At last, a glimpse of Spring!

Nice to see things happening for you Rose, I can see that down in the SW we are ahead of you, my baby daffs are going over now, but it it is still far too cold, everything I have under cover just looks to be dying to go out and get some warmth, it has all been under wraps for far to long.

Good to take a wander and see the signs of things to come Rose even worth getting cold fingers and toes, lol,
its been a bit better here today, very foggy start but no rain and the sun has come out just in time to go to bed, at least its a start, the birds are singing their little hearts out also enjoying it......

It's nice to see surprises - especially when you haven't had a good look around in ages!
You are quite a bit ahead of us yet - my P. denticulata are just pushing their big fat crowns through the soil.
We have snow again this evening!! I'm screaming at the sky - we've had enough now!!!!
Your choisya is marvellous!

There's certainly a lot going on in your garden!! Let's hope the weather soon warms up(and brightens up) , so we can get put more in our gardens!

I did enjoy this look around your garden, lots of colour and beautiful shrubs. Your currant is well ahead of my two which I've only recently bought, no sign of flowers yet:(

Rose, great minds think alike, as I took a wander around my garden as well! You have some lovely shrubs, especially the Eleagnus 'Limelight', what a stunner on a dreary grey day. The Choisya is gorgeous too. It does you good to see signs of another Spring on the way, at last!

It certainly has Lizziebee! Its seemed such a long winter! I've never known things in the garden to be so late !

Thanks Sue, we remembered last March for the heat wave and we'll remember this March for the cold!

You are so right Scottish! We have had enough! Still what can we do about it! We have to hope now its going to be a good summer! Pleeease!!!

Thanks Paul, usually the garden is full of spring colour by now!

Thanks Louisa, I'm amazed that it is as far on as this ! I hope I get lots of blooms on it! I've wanted one for a long time as I remember the one I had in my garden before I met my husband and it was such a fantastic sight in the spring! I always seemed to get something else and didn't often see any at our local nursery!

Thanks Shirley. I'm afraid when I planted the Eleagnus many years ago, I was trying to build up this corner to stop the strong winds gusting round it, but over the years , it encroached over the corner onto the path and the poor postman was getting caught up on it, so I had to cut it right back and now its so narrow!

Isn't it great to see Spring arriving? Even if the weather puts us off, it doesn't deter many plants. I love the white-berried Skimmia, have never seen one before. The
Eleagnus is lovely. I had one many years ago. And I just love Euphorbias - my Martinii has got lovely red tips on it now, and really shines. The Mahonia is lovely, too. I do hope you get some good weather to enjoy it all. It has been very mixed here, but we have had some nice, though short, spells here.

Rose last year I was saving the bathwater, as soon as the rains came I!! like a lot of people purchased more waterbutts and we all know what a joke that turned out to be, I ended up running a hose to the pond so as to drain away the overflow, lol.....

Hi rose! Thanks for the mentions! It looks like Helleborus argutifolius, the Corsican hellebore...greenish flowers and very tough sharply toothed leaves? Glad you're enjoying the heucheras! Most of mine look pretty awful at the moment, but they will be fine when the weather improves....sigh....when.....;)

I'm encouraged to hear that your heucheras are not looking their best, Karen. Mine look really tatty! I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will pick up with the season.

Nice to see signs of spring, even though it's still cold - well it's only March yet.
My Primulas are doing well :o) I've planted one of them in my new front garden, and it's starting to flower now. I'll put a photo of it in my next garden blog, for you to see :o)

You have a lovely selection of plants and shrubs,Rose..lucky you,that you have a big enough garden to be able to have them..I wish ! .I agree,it's lovely to get out there,and marvel at what has survived..and each day,a little bigger :o)

Sorry about your cold fingers and toes Rose but it was nice to have a wonder round your garden and see what a great selection of plants you have.

Thanks Mel, I've had the white skimmia for years now and can't seem to find its full name! I really ought to look out for some different euphorbias as well. The one you've got sounds lovely!

Do you know, Sue, last year I must have filled at least 6 water butts on the allotment garden and one very large one here which constantly overflowed! I hardly used the ones on the allotment because of the wet summer!

Thanks Karen. I thought you would know this one, but I have a sneaky feeling that you told me the name last year! I'm sorry your Heucheras are not so good yet, but they soon will be! When do you go away, Karen?

Looking forward to seeing your primula denticulatas too, Hywel! I suppose, because winter has been so long here, that I forget that its only March and of course we were spoilt last year with the mini heat wave!

Thanks Sandra, I hope I can still manage this garden as I get older! You never know, you may even get to see it one day!

Thanks Stroller, I hadn't realised it was so cold yesterday! You notice it more when not actually working in it! Its been much better today and the sun actually came out!

You earned your cuppa Rose. You have a lovely garden. Its grand to see the plants putting on a show and ignoring the weather. "another unnamed hellebore " is H. foetidus. I dk what the next one is (pics 3 +4) but the first two photos look like H. argutifolius to me rather than a Euphorbia . I saw a white berried Skimmia mentioned in a flower arranging article recently and looked it up . It could be "Wakehurst White" or "Kew White". Does yours flower and berry as well as the red one? Thank you for sharing.

Lovely wee blog, Rose, particularly the photo of the aquilegia.
Having been adopted by four, it's handy to see what they will look like, shortly.
At least, that's the theory. Lol.

Sorry Scotsgran that I've just got back to you. Thanks for the info. The white Skimmia only ever seems to have white berries.
Thanks Mouldy. I don't think you will be disappointed with your Aquilegias and every year you will find more and more as they will self seed all over.

Lol Rose I did not mean did your White Skimmia have red berries as well as white ones. My red skimmia flowers and berries very well, I wondered if your white berry version has as many flowers and berries as your red berry version. Sorry I did not make that clear first time.

We're definitely at cross purposes, Scotsgran ! I meant that ( and I know this seems strange ) the Skimmia only has white berries , but never flowers ! How weird is that !

Re reading your answer I now understand. You are like me in that you write as you speak at times. I wonder if you are not seeing the flowers - it should flower May time and the berries start forming fairly quickly but don't expand and colour until later in the year. My red one has old red berries, new flowers and new berries in the summer months, all at the same time. Kew white is described as Male by some nurseries and Female by others.

I'm definitely have to keep an eye on this, Scotsgran ! It has been flowering for months now ! Thanks once again.

I'd love to see a pic of those shy flowers.

I said the wrong thing again, Scotsgran ! I meant the berries have been there for months ! Senior moment ! If I see any flowers , I will have to take a picture of them.

I knew that was what you did mean. I was paying attention this time lol. We have been so busy for the last two weeks that I'm beginning to wonder when I can stop the world so I can get off to take a breather. lol.

Sorry to be such a dope, Rose, but are you saying that my aquilegias will produce more from their seeds dropping to the ground & that I can just sit back & let them get on with it?

Basically , Mouldy, that is exactly what happens, but after they have all flowered ! The flowers will produce seed and the wind will blow them everywhere, so in a few years time , you'll probably be saying b....y Aquilegias ! Hahaa ! Next year when the new ones pop up, all you have to do is carefully transplant them to where you want them. They are a very easy plant to look after, or you can pass them on to a another gardener, maybe in exchange for something else. Hope this helps.

Swapsies, what a brilliant idea, Rose!
Thanks a lot.