End of Month Review Jan 2010

Ok, not strictly an end of month review, more a case of checking whether Spring is with us yet...

Saturday I ventured out into the garden to survey the damage done over winter and by the snow and frosts…

I warn you now, there are many… many photos, and I realise it will be endlessly boring to most people, however it is a record for myself!

Ok, so coming out of the house and looking at plants on the decking:

First we start with the Hellebore… Quite a few flowers on it now, very impressed. I need to decide where to plant it…

Honesty seedlings have survived, plenty for me to plant, and I have promised some for my mum too.

A trough planter with unhappy Cyclamen and Crocus

Aquilegia seedlings, not to worry there are new leaves coming up, the larger leaves did not survive the layer of snow.

My £1 Jasmine is still with us too…

Those un-Foxglovey looking Foxgloves! I understand they may be the perennial form, rather than biennial.

A bulb, I think it’s a Tulip I planted late on bought from Rufford Country Park! Hmmm I ought to have labelled the pot!

Salvia

Pot full of bulbs, Iris, Tulip, Crocus and Allium (I think, yet another unlabelled pot!)

Fuji Cherry looks promising

Raspberry bud

The main border to the left:

Plenty of drumstick Allium coming up…

Shasta Daisy

Moth chrysalis is still with us

Aquilegia hasn’t done a great deal since last week.

Osmanthus will soon be in bloom, offering a much welcome perfume

One of the Hebes, all seem to have survived.

Lupin

Clematis Marjorie has buds! Oh, so excited!

Ice in the Bird Bath – yes, nothing to do with the plants! But it’s a good indication of just how cold it was!

Now we skip across to the front border on the right:

Nothing will kill this Campanula… A snowdrop pokes its head out too.

Snowdrops

Snowdrop and Scabious, ready to go!

Verbena Bonariensis seeds

Magnolia buds… Last year it didn’t flower… If it doesn’t flower either this year I may have to get rid :( Pains me to do so, but a star magnolia without its blossoms is redundant.
I’ve had it 5 years or more, it’s moved around with me, I planted it hoping the reason for no blossoms was being unhappy in a pot.

Pot of bulbs

A self seeded Campanula resides with the Passionflower

Aquilegia seedhead

This Onion just will not die… Ever! This is the one which flowered over the summer, it was enormous!

Now we move onto the border along the side of the house:

Snowdrops, I think…

Crocus joins the snowdrops

A bird’s foot Trefoil joins the bulbs in the border. It seems to have survived the Snow just fine and looks like nice healthy growth.

Shasta Daisies

The Rose was not so lucky.

Second Lupin

Moving up into the garden to the left border by the fence:

Sage looks lovely and silvery, contrasts well with the dead crocosmia leaves.

Roseraie De L’hay… I wouldn’t want to fall into those thorns!

Aubrieta is doing very well.

Geranium and sea thrift with the leaves of the Dierama towering over.

My American Wisteria has survived!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Phew!

Winter Jasmine is hidden behind the Sweet Pea, hopefully next year it will be much larger and we’ll be able to see it!

Rose, Tess of the d'Ubervilles

Now we’re up onto the Tier:

Cotoneaster berry survived the beady eyes of the Blackbirds and Song Thrushes.

Tiny Acer looks to be well, the other half is not so lucky, but I suspect the damage was done by the Willow branches blowing in the wind.

Briefly we move up onto the second tier, by the summerhouse:

Clematis Willy buds climbing up around a post on the house

Red Robin, I’m undecided whether to get rid of it… It’s making a shady area even more shady!

Autumn Cherry is FINALLY beginning to flower… Last year we had flowers way back in November… Not this time round!

Willow buds…

The birds were most put out by my presence… Watching from their ‘safety bush’…

Coal tit and Goldfinch

Blue Tit

Coal Tit flies in anyway!

Moving down onto the first tier again:

Another Aubrieta, I’m surprised and thrilled to see it… When I first planted it, it was desecrated by our mollusc friends!

Chocolate Clover

Blue pot is, once again ripped up by the damned Fox. Seriously, this year I will fully secure the garden.

Black Lily Turf looks fantastic

So in conclusion, I don’t believe we lost any plants to the unusually harsh winter. Although it is yet to be seen whether the Verbena’s come back… My large mature plant seems fine, but I’m unsure of the new, smaller ones I planted last year.

I have noticed a distinct lack of Crocus though, I planted 200 in Autumn, many had already begun to sprout when they were planted, this was not my fault though – was how they arrived! So I suspect is the reason, but I am most disappointed if they are not going to come up… What a waste of time!!!