Through the Garden Gate--February 2024

The days are lengthening now which means more gardening time, but not when it's been raining as much as it has  in February. We wonder if it will ever stop, will we get some sunny weather soon?

There have been a few dry days when I've dashed out to get some work done. There's often a decision to make  "shall we go to the allotment? or stay home and do the garden?". It's which ever needs the most work doing. The damp, cold weather isn't good for me, it gets into my bones, but I try to keep going for the exercise. 

So in the garden I've started tidying up the beds. February is when I cut down the grasses. They were all very straw like, some of them still good looking but the new growth was appearing at the base so the old stems had to be cut back. 

The taller grasses had quite thick stems and could just be snapped off. I thought it would be easier than using the secateurs, but I'm not sure. Either way was hard on my arthritic hands. Last weekend I cut back the dead perennial plants foliage. The garden is looking a bit flat now with lots of the dead grass stems still lying around. They soon blow away or the birds take them for nest building. 

I can see now that the garden is slowly waking up as new shoots start to appear. The snowdrops have mostly all gone over but new spots of colour can be seen. Coming into flower now are crocuses, tete a tete daffodils, primroses and pulmonaria. 

The Hellebores have been in flower for a few weeks and are looking lovely. Hellebores 'Anna's Red' is a dark red and standing quite tall. It has big flowers but not many of them, whilst the other hellebores are low clumps of paler, smaller flowers. 

The patio is bright with pots of daffodils and the tulips pots should make a good show, that will be quite a while yet, but it's something to look forward to.

Well that was February in the garden, I'm hoping for some good weather in March, there will be much to do.

I am linking this post to Sarah's blog at 'Down by the Sea' for her monthly 'Through the Garden Gate' post.

Through the garden gate -- March 2020

Well, what a month March was. The awful wet weather of February was followed by dry, sunny days in March. Such a welcome change. Not so good are the awful changes in the world.  How long will it last we wonder?  Lockdown affects us all and brings many challenges. Our daily life at the moment is different. For us we miss our children and grandchildren so much. But we can find consolation in the garden, focussing on jobs, watching the wildlife, it's easy to forget other things going on around us for a while.

The daffodils are going over now and the tulip tubs will soon be flowering. One pot of tulips has burst into flower already, they are a lovely pale colour with a bit of pink.. There are two varieties in this pot and although I put labels in the pots I don't know which belongs to which. I think this one is Angelique. 

Just before the garden centres closed down I bought a couple of packs of violas and planted them up in a galvanised tub. I am really enjoying the lovely colours.

I also bought some saxifraga and a little aquilegia which I have displayed on the garden table with some bulb pots.

I have been tidying the borders and mulching them with compost. 

 They look so good when they are newly topped with compost and it will keep the weeds down for a while.

Before I cut the dead plant stalks down we had a visit from a group of goldfinches. They visit the garden occasionally but never stay for long. The blue tits are regular visitors, we see them most days. I'm hoping I can still buy bird seed during this time of shortages and being asked to buy only essentials.

I hope you are all keeping safe and well.

I am linking this post to Sarah's blog at 'Down by the Sea' for her monthly 'Through the Garden Gate' post