I am completely, totally, utterly, desperately FED UP WITH WINTER NOW!

[shovetheholly]

I don't get people who love winter. It's cold and dark and there are no leaves or flowers. I realise that I still have another couple of months to get through in reality, but I feel that I have been patient for months already and that it is now, most definitely, TIME FOR SPRING.

Anyone else feel like January is about 13 weeks long?

We had the longest winter ever in Melbourne, three months of end-of winter weather tagged on to the real one; cold, windy and rainy for six months. Constant southerly, i.e. Antarctic winds. The upside is the dams are all full, so lots of water for at least two years.

The summer eventually arrived at Christmas, and we've been spared horrendously hot weather so far. Everything was late, though it did mean that jacaranda and agapanthus were in full bloom at Christmas, when usually they're over by then. The streets looked beautiful. Now the nights are drawing in, and it's a mere 22 at 9.00.p.m. as I write.

UK winter doesn't really finish until April. And that's only south of Nottingham. You are so stuffed, OP.

I've been good this morning, I've disinfected the back patio. So this afternoon, because it's lovely & sunny, we're going to tidy the front up so we'll be able to see the bulbs that are sprouting .

My indoor hyacinths are doing well
Some snowdrops out and some bulbs are coming up but i can't remember if they are tulips or daffs!
Put some daffs on dad's headstone this morning...they will look lovely when they flower.
Can't wait for the bulbs to flower....I'm going to get some indoor crocuses and narcissus
Such cheerful little flowers 🌼

I'm going to look into mulch....my soil definitely needs something!

I'll try and post a picture of that daff in a bit! I deliberately planted a load of very early ones - these are called 'January Early', though I think they were overselling a little. 'February Early' might be a bit more accurate as a name!

Snowdrops are out too. I have a clump that came from GFIL's garden - he died this time of year and I remember him with great fondness when I see them. I will be doing my annual snowdrop pilgrimage in the next couple of weeks - I go to Hodsock priory to see them! It feels like the start of the gardening year to me.

A number of the earlier perennials are coming through too - aquilegias are getting going, brunneras and pulmonarias are just poking a few baby leaves through.

While it's true that trees don't get leaves until April, there's plenty of interest from now on. We're turning a corner, folks!

echt - sheeeeeesh, that sounds tough! I am so glad your summer is now here. I remember last year here, it was cold until June nearly! It gets you down after a while.

Thanks for the code haveyouseenher!

Badders - mulch works miracles. If you get good stuff, it's really transformative.

Bernards - well done you! That's not the nicest job in cold weather!

What mulch do you recommend shove? Got boggy clayey soil though it does dry up in summer. Bark or mushroom compost or something else?

Totally agree with you, I'm pig sick of it.

Snow drops are coming through now and I took a walk round the garden for the first time in over three months yesterday, it's three acres to put it in perspective. The rhodedendrums also have buds on them. I can't wait. The ground is still squishy wet though. But I think the end of winter is in sight .

I have heavy clay now - in my last house I had almost pure clay (literally down the road from a clayworks). The good news is that any organic mulch will do it some good! I have used homemade compost and leafmould mixed with gypsum and horticultural grit, but horse manure or even rotted woodchip also work well. I literally can't make enough compost for the amount I need, so I often end up buying the cheapo stuff from the gardening centre and using that with some free horse manure.

I am after something that works to improve the soil and deliver nutrients, but I hear great things about strulch (mineralised straw) for weed suppression.

bluntness - 3 acres, WOW!

I have just bought 900ltrs of mulch from Compost direct.it is lovely .stuff

Bah. Back to cold & attempts to snow. Hurry up March at least we can say it's actually spring then!

A lovely man came today and took 4 huge bags of topsoil that I had put on Freely Wheely. I gave him a big box of mulch too. He gave me a bottle of sloe gin which he makes. Not sure about it, anyone had it?

BLOODY HELL IT'S FREEZING HERE.

Astrantia - What a lovely exchange! And I like sloe gin! It's a bit weird on its own - it's very dry - imagine a very woody fruit taste. But you can make a bramble cocktail with it, and that is a very fine thing indeed. Sloe gin fizz is lovely too, if you have some prosecco or cremant de jura on hand.

I will try that in the summer and think of you Shove. Your advice on this and other threads has always been so helpful. Now you are my alcohol advisor too. Thank you.

I loves sloe gin. My dad makes it for me. I'm pregnant atm though so will just have to look forward to late summer when I can have some.

Please please let it be spring sooon.

Yes slow gin is amazing- used
To drink it with my granny. We used to go picking every year and I have her recipe in her handwriting on a scrap of paper in her old delia smith recipe book. Mine never tastes as good as granny's. ❤

Ps sloe obvs not slow. And YES to a shot in a glass of prosecco. My new fave cocktail for start of a night in.

I was intending on giving it away. Now I think I will keep it as I am Planning on having a small party in the spring to show off the garden, so these cocktails sound great. Showing my ignorance but where do the sloe berries come from.

Oh Iglet how lovely to still have the original recipe.

I've had 1 tiny clump of snowdrops start flowering, I think the rest must have been accidentally turfed out last year.

Just place marking really .

My garden seems sodden and I think you're meant to keep off ( especially grass ) so I'm a bit doubtful about doing much . Somehow even tidying up ( pots and bags of leaves ) seems to involve trekking backwards and forwards over my grass. But what do people think ? Could I get out there ?

My geranium/pelargonium cuttings in my second hand battered but well ventilated plastic greenhouse structure look pretty dead .I knew it was a mistake to be taken in by the advice that these were easy

But the pots of bulbs ( repotted in the autumn ) look as though they're doing great and I managed to move them down from our garden (not visible from flat ) to the access way that I can see from the kitchen window .I can't tell you how cheering it is to see them !

It has sleeted here non-stop for 2 days. I am writing a strongly worded letter to the weather.

sunny - I'm trying to stay off my lawn as much as possible for those reasons. I will need to reseed it anyway, but I don't want to make it worse than it needs to be. Keeping my fingers crossed for your pelargoniums. The tender ones need a light but frost-free place to make it through. But never say die - some things do bounce back even when they look dead!

Astrantia - sloes are from a blackthorn bush. You have to watch yourself picking them, the thorns are lethal! The key is to get them at the right time - too early and they are rock hard and taste woody and bitter. I put mine in the freezer for a bit to be on the safe side - it helps to break them down and the taste is better. You just shove them in a bottle, top up with gin and a small amount of sugar, shake it for a minute or two then turn the bottle every day for 3 months. Then strain through muslin and drink!

You do realise, don't you Shove, that now I have no gardening to do, I might turn into an alcoholic. I wonder if I have enough room now to set us an illicit still. Just off to rake the potato peelings out of the bin.