Spring Countdown

Published on by Catherine36 Comments

If you follow the Meteorological calendar, you will only have 20 sleeps until Spring arrives – how exciting is that! But if you prefer the Astronomical calendar, you’ll have longer to wait. Your Spring will start on the 20th of March, mine on the 1st day of March. Come rain, hail or shine – that’s the day my Spring begins. I’m very, very impatient when it comes to leaving winter behind – I’m a meteorological kind of person. 20 sleeps until Spring! Happy days!

Six on Saturday

New Plants. Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Amber Jubilee’. I’m hoping this plant lives up to its glowing description that declares, “in Spring, the leaves will be a rich salmon-orange that mature to green”. There’s a rough idea rattling about in my head about where to place it, but all I hope is that it will add colour where it’s needed in early spring.

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The Timeless Charm of Roses

Published on by Catherine20 Comments

It’s fair to say that I’d feel my garden would be incomplete without the presence of roses. Despite their prickly thorns tearing holes in my jackets while pruning in late winter, or scratching my arms during summer deadheading, their beauty and perfume never fails to bring me a feeling of genuine joy. I tend to be forgiving of their thorns and often hear myself muttering, ‘My fault for being careless’ as I pull a thorn from my finger or head indoors to get a plaster for another deep scratch on my arm. Would I let any other plant treat me like that? I doubt it.

I’ve found myself, on more than one occasion being so completely trapped by thorns when I’m standing, deadheading between two or three rose bushes, that I couldn’t get free. I’m sure anyone looking would have observed it as a really funny sight. Is it worth it? Well, I’d prefer not to be attacked by thorns, but if you love the rose, you have to be prepared to look after it, and that means you have to come to terms with the fact that most of them have thorns. I love them and never tire of looking at them and breathing in their perfume and that’s my reward for the minor indignities and suffering they subject me to.

Since many of us are enduring a particularly horrible winter, I thought it might bring some warmth to share a few rose photographs from time to time, just to brighten our spirits. I hope you enjoy looking at a few today.

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Snowdrops and Hellebores

Published on by Catherine22 Comments

Six on Saturday

When Storm Jocelyn eased off mid-week I was quick to get into the garden to pull two of my garden chairs out of the shrubs (again) and try to capture a few photographs of snowdrops. The winds had eased, but they were still strong and blustery. I almost gave up. However, the forecast stated with great authority that the rain was only taking a few hours off, and we’d still have blustery, wet conditions for quite some time. It seemed like one of those now-or-never moments.

Snowdrops. I took multiple shots of this little clump of snowdrops in the garden, but not too many of them were successful enough to use. Light was at a premium, and achieving a fast enough shutter speed for wind conditions was difficult. Single result below.

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The Den

Published on by Catherine17 Comments

A few years ago three of my younger grandchildren discovered they could walk under the Japanese Acer at the back of the garden. It became a fun hiding spot. I thought it would make a good Den for the children to play in so we laid a path using a few stepping stones, added a base with old decking squares, and then topped it off with a lot of bark. A few logs became seating and my husband cut down an old wooden chair to make a table. I also discovered to my surprise, that this neglected corner had a few lovely ferns and hostas growing beneath the trees. Perfect.

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Rest and Renew

Published on by Catherine29 Comments

Six on Saturday

Our gardens, whether large or small, welcome winter as a season of rest and renewal. It’s a time when we can reflect on the plants we have and ponder new additions that will fill the beds and borders with colour and vitality.

We snuggle up in the warmth of our homes, browsing through plant & seed catalogues and making lists, often impractical because of their length and cost. But still, we optimistically plod onward, full of hopes of sunny, warm spring days when the garden bursts into new life.

At a glance, my garden feels and looks desolate, but everywhere, shoots are pushing through the ground, shrubs are sporting new buds and hellebores are beginning to flower. Spring will come. Winter is a time of hope.

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