LAST OF THE WINTER IN ARMANDII'S RETREAT

I spent today working at home interspersed with mugs of hot tea and brief ambles around the garden. The wind was bitter and knife edged and blowing strongly bringing showers of snow but I managed to get an idea of what the Shrubs are doing and what shoots are pushing out of the ground.

The Lawn East side border which a couple of weeks ago was almost bare.





The border by the Green House with Rose "Crazy for You" budding up nicely after a one third in height pruning.



The beginnings of the West side border, with my lawn looking very weather beaten but it will be lush and green in a months time.


One of the large pots containing Hostas, bulbs and will have trailing plants added in late Spring.


It might have been bitterly cold but Jenny watched me from the shelter of the Arbour.......while my other cat, Sally, lay stretched out by the fire.


My pond iced over and covered with some of the snow from the icey showers during the day.


My 30 year old Rhubarb that I grew from seed and will always gives me huge sticks and I called "Tissington Giant" from the village I "borrowed" the seed from.


Cold hands.......all the water in the bird baths were frozen.

 

I made several trips out into the garden but came back in with numb face and fingers.

It was freezing cold in the wind!!


A sign that Spring is coming.....shoots!!!


I'm keeping an eye on the bird boxes to see how early the birds decide to start nesting.


One of the two large pots of Lilies which will need replanting with more Lilies and fresh compost...when it gets warmer.


The Harts Tongue Fern toughing it out by the pond


The Snowdrops are still going strong with the small Daffs coming up beside them.


The old gate to the pond area is still hanging in there...I thought the Winter might finish it off but it's still okay. The Jasmine hedge on the right will need a hair cut soon.





This pot lasted through the Winter until last month and then it gave in to the Frost.


There's not a lot in the Green House at the moment just a couple of Agapanthus


and some succulents waiting for it to get warmer.


The Day Lilies at the foot of the Compost Heap seem to be doing okay.

 

There's always a welcome and a glass of wine for you, Jenny, and any other visitor. The wine is a bit chilled though!!



I've lost three large pots to the frost, Mowgley, along with the small round one on the seat. I'll have to buy some more.!!

You're right, Dorothy, about being careful where you tread on the borders, even without the snow you can damage the shoots lying under the surface.

 

You're right, Joolz, it's not often I can see the soil of the borders I don't reckon it will be any different this year either. I still need to give the borders a dressing of compost off the Compost Heap before real leaf growth starts. I'm trying to make things as lush, diverse and crowded as they were last year while trying to make the borders different. Different positioning of some of the big pots will help and so will fresh planting of this years seedlings.
The plants do seem to sense Spring before we do, Sheal. The roses are really budding up and one of my Exochorda is showing a lot of shoots.