Late Bloomers & Early Risers

The trees have been stripped of their leaves which are now all over my lawn, the days are short and there is only 3 weeks to go until Christmas.  It is fairly obvious that Autumn is upon us and Winter is fast approaching.  So why has my garden not taken the hint?

I popped out a few days ago in my usual belated way to throw a few daffodil bulbs in the ground and some winter pansies into pots on the patio.  I was completely surprised to find that my French beans which had been abandoned weeks ago not only had new beans ready for picking but also more blossom.    We have had some really foggy, dull weather lately, so I can't even put it down to warm sunny days.

Last year, I bought a new wooden half barrel for the patio as the old one had rotted out.  The narcissus bulbs which I had had for years were blind this year with not one flower, so I thought I had dug them all out and thrown them away.  I was planning on planting a fresh batch of bulbs this autumn around the fuchsia I put in back in the summer, which was why I was now finally in the garden.  I had obviously missed some bulbs though as they were now growing up through the soil in the barrel.  One of them was already about 4 inches tall!

I am now completely confused as to what is going on in my garden.  I don't know if it is autumn, winter of spring and clearly my garden doesn't either.  I think one hard frost will finish the beans off.  Hopefully the new bulbs I put in with the ones already sprouting will put on a good show in another 4 months or so.  I am beginning to wonder if I will be picking strawberries for lunch on Christmas Day though.  At this rate, who knows?!

Spring Is In The Air

Now the evenings are getting lighter again and the temperatures are warming up (well slightly), I am starting to think about actually going into the garden again.  I have to admit for the last 5 months all I have managed is a quick sprint to the compost heap.  Even that was under duress, when  I couldn't shut the lid on the kitchen compost bin any more!

It seems like the winter went on for ages and if it wasn't snowing, it was raining.  Or it was just plain freezing cold.  The daffodils came up a few weeks ago and have stayed the same height since.  They obviously had second thoughts.

Having ventured out the other day, for a half hour tidy, I was quite surprised at how much damage had been done by the frosts.  Pots that I have had for years have taken a real battering and will definitely need to be replaced.  Surprisingly my cabbages and rainbow chard seem to be thriving with new leaves appearing.  I may even manage to eat some this time before the caterpillars appear.

I must admit, I was a bit bored with the lack of colour in the garden now, so I decided to do a bit of instant gardening and plant some red and yellow polyanthus in the metal planters on the fence.  The splash of colour has made a huge difference to the garden.  They are definitely a welcome sight from the kitchen window.  Hopefully the daffodils and tulips won't be long now as well.

  

Blooming Late

It's Easter Sunday and Spring has finally well and truly sprung ..... apart from in my garden!  Everywhere you look there are swathes of yellow daffodils swaying in the breeze.  All of mine have yet to realise it's Spring though.  I did put some extras daffodil bulbs in during December, so I would expect those to be late but all the rest have no excuse.  A quick inspection around the garden revealed one miniature daffodil in bloom, with the rest no where near flowering yet.  No idea why.

I can't believe how much damage has been caused through the winter.  I think the prolonged cold weather, rain, wind and let's not forget the snow has really impacted on the poor plants.  Some of the pots which I have had for years have suffered bad frost damage and even my wooden half barrel has come apart.  Quite a few of the plants in pots need to be replaced including a really good lavender which is now half dead and a couple of fuschias.

On a more positive note, the birds are enjoying the continuous feast I put out for them.  As well as the usual suspects of the Robin, Blackbirds, Pigeons, Sparrows and Blue Tits, I have finally managed to attract a pair of Goldfinches with the niger seeds I put out.  Hopefully they will make my garden a more permanent stop now.

Daisy cat is definitely enjoying the better weather and variety of birds to annoy.  She spends hours waiting under a bush in the hope of catching one but always fails.  The other morning I opened the curtains to see her thoroughly entangled in the Dogwood.  I can only assume she took a flying leap at a bird and misjudged the landing.  She was having real trouble unhooking her back legs from the branches much to the amusement of a robin sat a few feet away!