Snowdrops

[Janet Swan]

It's been an amazing year for snowdrops, don't you think? All that snow must have been just what they wanted because the displays this year are fabulous.

Have seen them in local woods, on grassy banks and in churchyards, and yesterday I went to Benington Lordship, a private home near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, where they are open for 3 weeks each year so people can come and see their wonderful display of snowdrops. The sun came out so not only did the snowdrops open up more, but so did the crocuses, celandines and hellebores. There are so many different varieties of snowdrops and they were all at their best yesterday. Also wonderful was the chocolate cake in the tearoom ... :wink: .

Janet

[gloria townsin]

As you have mentioned Hellebores Janet can you tell me if they take a long while to flower. I planted one in our old garden a couple of years ago and it never flowered then I moved it to our present address and although it is strong and growing well not a single flower can I see. It has to be four years old now.
When we were at Bryher in January we had lovely snow drops all round the bungalow and coming up in the beds. I should think my bulbs have all flowered and gone by now which is a dissapointment not to have seen them and especially the camelias. Ah well another year.
The choc cake sounds scrummy. :D

[Janet Swan]

I think my hellebores flowered the first year. I have read that they don't like being moved - sorry, Gloria!!! So, I really don't know why yours haven't flowered after all this time. How disappointing for you though.

Janet

[Sybille Weber]

Yes, a lot of snowdrops around here, too.
We've been to Villa Hügel Gardens here at Essen today, and there were loads of them. Also quite a number of crocuses about, lots and lots of pansies of different colour and the green stems of daffodils and tulips. Camelia and magnolia were in bud almost ready to burst open. So we'll have to go again in a week or two.

[Kath Mulligan]

Think the cold weather up here has held many spring flowers back a little. Crocuses are just starting to show some colour but not open yet, daffodils are up and in bud but again, no colour showing yet. My daphne bush seems to have been killed off by the icy winds, but will leave it for a few months to see if it shows any signs of revival.

And we have a bit more of the sleety/snowy stuff forecast for mid week too - enough is enough!

On the plus side, the polyanthus and primroses in my window boxes are in full bloom, as are the pots on Vin's grave, and I can see signs of imminent life on my forsythia bush too.

Kath

[Annette]

Wonderful snowdrops here too, they seem to have been around for weeks. The primroses are just starting now and are looking lovely.

I always look forward to my magnolia flowering, sadly the last two years the frost has spoilt the display, still there is always hope for this year :D

I was sad to read that Geoffrey Smith has died. He was a really inspiring gardner and always seemed to love his job :cry: . When we had our first garden he and Arthur Billett were our gardening gurus, followed of course by the wonderful Geoff Hamilton.

[Sparky]

Very much in the same boat as Brenda here in Western Canada as far as spring blooms.Trees budding and leafing-out and perennials appearing are still a few months away and we do not even consider planting out annuals or a vegetable garden until the begining of May(fortunately we have a large strawberry and raspberry patch and still have quite a few pounds of each in the freezer).

Having said that our weather is currently beautifully spring-like with blue skies and 15c today but neither us nor the local flora and fauna are fooled that winter is over yet although I have already spotted a few migratory bird species returning from their winter sojurn to the south.

Steve.

[Linda]

...boo! hoo!...I have just found out, well yesterday anyway, that its not the wind etc that seems to be killing off my escallanoia that I planted five years ago and are around 7 ft tall...was so pleased with them, and the the slow growing one, cannot recall its name but it has yellow /green foliage and lovely deep red flowers (escallonia this is) have all been eaten by the b***** deer!!!!!! I have been wondering for weeks why they looked in such a sorry state and then found the evidence! bits of branch broken off at all the ends....and one beautiful shrub bashed down into pieces...

there are times I hate those deer...and then the other morning there were fifteen of them at the top of our lane and we stopped before driving off to work at 7.30am to watch them as they watched us...theywere so beautiful ...grrrrrrr!

these escallonia are only ten feet from the house!! they obviously think we are a soft touch! ...so thats twenty (various variety of
) cherry trees eaten last year... :cry: :?

[Kath Mulligan]

The deer must be blessing the day you and Jeff moved in, Linda; they obviously think they have got their own 3* Michelin restaurant right on their doorstep. :wink: :lol:

Your escallonia have the deer to contend with, Derek and Jeannie's had the donkeys!! I remember reading a passage where Derek was cursing Fred for munching on the new shoots of the escallonia just below the donkey field when they were setting off on a walk one morning.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

There's a price to pay for everything Linda. :roll:

[Linda]

Kath
Derek and Jeannie's had the donkeys!! I remember reading a passage where Derek was cursing Fred for munching on the new shoots of the escallonia just below the donkey field when they were setting off on a walk one morning.
....so we have found our own Minack then!....wha hay!!...

:):) :wink: :wink: :? :?