Hot Pink

A quick post after work.This is some beautiful Carnations at Hils the other day.
I am off tomorrow then back to work for a few days.
Love these colours!

Two Flowers

Nearly opening is the first Anemone of the year.It has been growing quietly without me noticing.They have such gorgeous looking flowers..

The second flower is the Fred Loads Rose, which suprised me.The cold weather has distorted the Rose bud but as it has warmed up it has unfurled and is in flower.All the other Roses are only just growing leaves and swelling buds.This one is either very early or very late!
There will be masses of flowers soon.The garden is a sea of green spears all over the soil.

Rhubarb

From the Allotment today....

At The Plot

The allotment today on a cold and windy day.I got my first blister of the year turning soil over and digging two new beds.
One for the over wintered Strawberrys which look really healthy, and the other for Vegetables.
I need to sit down with Cat and plan whats going where. There are Potatoes, Onion Sets, Cabbage and Leek seedlings, Horseradish, and various seed packets.
Carrots, Butternut Squash, Lightning Squash, French Beans, Peas, Runner Beans, and Garlic...
My hands are liberally covered in mud now. There are only two days left in Febuary. The soil was not too cold.It needs more compost digging in. A job for next week some time.
The Rhubarb is starting to regrow from the muddy earth, red and orange growths are sprouting up.
The growing season is getting closer.

Crocus Bud

From the garden today a brown/orange Crocus flower bud poised to open.Last year these struggled to open as they were eaten and deflated.
I hope the cold weather has killed the pests off that have been eating them.
They are so beautifully wrapped up the flower buds.They do remind me of exotic cuban cigars!
The days are getting lighter earlier and the temperature is rising slowly.the garden is showing signs of growth.Buds are swelling and new leaves are being formed.
The Daffodils, Tulips. Hyacinths, Bluebells, and Anemones are all growing really well.
I hope they flower nicely for me to photograph them.Its nice to have plants growing that you can go out to look at to see if they have grown since you last looked..

Pink Primulas

These Primulas have lovely pink flowers with the egg yolk centres.They keep getting ravaged by the slugs but keep on flowering.
Throughout the cold winter they give little flashes of colour in an otherwise dormant garden.
They are the colour link between winter to spring.The garden experts say that the very cold conditions may have killed a lot of common garden pests this year.
Hopefully the Spring bulbs will start flowering soon, and in a few weeks I can start sowing Summer flower seeds like Petunias, Busy Lizzies, and Sweet Pea's.
It is getting light earlier in the morning now so we are leaving the dark days of winter slowly.

Colour Of The Rose

A Rose from Hil's house taken this morning. I have had a relaxing weekend recharging my batterys ready for work on monday and tuesday.
The Crocuses have not flowered yet. I am checking them whenever I am at home.
The flower in the photograph almosts glows with the pink and whites.
I went to Spring green nursery today with Hil's and bought a new garden ornament.
A very plump Kingfisher with a fish in its mouth. When the weather is better I want to go to the local RSPB nature reserve at Fairburn Ings. The flooded quarry is now a wetland and has resident Kingfishers. One of Britains most colourful birds.
Its nearly as colourful as the Rose..

Before And After

This was taken last friday the one Hellebore plant with a white flower bud dangling over the birds water bowl. I kept going out to check if it has opened..

This was taken yesterday and the flower is revealed. The lovely white petals, lime green, and yellow centre. It is leading the charge of the Spring bulbs.
Crocuses have started to produce their flower buds, Black and orange rolled cigars! The Narcissus, Tulips, Snowdrops, Anemones, and Daffodils are all growing. The red tips of the Peony are visible in the photo above.
Buds are swelling on the Rose bushes, the Honeysuckle, Raspberry bush, and Blackberry. They have taken their cue from the Hellebore. It was introduced to Britain by the Romans, so for over 2000 years the flowers have greeted the new year, and made gardeners notice the slow changing of the seasons.

New Additions

Spring must be in the air. I visited four Nurserys last week. Armitages at Shelly, Spring Green, Victoria, and Hampsons plant world.I bought more plants ready for the new garden. After the cold and dark new flowers and plants make me happy.
Green retail therapy to beat the dark days of winter. The Primula above is in Cats kitchen.A darker Red than the spanish red and yellow blogged a few days ago..

I bought two baby rubber tree plants. You can see the other one just on the left of the Ficus. I was looking for new house plants. We spent ages looking around Spring Green and found these two plants for £1.75 each. They will hopefully grow into big beautiful plants, with glossy leaves.

Plants waiting for the new garden. A Kerria Japonica with the gorgeous yellow sunshine flowers. Its next to a Tree Peony, two Yellow Roses from Hampsons, and my early birthday present. A gorgeous David Austin Rose called Gertrude Jekyll. This was voted the nations favourite Rose last year.The pink Roses are soooooooo fragrant and lovely to look at. It will be joined ny the Lady Emma Hamilton.It cost thirteen pounds but it is worth every penny.
The difference between the Hampsons one pound Roses (with a few flowers when they bloomed) and the David Austin Rose (with thirty Roses in the first year) was clear to me.I have a weakness for Roses anyway. If I had a large garden it would be full of D.A Roses...

The last photo is of a mini Conifer called a Sawara Cypress.It is native from Central Japan, and is grown for its prized red lemon scented wood. It is used in palaces, temples, shrines, and coffins.
It is also popular in parks and gardens. It can grow to thirty five metres tall.
I think this is a garden cultivar. It has beautiful blue and green tinged needles which are soft to touch. The Tree will be good for a sensory garden as it is very tactile and pleasing to touch.
I am off today and sitting as the boiler is being fixed. The birds are singing outside. I hope these plants enjoy the new garden when I get there...

Primula Red/Yellow

I have been to four nurserys on my week off.I have bought a few plants, and got an early birthday present..
These bright Primulas were from Hampsons and are decorating Cats kitchen windowsill.
I love the Red and yellow colour, especially the yellow edging around the petals.
I am buying plants for a new garden.I will be moving soon from here.
The question is which plants from my garden will make the move with me in May...

The Key Of Roots

St Valentines Day. This is a photo of the Red Rose I bought in Paris last Valentines day.
I like the Slovenian proverb that states "Valentines day brings the keys of roots" so all my plants and flowers should start growing from today.
The Red Rose is symbolic of love and passion.
Florists will have been busy making flowers to send all over the world.
Hope you all share some love today...

Witches Sabbath

Its Friday the 13th today, the first of three this year. I got up early and watched the garden birds flying in and out onto my feeders.
I watched a program yesterday called Wild About Your Garden where the designers demolish wildlife unfriendly gardens, then redo them to be attractive to wildlife.
They have attracted Water Voles, Badgers, Foxes, Garden Birds, Hedgehogs, Butterflys, and Moths in the four episodes I have watched.
I have tried with a variety of plants, and adding water bowls and feeders.
The combined area of gardens in the Uk is bigger than all the nature reserves combined. They want to inspire people to create wildlife friendly gardens. The sharing of your garden with wildlife makes them magical meeting places.
I am going to a nursery today in Shelly, the first plant trip of the year. The sun is shining, and the snow is slowly melting. The spring bulbs are pushing up from the soil now.
The reasons why people fear Friday the 13th are lost in time. I like the Scandinavian version that every friday the old Norse Godess Frigga met with eleven witches and the devil to plot bad events for the coming week... they called it Witches Sabbath.
I hope the Robin brings me some good luck.

Perfect Light

The kitchen Hyacinths continue to flower and give sweet balmy scent when you walk in there.The light yesterday was perfect to illuminate the flowers petals and the green chlorophyll laden leaves..
The snow is melting away slowly.I will try to post more often as the weather warms up.
Hopefully the spring bulbs will flower soon to give me more photos from my garden.

Birds On Ice

It was freezing today but I ventured out to photograph the garden and the birds. This House Sparrow hopped under the Viburnum and moved around. All the water bowls were frozen solid this morning. I saw a bird pecking at the snow, and wandered if they eat snow when the other water sources are frozen?
I read today that the bitter cold will make for a spectacular spring. Warmer winters have meant spring flowers had come earlier and over a longer period so they were not noticable.
This snow and ice will make the Daffodils sleep a little longer and make them flower en masse once it warms up.
The pests have also perished in the cold, so this growing season the plants should be lush without as many pests to eat them!
My food has kept the garden birds warm and alive I think. They keep visiting my garden..

Ice Station Zebra

Its been freezing cold here for the past week with the snow first, then the icy covered pavements, and now a bitter cold wind that keeps the snow and ice here.
I'm itching to get gardening, but have been reading seed books and waited for my seeds to come...
They arrived today after two weeks waiting. French Beans, Squash, Carrots, and Sprouting Broccoli. The Garlic and Peas are being sent seperately...
I have empathy now for the poor frozen Canadien and Scandinavian gardeners whos gardens are buried under five foot of snow, and the ground frozen like concrete.
You can only look out and dream of when the snow melts and the ground softens.
I looked on the BBC's website for gardening weather. It says it has been moth balled.. A very English expression. I enjoyed reading the gardeners update twice a week.
I'm off tomorrow so I can take some garden photos if the snow has melted. I can always look at the garden birds and make paper pots if it has not.
My three Pea seeds saved from last years plants have germinated successfully in the Paper pots. I need to make loads for spring sowing of my vegetable seeds and as yet unpicked Flower seeds. I like sowing Busy Lizzies as they grow quite easily and have beautiful flowers when they do bloom.
Roll on Springtime!! Then the Ice Station Zebra memories will be fading away.

Siberian Snow

The garden covered in snow.The UK ground to a halt as usual yesterday after the Siberian weather swept in.I love how white everything looks with the snow.
It knocked over my Rhodie and bent the Viburnum over under the weight of the frozen snow.
The birds kept feeding today as I look out. They have been kept warm through my bird food.
The seeds from Marshalls have still not arrived.the only things growing are in my kitchen. The Leeks and Broadbeans and Peas have germinated nicely.
I was going to dig the allotment but I cant because the snow and ice is still here.
It looks pretty though..