The November sown seeds such as Angelica and Meum athamanticum are germinating, the January sowing outside, not yet. Sowed tomatoes and a pepper this weekend in a heated propagator much earlier than I would normally as I am fed up with such late crops.
The mixed Iris reticulata are putting on a good show, just a pity there hasn’t been enough sun still to open up the crocuses.