LOOK KARENSUE at what I found in my garden today!!

No it's not! (Saddo, I mean!) It's things like this that make gardening so exciting!

yes it certainly is exciting think it has been in about 10 years if not more, Karen thought I might have trimmed it at the wrong time to cause it not to have catkins so I tried not to trim it but the side this is actually taken from I had to cut back because it was causing too much shade for a climbing rose and then I found this little catkin, just hope they keep coming. Had a look around it all this morning and lots more developing all over it so I think it must be the rain that has helped it.

Brilliant!

Olive - it's garrya elliptica which flowers in February. It should be pruned immediately after the flowers have finished

Congratulations Olive....I know just how you feel...I was the same when my Hydrangea 'Petiolaris' flowered after about 5 years...lol

Oh thank you for that Andrew, yes I have got the name but it is quite a mouthful (karensue keeps reminding me what she is called) I call it Gary. lol :O)

Thanks Moti, I was really excited, just shows what the rain has made happen.

I know just how you feel. The most simplest of things like this when you're a gardener is great and you are no saddo!

oh thank you Rose, I do get excited over little things like this. I do so enjoy my garden and this has been such a long time in having catkins, I love catkins even the ones on the silver birches when they appear. :O)

So do I Barbara.

:O)))))

wow! That's amazing...mind you, I've found two hellebores in flower today! I'm not surprised they think its February...the poor plants are thinking it's finally the end of winter! I hope you get loads more in the winter Mum!

it must be all the rain, it is a rather dry spot up where it is planted, all the water runs down from this border to the seating area, maybe that is what it wanted. :O)

possibly, although here they seem to be grown mostly up against walls, so that would seem to indicate that they don't mind dry conditions. RHS say a sheltered sunny site with well-drained soil. They also say it tolerates many different conditions....so who knows. Perhaps, if it was incredibly dry, that might have been the thing, but if you kept pruning it hard.....I don't know. They are really beautiful in the winter when frosted, but I think you might have it in quite a shady spot...that could be the reason it hasn't 'flowered' before I guess.

Could be many things I suppose, as you say who knows! :O)