Adding a Splash of Spring Colour

What a lovely day it was today;  quite Spring-like.  I had a thin jumper on, but didn't need a coat.  The birds were singing and calling out to each other and for a while I was serenaded by a dunnock. He was quite close, but annoyingly I didn't have my camera to hand.

Dunnock

I did some pruning, especially of our rambling roses, which had got quite out of hand due to neglect.  I think they should have been pruned in the summer after flowering, but we never seem to get round to it then.   Now we can get to the back of the pond and plant a few things there, which I'm hoping to do as it's rather bare at present.  I'm even contemplating a frog/toad (no wish to discriminate) house.

I also managed to plant a couple of snowdrops and a couple of cyclamens to add a bit of colour to the flower bed we look out on at mealtimes.

 The bed on the other side of the path has colour, but needs a good tidy up.

Preparing for Spring

Crocus now in flower

I've been making the most of the sunshine today and Saturday.

Today I planted five seed potatoes in a bag, they are a variety of first earlies call the Duke of York and a bit on the small side, so hopefully five won't be too many. I also put in some narcissus, crocus and iris bulbs I didn't get round to planting in the Autumn.

On Saturday I started to tackle a flowerbed we look onto from the dining room, which has got rather weedy and straggly. It's going to be quite a few hours' work to clear it.  Hubby dug the remains of a large red hot poker out for me as best he could as it is growing under some stones.  There are two more red hot pokers that need severely chopping so that they can also be dug out and a mahonia and a japonica, which are not right for that bed, which need similar treatment.  There are also quite a few brambles and a smothering of wild strawberries.

There suddenly seems a lot to do in the garden to get it ready for the onset of Spring.


There are signs of Spring all over the garden, with Winter heather and crocus in flower and the garlic I planted about a month ago up already along with the Autumn onions I planted late October or early November. I'm now waiting for signs of the broad beans I planted a couple of weeks ago.

Garlic shoots

Bullfinch

Yesterday I spotted a bullfinch on one of the bird feeders.  Shame he didn't visit when I was counting birds for the Big Garden Bird Watch.  It was an overcast day, so I needed my binoculars to see him properly and I didn't notice if he had a mate nearby.

As my camera isn't good enough to take a photo of something so far up the garden, here's a picture I found on the RSPB website, where you can find pictures to help you identify most birds as well as examples of birdsong and lots more.