Gardening corner 2018 season!???

13 degrees and sunshine yesterday; pouring with rain today. My poor garden is progressing in fits and starts

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Like other areas, we've had almost non stop rain for days now. So much so, that I had an unexpected visitor in my living room on Saturday evening. He must have slithered in whilst the front door was ajar but, I've got to admit that he scared the living daylights out of me! Very nice to know that they're still around and thriving but I'd rather they didn't crawl up my walls and take an hour to catch and set free!

Yes, Greyduster and there’s still more rain to come, looking at the forecast for the rest of the week. I think we’ll need rowing boats if this carries on! ??

Maple my fuschia is not showing any sign of life either. I wondered if this was the year I’d finally done it in . Too wet to cut any grass here. I wonder how much more water the ground can soak up. Everywhere is squelchy. A couple of my heucheras are looking a bit beaten.

I wish I'd emptied my tubs last year but I did hope that some of the plants could over-winter.
Now they just look like a mess and I've been too busy or it has been too wet to get out there.

Everything dripping wet, can’t get into the garden today, and I wanted to plant things we bought at the weekend too.
Lawns cut and fed last week.Daffs out at long last and tulips half up.Fat buds on all deciduous shrubs am pleased to see.

Decided on those two nice days last week that I ought to make a start in the garden. So got the stepladder and cut back two very overgrown roses, one on the pergola and the other on trellis. Also cut right back a very unruly hornbeam. Am wanting to cut the grass but it's much too wet. Late DH always cut the grass (very unwillingly, I might add, he hated gardening with a vengeance), so now it's another job for me along with everything else. I need to find the instruction book for the lawnmower! If I find I can't manage it then I will have to look for someone to come and do it for me. Also have some overgrown shrubs to see to.

Two lovely dry, sunny days. Everything , except a mahonia, that I moved a few weeks ago is budding and looking good.
The mahonia leaves have gone all brown, but I will leave it in to see what develops. Masses of primroses and celendines in the garden. The strawberry cage is just a sea of yellow. Will have to do a drastic weed very soon. We have a rookery at the end of next door's garden and thus lots of twigs on the lawn. Lovely to see everything growing.

I've never known our garden so wet. Wallflowers and tulips are coming out but the Crown Imperials are way behind. I want to get on with transplanting some snowdrops and planting up perennials but as soon a get my wellies on it starts raining again!!

Actually got out into the garden again yesterday and managed to cut the front lawn (did the back lawn on Friday). It’s very wet, but had to be done. Also managed to do a lot of tidying in the borders, so it all looks quite pretty again with all the Spring flowers in bloom and the summer ones starting to show shoots. The magnolia is full of buds, just needs a bit more warmth and sunshine to bring them out.
My perennial fuchsia looks rather dead at the moment, but I’ve trimmed it down and the stems looked quite fresh so I’m hoping it will revive itself.
It was lovely to get out in the garden and be busy - the time flew by. ?

Decided to plan for waves in the garden. For example a snowdrops wave then primrose wave. Currently we are in the magnolia wave. But the primroses clash with the pink so might have to pick off all the flowers and move the pink polyanthus under the tree. Then I have wallflowers coming out. I know it could be called seasons it's shorter spaces of time.
Am I becoming obsessional?

That sounds impressive J52

Just exported a queen, tree bumble bee out of the house. I think spring is here!

Looking at my weather bbc app. No frost for the next fortnight and temperature about 10c give or take but quite wet ?

Just come in from supervising DH in transplanting two grasses. Still more to do but I didn’t want to push my luck.

Just spotted my first ladybird in the front garden! There is frog spawn on the pond in the park so I’ll have a look and see how it’s getting in after all the frost we’ve had.

Just found a newt in the pond ?

FWIW no snow forecast here (Oxford) over Easter weekend

We inherited a large empty pond. A friend gave us some frog and toad spawn so we are watching it like expectant parents.
Wet this morning but with the promise of improvement. So may start digging over the veg patch later.

Planning your garden for pollinators

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I have the grasses to move, some mulching and feeding to do and clematis, delphiniums, sweet peas to plant out and have a bad back.

Sooooooo frustrating.

Spent a few hours this afternoon continuing with belated tidying, including hacking back the Gertrude Jekyll rose which I've allowed to get enormous. Hope it recovers enough to flower as prolifically as normal

Snowdrops going over but primroses, crocuses, minature daffs and hellebores all going strong.

And the frogs have sprung into action at last.

Please don't let it snow at Easter; I've had enough snow for this winter..

Haha Luckygirl hope that you're not aching everywhere as I am with the unaccustomed digging etc...aàaagh worth it,love my garden but oh am paying for it ??

Busy day in garden yesterday! Lots of daffodils out already, hyacinth in garden showing lots of colour, also hellebores and muscari, also found evidence of hedgehog activity so I’ve put out some meal worms!?????
Lots to do, let’s hope for a milder Easter although I’m not holding my breath!

Yep Luckgirl
I feel I have shrugged off the winter and emerged from hibernation.

Very wise Lemon
I am itching to do some planting in a new flower bed.
We have bunches of lovely primroses and three lovely blue hyacinths planted last autumn from an indoor pot and some nice tete-a-tete daffodils.

I have my fingers crossed for heavily in bud Camellia.

lucky

I have been in the garden!!!!! I feel like a new woman!