Making the most of a dry day.

We were out in the freezing wind yesterday, Shirley, OH weeding and me cutting back dead stems and starting to clear the g'house.We have also noted many small bulb flowers well nibbled, particularly snowdrops and crocuses.
I loved to see your greenfinch.We haven't seen any here for years, along with the song thrushes. However we do have a regular 'garden-full' of goldies.
Your hellebores are pretty soft colours and it looks as if the garden is springing into life. I do hope so!

Lovely to see your spring flowers Shirley. Little black slugs have been nibbling my mini daffs too, the crocuses have been ok, except for the rain. You are lucky to have a green finch. I believe their numbers have crashed recently, I don’t know why. I used to get a lot a few years back. Love your Hellebores.

Julia, it was so windy yesterday that the kitchen door nearly blew off the hinges when I opened it ... good luck with the pressure washing ... a mucky job!

Ange and Josie ... the results of the Big Garden Birdwatch are not published until mid April. However, the RSPB stated in 2023 that the number of Greenfinches recorded has dropped by 66% from number 7 in 1979 to number 18 in 2023. That is quite shocking.

Klahanie, I would definitely not be out in your garden with the low temperatures you are having. I hope it warms up soon.

Well done Shirley for getting out there, and then sharing your spring plants with us. It was reasonably mild here too, but I was booked into a meeting with my gardening group, so enjoyed chat and coffee instead. Maybe I will emulate you tomorrow …

I did gardening yesterday as it was dry and sunny, today cold and damp.

like you my daffs are being nibbled and I caught some slugs still on them.

your edges look lovely. Please come and do mine :o)

Glad that someone has had the weather to make a start, you have some lovely colour in there Shirley , I planted a bag of about 50 crocus last November and I can see about half a dozen I think the squirrels have been busy.lol.

Sheila, I hope you do manage some time in the garden today It is 12 degrees here, no wind blowing so I shall work on another border edge soon.

Ha,ha Eileen, if only you lived closer!

Phyl, such a shame when the bulbs are taken away. I planted about thirty Crocus around my Mums/Grandparents grave a couple of years ago and have only seen half a dozen in bloom. I suppose the churchyard is an ideal spot for Squirrels to forage!

Yes, you do have some lovely colours in your spring garden Shirley. Freezing cold here. The yellows and purples are
beautiful together and such smart grass! Mine is still in winter mode! Those are gorgeous hellebores and very pretty hyacinth too. I haven't seen a greenfinch either for many years..

Janey, the grass has quite a lot of moss, yet again, but it is what it is, too much faff to apply moss killer.
This morning I edged another border and then got down and dirty to fork over a compacted border.
Last night at 9 o'clock a Fox was grubbing around where I had edged yesterday. Grrr, could do without him/her coming in!

I've just been to visit my parents in Scotland, Shirley, I was very fortunate that the weather was gloriously sunny, although crisp and cold.
Some neighbours were out in their front and back garden taking opportunity of the weather!
Your garden is looking positively spring in bloom. Good to hear you've been out gardening and managed to mow the lawn. Both back and the little patch at the front are now growing quickly! I think OH wants us to wait a little longer until we finish the latest little project.

Unfortunately Shirley, I was away at my son's for the weekend and the weather was glorious both days, although it was cold.
I could have had two good days in the garden if I had stayed at home!
It was worth it though!
My daughter in law and I had both days out, one of them being a garden centre.
I couldn't buy anything as I was travelling by train.
It was lovely spending time with both of them.
Hopefully I will have more dry days to come!
Everything looks very spring like in your garden and you are so lucky to have a green finch.
I only ever see one now and again.

Kate, another project for you? I shall look forward to seeing the photos soon!

We just keep having heavy downpours of rain and the flooded fields around us are just dreadful... :o(

Rose, I'm pleased you had a lovely weekend with family.

Strange how the Greenfinches seem to be a rare sight these days. We have at least one on the feeder daily.

Oh yes, I must tell you that my Fuchsia 'Lady Boothby' did not come through the Winter. I found a very brown remnant of it in the border ... good job I have two medium size cuttings ... taken as insurance!

Shirley everywhere looks so pretty. Purple crocuses plus yellow daffodils - you cannot go wrong!! I love to see them together. Lovely hellebores too. Our narcissi are also being
nibbled which makes me sad!

Thanks Chris, so much rain today that the Crocus are closed and now drooping. I found a dead Bumblebee on the patio ... poor thing must have drowned ... :o(

When will this persistent rain stop?

What a lovely Hellebore Shirley. And your crocus have really bulked out…beautiful. Keep pacing yourself. You just reminded me with your remark about tiny black slugs…They seem to be drawn to Willow’s bowl overnight, and the other day I went out to get the bowl to feed her and guess who was sitting in the bowl? Only my little Newt friend! He must have been hiding in one of the courtyard pots when we moved! I was so chuffed to see him, and he’s grown a bit over the winter too! Little things eh? lol! I’m calling him Norrie.

Thanks Karen, the nursery I bought it from has sadly closed now, not making enough profit to keep it going.

Your Norrie the Newt story is the best comment I have read today ... :o)

:) Glad you liked my little Norrie anecdote!

:o))

I hope mine has Shirley, but I took a cutting from the main one but are both in the garden.
I would go and check but it's raining again!!

Oh dear, I hope your Fuchsias have come through ok. I fear now that I may have more plant losses thanks to all this rain. The lawn is squelching if trodden on and there are pools of water in some parts of the borders. We are on clay so perhaps the water has nowhere to go now ... :o(