A glimmer of early spring! Colour in the garden

I am surprised, as they do not touch mine. I have 2 types of blue, one that flowers early Summer and one in autumn, and 1 yellow- surely if it can kill a dog (in french it is called aconite tue-chien) it should kill slugs and snails!

The very vivd blue and the lovely 'monkshood' shape of the flowers is even better than delphinium- I'll always remember the first time I came across a wild one near here when on holiday visiting my parents.

Another plant I adored I brought over from our uk garden was thalictrum- tiny little purple balls that then open to the loveliest little plumes of soft pink. And then I discovered they grow wild all over here- just could not believe my eyes!

I love monkshoods but the slugs/snails seem to thrive on demolishing them, unfortunately with no ill effects ......along with my lupins and delphiniums. Using slug pellets is only way of ensuring that some plants survive.
Why don't slugs and snails eat weeds?!

Ouch, that sounds really horrible anno- hope the flu and sinusitis go soon, and that your meds will deal with the allergies- poor you.

I am so lucky I've never suffered from allergies- although I do often hve sinus problems. I massage under the cheek bones in a circular motion several times a day, and also the corners of the eyes at the tope of the nose- and it does seem to help a bit.

Willow and hazel catkins have been around for a few weeks in neighbouring gardens and I think my tree allergies have now arrived on top of sinusitis and flu. Can't win. Another sign of spring is that the collar doves are behaving in a disgracefully flirtatious manner!

I brought some tall monkshood blue and yellow aconite here from our uk garden- only to find they grow in the wild here (one of the most poisonous plants on earth- but never a problem with our free range chickens).

Just put a photo of our garden fence - covered in magical snow drifts!
It will be a long time until our millions of snow drops (galanthus) wild blue and white crocuses, and other spring bulbs will be out, I fear ;)

Lots of aconites in bloom here in East Yorkshire and the first of the snowdrops are coming into flower.

We have an aconite - yes, a whole one! They do seem to move about from year to year and so we keep digging them up by mistake, so it's amazing that we have even one. The snowdrops are doing well and we have flowers on the witch hazel, which we foolishly planted where we can't see it from the house, and it's far too cold to go out and admire it a lot just now. The are buds on one of the hellebores too, so there is hope. North-East of Scotland.

With over 6' of snow in the garden- not many signs of Spring right now ;)

Although on my walk this afteroon, I saw some catkins opening up on a large willow tree- that will have to do for a while!

My Cornus Mas is just bursting into bloom with its yellow pom-poms. It's a welcome patch of colour in a dark corner of the garden. The snowdrops are quite rampant now!

Winter pansies are still looking good also primroses and a couple of geraniums with flowers still. Bulbs have sprouted but no buds yet. We do have snowdrops but haven't inspected them recently.

We're in S.E.

I have mini-cyclamen in flower all over the rockery - but they have been blooming for months non-stop.

My wallflowers - grown from seed last July - are coming into flower just at the tops !! Little flash of colour is most welcome ! ( Staffordshire )

Here in East London, I have roses in flower. I normally prune in autumn but was not able to last year. this is a nice reward. Hope it won't affect this years flowers.

Thanks janerowena, mine is a spring flowering camellia, it's gorgeous when healthy which is was last spring and summer. I suspect the odd warm weather has led it to bud early. Fleece at the ready, though it's muggy and raining hard currently

I have crocus in flower. They are the species variety (pale purple) not the blousy orange or purple ones. They are super as they naturalise easily and the garden will be covered before too long. I did have an aconite out too until Purdy Puss thought it looked exciting. The hellebores and primulas are also doing well. No snowdrops yet and daffs just about pushing through.

Yes, meant to ask. Trailing as in hanging, or climbing, or ground-covering?

ruby when you say trailing plants where do you intend to put them?

I don't want colour in the garden yet. I want the hibernating time to go on for as long as it should do.

Iam it depends on the variety, some are more tender than others. I have a few camellias and they need nothing at all, but then stupidly bought an autumn-flowering one because I had always wanted one. As I live in an utter frost-pocket and they are more tender, it was very stupid of me but I SO coveted them when I saw them... So it is still in a pot under the eaves of the house until is gets bigger. If you are worried, an old net curtain or some horticultural fleece pegged over it is fine.

I've still got geraniums in flower. They don't seem to realise it's winter.

North West whitewave, where I suspect we have generally darker days than on the south coast (I know we do, having lived in both areas). Our theme tune near Manchester is 'always look on the bright side of life' - I'm increasingly convinced it's because we have to!

New garden, new plants. I want some trailing plants in this one, any ideas?

Bulbs coming up in tubs from old house, could be snowdrops or crocus? We're in the North West too.

It isn't here - where are you then? I am on the South Coast and it appears to be getting darker than lighter!!

It's in the back garden, which gets the sun from mid day so that's reassuring. Thanks whitewave - fleece on as it's predicted frost tonight and storms tomorrow. Still at least it's getting lighter in the afternoon

What you shouldn't do is plant it so that the early morning sun gets to the buds That way it defrosts too quickly and ruins the flowers. So I would plant it in a west facing direction and if necessary fleece if it gets too cold