What to post in February! February has, unlike January, been fairly mild until last night when the temperature went down to -8c! And will continue cold for quite a few nights. Just as you are deciding to get to work to clear up all the beds and maybe plant some onions and broad beans. Oh well, there will be plenty of time.

However, there are a few things out. Snowdrops, of course, plus aconites, hellebores, a Daphne by the house plus the odd crocus. Here they are:

I’ll be back in March when there will be loads more coming out and not just the odd one or two!

Well, we are almost at the end of what has turned out to be a fairly cold January. Last night it was -8c. So what to post. No snowdrops, no aconites but still some colour, thanks to the witch hazel and the early hellebore.

The frost has not melted on the forest opposite our balcony

A bit blurry …. never mind!

Here are some photos of 2021 for a quick catch up. They are in no particular order.

2021 was a very different year. Mostly it rained and then rained. The tomatoes and potatoes got blight. The courgettes and squash were too cold and wet. The peas, beans and sweetcorn loved it, as did all the flowers and the rhododendrons. They are full of buds which will be great for this year.

Welcome to 2021. We won’t go into why we are so glad to see the back of 2020. Suffice it to say we are.

January has started cold with snow, ice and freezing nights and some days. Nothing to do in the garden, it’s frozen solid, as is our pond. Time to catalogue what seeds I have and order in if necessary. Something I enjoy doing every January with dreams of the year ahead. Forgetting the disappointments of the last year and thinking this year will be better. I know, dream on.

I did manage a quick tour yesterday and below are the photos I took. Notice the contrast to the photo of the mahonia taken at the end of December. All the colours are muted or not there at all.

Currently it is raining which at least has got rid of the snow! But before the rain I took the following photos of the rather impressive Mahonia. It used to be this straggly plant and was threatened with removal several times but I pruned it (yes I know should have done it earlier) and here it is brightening up a dull December morning.

A very merry Christmas to all.

The winter jasmine has started flowering. Brightens up what is currently very grey days.

Well, we are into our fifth week of lockdown and it doesn’t get any easier. It makes one realise how lucky we are to have gardens, even if it is autumn and cold, windy and rainy (today).
right now I am busy raking up leaves to make leaf mould. Keeps me fit and busy and there are LOTS of leaves.

I am faced with what to post at this time of year. Not much in the garden to want to photograph and certainly nothing anyone would like to see.

It has turned cold. We have already had -8c at night and it is freezing most nights though I guess it might not freeze tonight as it is raining.

Here are the “yellow crocuses” which are not actually crocuses but stembergia lutea. I am so glad when they flower as they bring some much needed colour in late autumn. I acquired them in the South West of France where they flower in September so the first year I had them I thought they had died. The relief when they started to flower in late October!

Suddenly there were parasol mushrooms everywhere

I have had the fig tree for years but this year suddenly there were figs. Most fell off but one lonely fig has remained. Will it ripen?

The clocks have gone back so I guess it must be truly Autumn. It started raining at the end of September and it feels like it hasn’t stopped since. We need the rain but it would be good to have a few more sunny days. Today has been sunny in between the rain showers but still too much rain to get out in the garden. We have managed to get most of the things that need cutting down done. But there is always more to be done. I have started to sort out the strawberry patch which truly does need sorting!

The colours have been glorious this year and continue to be so.