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Sunday 22 April 2018

Springing Forward Through March.

It's hard to believe that we are over halfway through April already and I've yet to post an update for March so here it is, a look back over the end of winter and the start of spring!


What a glorious few days we had during March, the sun was shining brightly bringing warmth and light to the garden. We still had some cold nights but we could cope with that when the days were long and it was heartening to see the woods starting to come alive with pockets of colour.


While M was spending all of his time working on the lounge renovation I was splitting my time between knitting on wet days and making the most of dry days with outside jobs. As the days started to lengthen I was able to resume my afternoon walks around the woods with the dogs. Although Jess was less keen on the long slow amble it gave me the chance to work my way around all the bulbs we planted last year and see if/how they were progressing.


We remembered planting quite a few Winter Aconites at some point last year but as this was in our pre-labelling phase we had no idea where we had put them. I was so pleased to see these leaves appear and it gave us hope that they hadn't all died during the harsh winter. There were no flowers this year but if they get stronger we may see some next year.

 
One of my most eagerly awaited bulbs was the woodland plant Erythronium. We planted Pagoda (yellow) around the woods and White Beauty (white) in the white garden. Initially they looked like tulip bulbs but then large variegated leaves appeared, we've never had these plants before so couldn't wait to see what they would be like.


Thankfully the white garden started to show signs of white flowers. The extra large crocus were beautiful in the sunshine and in-between there was the promise of daffodils and tulips to come.


M and I were a little dubious about putting Crocus in the woods as we thought they usually lasted such a short time and then ended up looking staggly and messy. However, these were huge Crocus, Joan Of Arc, and when the sun shone they opened up beautifully to reveal bright orange stamen. I tried to photograph my hand next to them to give some sort of scale.


Another first for us was the Wood Anemone which seemed to be enjoying the longer days and slightly increased temperatures.


Even the Gunnera, which had looked dead all winter seemed to be sparked into life after a few warm and sunny days. If you look very closely there are signs of a couple of tiny little leaves.


The bluebells I planted in 2016 didn't flower last year but they were looking a lot stronger this year and hopefully they will produce some pretty flowers in the coming weeks.


Having procrastinated for a few weeks I eventually got around to cleaning the greenhouse. A cool and cloudy day was perfect to get everything outside and spruce up the windows, shelving and trays ready for the new season. As a bonus all the plants got a good watering before going back in! Another major job done and dusted for the year.

The Rhododendrons had their spring feed and mulch which should improve their leaf colour as they always look a bit yellow after a wet and cold winter.


One sure sign that spring has begun is the cowslip flowers. This is an original, inherited plant and as it is well established it just thrives in the woods.


March was a truly busy month with the lounge nearing completion and all the associated decision making including carpet, curtains, lighting etc etc. It was also a chance for me to get some early seeds sown in the propagators in the house, in anticipation of warmer days and nights to come. With so much happening indoors it was a gentle start to the smallholding season but we knew that when the clocks changed the outdoor jobs would take priority and we were looking forward to it all. Roll on April.