What's happening in your garden?

[Houseplanter]

I walked down our garden earlier for the first time in 2 or 3 weeks and surprised to see so much coming to life already.

Lots of bulbs peeping through.. I think daffodils, and my clematis and iris both have new shoots, which seems really early to me.

Apart from that there's not much happening.. birds are still feeding from our tables and feeders a lot (DH feeds them daily) and we have lots of squirrels who are also enjoying the fat pellets and nuts.

What's happening in yours?

I've just had a twirl around the back garden and am surprised to see flower buds on the choisiya. More hyacinths and bluebells poking through and an abundance of wild garlic. Bergenia is in flower, and the mahonia, rhododendron, azaelia, camelia and magnolia buds are swelling. The camellia will come first. With sadness it seems we have lost a couple of the rhododendra but they were probably nearly 100 years old - the house was built in 1927 and we believe the landscaping took place between then and about 1935.. Crocosmia are sprouting and the hydrangeas have leaf buds popping out. Also the early rhubarb is sprouting leaves.

Hyacinths showing tips, Bergeria flowering, Mind your own Business bushy, wallflowers looking sturdy with signs of flowers, everything a bit expectant.... can't wait!

@RosesAndHellebores your garden sounds amazing

Hyacinths poking through, lots of buds on the wallflowers (although they all look yellow which is annoying as I bought all purple). Tons of daffodils about two inches up. Puzzling are two sets of bulbs that are about 12 inches tall now, I could swear that I planted aliums there but these are massive thick stems. Like corn almost..

Got out in the garden today. Did a bit of tidying up swept the paths and cleared up leaves from the latest bad weather. Loads of bulbs poking through in the front garden. Now that the starlings seem to have reduced in visits I'm getting alot of various tits, a wren, robin, wagtail, blackbirds and sparrows. Does anyone have any advice on how to get cats to stop pooing in the garden?🤢

@Whiskyfromsmallglasses Try scattering cut-up orange peel on the beds where the cats are a nuisance. They don't like the smell of citrus. Otherwise, just have plenty of ground cover so there isn't any bare earth, and as a last resort - a water pistol.

I've been out in the back garden this morning, and my honeysuckle is starting to put out green shoots. No bulbs out there, they are all at the front and I haven't looked out there yet, the grass is too wet to walk on.

I’m not quite sure and we moved in last May so have yet to experience spring. Having read this am going time get my hedgehog house I got for Christmas as soon as possible.

I took a deep breath and heavily pruned an out of shape half dead Camellia and fed it, been rewarded by lots of buds. There’s a Mahonia in a pot which is out now . I put in lots of bulbs and am think there are lots from the previous owners.

Went down the shed today, first time for well over a week.

One of my bags of compost had a hole and compost over the floor. Went to move it and a mouse jumped out of the hole. Nearly frightened me to death it was so unexpected.

Never had mice before, no sign of others although fat balls had been nibbled so have put in utility room.

Not sure what to do, was it just the one? Door has been open ever since so hoping it's run off somewhere else to set up home.

Cat put to sleep September, could do with him now, he'd soon get rid of them for me.

Look out for snowdrops “in the green”. They do better planted in full growth than as dry bulbs.

Daffodil Tete-@-tete is sold cheaply in pots at the moment. Keep them indoors and enjoy the flowers, plant them out later in the year (too much of a shock to put them straight outside). Cyclamen hederifolium and C coum also do better ingrowth.

Also look out for insanely cheap bags of daffs - probably won’t flower this year, not all will make it, but will recover for next year.

If the sun comes out before I go back to work I’ll skip out as DH has just had an op and I think a bright day sat on the bench with a coffee would do us both good Couple of chairs in the greenhouse and some cheap hyacinths to cheer it up.

That sounds like Allium

@Houseplanter Thank you. I have worked hard to have something in flower all year round. Far more success at the front which I 100% tend and which has more structure and less landscaping.

The ornamental/almost wildlife pond is a sorry state and far too labour intensive. It will have to go in the spring.

It is a labour of love. DH and I spend about 8 hours a week on it between us and the gardeners come for a further 8 between March and early December. It is about 1/2 an acre - not quite big enough to rely on a very small flock of sheep to control the grass 😀.

What I won't do with it when I retire. Looking forward to growing much more veg. DH refuses to let me have chickens.

Lots of bulbs coming up.

@RosesAndHellebores you've made it sound even more lovely!

I would love a bigger garden, but it won't happen now. I would also love chickens, although I understand they make rather a mess, and I'd be so worried about foxes.

I had the back garden landscaped just before Christmas and when the weather is better I'd like to begin transplanting lower-growing plants to the courtyard area in the centre and leave taller plants by the fences. I've now got an empty pergola which will need climbers and ramblers in due course.

I was delighted to see the first snowdrops flowering in the front and a couple of primroses. After the upheaval it'll take time to mature.

Hellebores and cyclamen. No signs of bulbs yet

I need to get out there and do some tidying , earliest I can do will be Friday but it looks like rain till Thursday so it;ll wait till the weekend .

Needs cutting back:
dogwood
buddleiah (in a pot - might plant it in a year or so)
jasmine (pot)
Virginia Creeoer or Boston Vine (cannot remember which) in a pot
Hop (pot)
clematis (pot) not sure how this looks

I have bought some nastursium and sweetpeas seeds that can start in the mini greenhouse

Grass is probably a swamp but it'll absorb it all

Pear tree and I think an Ash need cut back

I have given up on PassionFlower , they just all bloody die

Foxes and rats !

All of the hydrangeas are budding, still got antirrhinums hanging on from last summer. Everything is so confused!

Winter flowering honeysuckle is smelling beautiful, it's right by the front door deliberately. It has responded well to a summer hack.

I have a geum weirdly in flower and still some blooms on the roses.

The nigella and forget me nots are all coming on well.

Back garden is full of winter heliotrope in flower and wild garlic. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to use something on it as they are real thugs and I've been clearing them for a few years to no gain.

Some of my roses still need to get rose hips, there’s still some rose flowering

Sounds like a wonderful place to hang out in!

One of my geum has two flowers on - which is odd. The hamamelis is looking good. My bulbs in pots are coming up but I can’t see much action from the ones in the ground.

My rises are flowering, not in huge numbers i have two oink ones with a few buds and one white one

So much rain! Everything is waterlogged but anyway so far - yellow primrose is peeping out in a few corners. My camellia buds are starting to show a hint of colour, it’s nice to see a hint of pink in the grey and brown weather. Other than that not much, excited for my magnolia to bloom again.