Garden update

We had some chilly weather this Winter, with temperatures down to -15°C some mornings. Most of the time the ground was covered in snow, so there was some protection from the fiercest cold and strongest winds. None the less, all of the three Ceanothus plants dotted around show frost damage, and the little Bay tree will have to regrow from its roots again this year. I will move them both to more sheltered locations this Autumn (assuming that they have in fact survived) but I am running out of sheltered spots.

This cold was followed by a 4-5-week-long unseasonably warm spell that caused the garden to grow vigourously in February/March.  This brought forward the daffodils, that were promptly clobbered by some sharp frosts.  I didn't know that daffodils could get frost damage, I thought they were pretty resilient, but it weakened the flower stems so the flowers didn't open very well, and most of them fell over.   The Canna lillies that somehow managed to survive in the ground also started sprouting, but their shoots too have died in the frosts.  I am expecting them to recover though; the roots are clearly healthy and I am sure they will sprout again.

Meanwhile there is colour in the garden.  These pansies are self-seeded, forming a cheeky carpet of flowers where they really shouldn't be.  But who's complaining?  The blue grass is a bit invasive, so I am going to have to move it, probably this Autumn.  The Aubretias were grown from seed, and this clump comes from what was left in the seed tray after I had planted out all the "good" seedlings into their "right" places.  And these wild cowslips are blooming at the foot of the big Walnut tree.

I am particularly pleased with this Broom plant, that seems to be establishing itself happily in its allotted place.  Seeing how well it is doing, we bought two other Brooms this Springtime to plant elsewhere in the bed; a cream-coloured one, and a pink one.  Apparently you can propogate them from semi-ripe cuttings so I will try that too, later in the year. Oh, and a free pic of the Photinia Red Robin that is finally managing to grow.