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Today, I wandered around the garden contemplating spring clearing, and investigating what’s come up.
There are many different primulas;
borage;
pulmonaria;
snowdrops
and hellebores galore;
daffodils such as February Gold and Têtes-à-Têtes;
crocuses;
irises;
and cyclamen.
Views across the garden reveal most of these plants, and what needs to be done. Here we stand on the Brick Path to the left of the Heligan one.
The Phantom Path runs alongside Margery’s Bed.
This is the Palm Bed;
and this the Heligan Path winding between the Cryptomeria and Weeping Birch Beds.
This afternoon Jackie lopped the branches off the Christmas tree and filled an orange bag with those and the campaniflora clematis cuttings.
Roast lamb served with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, crunchy carrots, cauliflower and green beans was Jackie’s meal this evening. I had some, too. This was followed by lemon meringue pie and cream. I drank Vacqueras cru des Côtes du Rhône 2015.
Thank you for sharing the signs of Spring in your garden. Too bad we can’t share the dinner too ;(
Here I am looking at the damage from rain, hail, heat and storm. A change of season is evident. 14ºC last night; only 26ºC maximum today.
Thanks a lot, Mary. You have had a rough time so far this year
I’ve also eaten a fair number of figs so one must take the bad sometimes. 🙂 I’m only glad that this is my play space and not work space.
Derrick, now I know that the plant a neighbor gave me during the summer is a cyclamen. (She didn’t know its name, but thought it was pretty.) I’ve managed to keep it alive. Now, I can find out the conditions it needs to truly thrive.
You’ve done well so far, Rosaliene. They don’t all make it through the winter.
I keep mine indoors, safe from Southern California’s summer heat and winter chill. We’re now experiencing heavy rainfall, much needed after over four years of drought.
I’ll bet. Thanks very much, Rosaliene
It’s interesting whether those early flowering plants will eventually die out because I can’t believe there are any bees to fertilise them.
We’ll see, John. No bees yet. Thanks
It looks as though it will be another beautiful year for the garden, Derrick. Thanks for sharing! I love the snowdrops.
We hope so, Jill. Thanks very much
Even before Spring has arrived, your garden begins to erupt in blooms! It almost seems to know that the Master Gardener is watching, eh?
As a kid, I used to watch for the crocus to push through the last remnants of the final winter snowfall. Sort of meant a symbol of determination to me.
Thanks very much, GP. In our case it’s through last autumn’s leaves 🙂
So much color. Lovely.
Thanks very much, Miriam
A feast for the eye and the belly. What a perfect day 🙂
Thanks very much, Donna
It is lovely to see the first plants and flowers of spring time, thanks for sharing yours, very lovely indeed!
Many thanks, Agnes. It is.
You have some delightful things coming up. What is coming up here faster than anything else is … weeds! Pulling them up is getting me down.
Thanks, Leslie. We’ll have a few of those as well.
I’m looking forward to the entire year in your garden!
Many thanks, Maggie
I always understood it to be “Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding”; & “Roast Lamb & Mint Sauce”; Still I had a pre-war upbringing; you being just a youngster, grew up in a more sophisticated time.
My dad used to make the most amazing Yorkshire puddings, on the rare occasions we had roast beef; they were cooked in the fat and juices from the roasting beef.
I was never able to emulate his feat! I gave up trying.
Just love those little white flowers so aptly named; I recall crocuses growing, I had the idea that they grew up through the snow covered ground for some reason. Probably going completely bonkers! 🙁
Those Irises remind me of a flower we used to call ‘bunny rabbits’; we’d squeeze the sides, and the mouth would open up, and there was some bugs bunny type teeth hanging inside.
You probably know the ones I mean, I’m completely ignorant when it comes to things that grow in the garden. My wife is the gardener; she tends the garden, and weeds, I stay in my kitchen!
And that’s just as it should be; according to my wife!
Thanks a lot, Brian. Actually we had mint sauce as well this evening. Maternal Grandpa was a Yorkshireman, so it was Yorkshire pud at every opportunity. The flowers are antirrhinums or snapdragons.
Those are the ones; thanks Derrick, snapdragons, they were great fun for little Cockney ‘kids’.
Perhaps you need to give up the Yorkshire pud as well as the chips for the sake of your dodgy knees! 😀
🙂
So good to see that spring is in her way! We have nothing yet – but it’s been warm the last couple of days. I was out raking leaves today – here we go!
Thanks, Jodie. Yes, here we go
The blooms of spring look so delicate to me.
Thanks very much, Ginene
I love the more delicate type florals as you show here. In Arizona we tend to have the more sturdy neon colored flowers, and I like “Victorian” flowers.
Thanks a lot, Luanne
It is beautiful to see the primary plants and blooms of spring time, much obliged for sharing yours, stunning..
Thanks very much, Sariska
There is something reassuring that somewhere in the world, at any time of the year, the flowers push up their heads and burst.
Lovely comment, John. Thank you.
SO lovely.
To be honest I liked the last paragraph best. Spring is all very well but roast lamb is a lot better. I have seen a gradual extension of Yorkshire Pudding to other meats over the years – Julia often does it with chicken. When we visited older relatives we used to eat it before the main course to fill us up, and sometimes had it with jam and white sauce as a pudding. Oh yes, I feel an attack of nostalgia coming on…
Lovely. Thanks, Quercus
🙂
I love what comes up on your blog, Derrick.
Thanks a lot, Ann
Dinner sounds just right 🙂 FYI the borage is trachystemon – a really good, though slightly rampant ground cover – a great plant for early bees that I am sure are out on this mild day
Many thanks, Geoff. The bees were out
Goodness, goodness! We’re still buried beneath snow, and your gardens are beginning to bloom.
Thanks a lot, Laurie. Your turn will come.
Lovely spring pictures!
Many thanks, Lynn
I am afraid I may get addicted to those images which end in sumptuous rituals of food and wine. You are quite the connoisseur, Derrick!
Very many thanks, Uma. I’ll be pleased if you do 🙂
Perfectly captured the beauty of nature. Spellbounding!
Very many thanks for such comments
It’s so comforting to see signs of spring. Lovely photos, Derrick.
Many thanks, Merril
Lovely signs of spring, Derrick. Does Jackie ever rest? 🙂
Not much, Sylvia 🙂 Thanks
That’s my impression.
Such wonderful colors for winter. My! My! We planted several hellebores last summer. They will look splendid out our front picture window…we’re hoping. But, we have a ways to go to see color. Thanks for the nice posting.
Thanks a lot, Steve. Hellebores spread so fast we have them everywhere
That’s good news, I think. We’re going to add some different colors this year. Now, we only have pink.
They are wonderful plants, but you will find the need to thin them out after a year or two
So lovely Derrick…
Thank you, Julie
Something definitely happened with the World climate. It is really strange to see in February Spring appearance.
True, Alexander. Thank you