Early Spring

The Winter has been mild so far.   We've had a few overnight air frosts, but no ground frosts as far as I'm aware.   The plants are very foreward in their development; the Hazel is going nuts.   I always think it's a shame that the flowers of the Christmas Roses droop; you have to lift them up a little to see their true colours.

The Winter-flowering Honeysuckle is covered in its small fragrant flowers, and the bees are already harvesting from it.   The Garrya elliptica is covered in tassels.

So it looks like Spring is here, in mid-February.   I'm just hoping that a short sharp frost isn't going to chop everything off at the knees.

If the weather forecast holds, I expect I'll put the first potatoes in about mid-March, covering them with a tarpaulin if an air frost is predicted.