When the hounds of spring are on winter's traces…...

[echt]

I realise it's later in the UK, but couldn't wait to start a new thread. If another title had been agreed, just tell me and I'll have this removed.

Other than that, seek out those deckchairs from the shed, check them for spiders and get nattering about the spring's promise.

Congratulations to castle agree gorgeous I had a little snoop too!

I think I have Cosmos seedlings in a very sheltered part of the garden and next to a dead one! Although could just be weeds, it seems a bit early.

I'm fancying a conifer, I can't remember the name but its lime green, I almost bought it last week, but need to work out if I have room. I also have on my wish list for this year a hydrangea Annabelle and climbing hydrangea. In fact they are in a basket waiting for me to pay but I suddenly felt I should be a bit more supportive of local nurseries rather than get everything on-line. The other shrub I want to obtain to use as hedge is an evergreen with red berries in the winter and lovely white fragrant flowers in the spring. Does anyone know what it's called? I'll load a photo off my phone in the minute.

Baby Castle is indeed totally scrummy! Congratulations.

Did a bit more clearing in the geranium beds at the front. The tulips are starting to poke through, isn't this terrible early for that?

My friends NDN has this as a hedge in her front garden it's about 5 foot high. The second picture shows the flower buds.

I think that's Skimmia japonica 'Nymans', Geoff.

It is a bit early for tulips, Humph, but it's not really a problem. If there's a cold snap they'll just pause growing until it passes.

My tulips in the planters have their tips up too Humphrey. Nothing showing in the long bed though so I think the planters are a bit warmer as they are up against the house.

Thanks for the reassurance about the tulips. The snowdrops are all spreading beautifully down the crab apple borders and around the edge of the downy birches.

I wish I had planted some bulbs last autumn! The Tenby daffs in the orchard (of which I am very fond, as planting these was my very first gardening act when we moved in) have really spread. I am worried the geese will eat them, as they did my buttercups. The plan is to corral them into the bottom of the orchard but no time to sort that out yet.

Think DH was planning to have a go at the roses on Sunday but the weather forecast is terrible.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend ahead.

Congratulations to mother and baby castleough!

Can I join you?

Very excited about my garden this year and can't wait for Spring. This year's project is the front and side garden. We have got rid of a carport and loads of gravel. Now we have a sea of mud. But it's going to turn into a little cottage garden with an edible hedge and a rainbow bed (I hope).

welcome beatrice
edible hedge is lovely, we had long 'wishlists' for one before.
congrats to castle who is hopefully snuggled up with baby.

my garden is much less muddy than last year, but the fox has left us alone (so far).
lots of greens are poking out in the beds.

Hello beatrice
edible hedge and rainbow bed sound fabulous

Welcome Beatrice!

Congratulations to Castle on the arrival of BabyCastle. I have peeped and she is utterly lovely.

My last year's tulips are showing tips, but no movement yet from those I planted this year. I envy Humph and anyone who has snowdrops that actually spread. I have one self-seeded narcissus, and the chionodoxa spread like wildfire before the work on the path killed them, but otherwise my bulbs never multiply.

I lurve the sound of a rainbow bed.

Thanks rhubarb yes that's the plant unfortunately it prefers shade so I'll have to think of something else.

Welcome Beatrice :)

Hello Beatrice. Well done for ripping out a carport and gravel and replacing with garden. So often the other way round!

Geoff - trying to think of some other hedging suggestions for you. Choisya Aztec Pearl is an evergreen with similar foliage and delightful scented flowers. No berries though. Or you could try Acacia pravissima - I'm always suggesting it on here as a screening tree, but if clipped it also makes a great hedge. Lovely yellow flowers in early spring.

I'm hoping that the wind dies down a bit tomorrow - I want to plant a few whips in the gaps of the hornbeam hedge we planted as whips last winter. Does anyone know if I'm supposed to prune them ?

Got a friend to cone around next week and help prune the elderly apple trees - I'm too much of a coward. The hellebores need de-leafing and the Japanese anemone is looking very sad and black with cold.

But the snowdrops are coming out under the fruit trees !!!

this morning dh ventured out and moved the large arbour at the bottom of the garden which has always been in the wrong place so that it is right in the middle of the fence at the end. We were planning to move it somewhere else entirely but it was too heavy for him and he gave up half way it looks rather nice to have this pointy hut at the end of the garden framed by bamboos. Unfortunately in the long run we want to put something more functional at the end of what is a very small garden - like a proper summerhouse, so everything is going to go bamboos, tree, shrubbery. Still it looks nice out of the window at the moment. Very rustic.

Gardening is theatre isn't it? I feel like it is just a series of stage sets sometimes. I'm never quite sure what my theme is

We have grape hyacinths, snowdrops, sarcocca and some stripey grasses in the front (revitalised by all the rain - otherwise I thought they had died under the privet hedge which robs everything of nutrients and water in summer) Don't plant privet!!!

Dogwood (stripey white kind with bright red stems) is looking wonderful atm on the shady side of the garden - probably would be even better in sun but a bit too vigorous to waste on the sunny border.

Making a scrapbook of old Gardener's World ideas atm. Also reading a book called The Milder Garden by Jane Taylor which is full of ideas about evergreens from NZ and Mediterranean.

Castle - Congratulations, fantastic news.

Swan - I love the sound of your dogwood.

I popped out into the garden today, for the first time in a couple if weeks, as I have to climb through the building site if our rear extension. With the sun shining, there were some lovely surprises. my camellia and magnolia are covered in fat juicy buds. The penstemon I grew from plugs last year have survived well and are looking more like mini shrubs than tender perennials. Alas, the pelargoniums I put in the plastic green house are all black - is there any hope for them? No sign of my tulips yet.

NotAnother do you mind me asking where you got your penstemon plugs from ? I love penstemon but kill the blessed things. I commented on this in a garden once and the lovely grounds man gave me a bag of cuttings to grow on - just one survived and I don't hold out hope for this one either. I bought a bigger one which is hanging on in the cold green house but doesn't look happy either... I so love them though that I want to give them another go ! Mumsnet advised me blackbird was the most robust...

DidI - Some were from T&M (bought summer 2012 and only now looking established). They were on offer (wedding bells), I got 24 plugs but only ended up with about 6 plants.

Then I have 1 really lovely one which I bought at the beginning of last year from some old ladies at a city farm open day/fund raiser. This was probably grown from a cutting and is by far my most impressive.

Good idea to make a scrapbook
It snowed here. Not good gardening weather. The garden looked nice in the snow.
I watched Titchmarsh on British Back Gardens. Debated whether or not to add a Japanese bridge and pond to the garden.

Ooh baby castle is gorgeous!

Welcome swan and Beatrice your gardens already sound lovely,

Whilst being nosy regarding baby castle I spent a lot of time looking at the photos of gardens so am inspired and jealous in equal measure. Am also making a scrap book on Pinterest though many of the gardens I like are beyond my capabilities and budget but one day!

Welcome the babycastle, and Beatrice. Well done with eradicating the carport. We've kept ours as it's the only place that orchids, etc. won't get burned in the summer. It's never used for the car and has permanent table and chairs all year round as it doesn't get wet, either.

I've binned a colocasia that was getting weird papery marks over the leaves, and substituted a smokebush, cotinus "Grace". This will sit in a container in a bay of the house that gets a lot of sun in summer. Meanwhile I'll see if I can re-grow the colcasia from its tubers.

Another addition is a brugmansia, "Pink Fantasy" nearly three feet tall and already has its first Y leaves so will possibly bloom this summer/autumn, but definitely next year. It will live in a container on the deck at the back of the house so will get morning sun every day, even in winter, but never the fierce afternoon heat. We don't get frost here, so it can stay out all year round.

Also planted some cosmos seedlings in the front bed for some late summer colour.

Baby Castle is indeed truly gorgeous. Welcome Beatrice, look forward to hearing more of your gardening adventures.

I like the idea of a table and chairs under the carport Echt. I've thought about doing that with mine but it is currently houses the bins plus lots of rubbish.

My winter box has a few flowers.but you have to bend down to catch the scent.

Oh, the bins are the drive, too, Sugar, but further down and out of immediate view.:o

can we talk about snails and cats please?
my rhubarb figtlhts against both.
put a pile of well trotted manure on it but neighbours cats have taken to it like a new toilet...

hello all
your gardens all sound so lovely.
Mine is too neglected and sadly lacking to say much about at the moment
BUT it will get better!
Have done some tidying in the front over the weekend and got rid of piles of leaves and some prunings. Signs of snowdrops coming up - first year I've planted any so quite pleased about that. And some daffs making an early appearance.
Need to get an axe or similar I think to get out the huge half dead straggly hebe on the corner that I keep digging away at with little success...

Also did brief tidy round in back garden - the sad fact is that my borders are incredibly bare.
need to get planning some new additions asap...
also still pondering a greenhouse.

weather has now turned horrible though with threats of snow through the week so may have to just browse on line for a while!