CLICK ON ANY IMAGE IN A GROUP TO ACCESS ITS GALLERY, INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF WHICH CAN BE VIEWED FULL SIZE BY SCROLLING DOWN AND CHECKING BOX AT BOTTOM RIGHT
The first clear sky at dawn for some time promised a sunny day which was appreciated by the garden, especially the winter flowering cherry that has been blooming for seven months now.
Sunshine, shadows, and birdsong returned to the garden paths.
Cryptomeria and eucalyptus trees from the antipodes brightened considerably.
Some of the hellebores even reared their heads.
Bright yellow mahonia blended with paler daffodils.
Although those nearer the soil were a little mud-spattered, primulas that had drooped a little now stood proud.
This afternoon Margery and Paul paid a visit as congenial as ever.
Afterwards Jackie drove me to catch the last post at Everton Post Office and on into the forest. Much of the terrain was still waterlogged, but the ford at Brockenhurst was dry.
This evening we dined on the second half of the smaller of Jackie’s splendid beef pies; served with crisp carrots and Brussels sprouts; and sautéed potatoes, peppers, and onions. I drank Serabel Lirac 2015.
Spring is underway in the Northern Hemisphere at last while I am enjoying a warm Autumn. Your dinner looked very tasty – it must be time for me to consider something more than a salad for mine 🙂
Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy it, Pauline. Thanks very much
Your garden looks so beautiful, Derrick (and head gardener).
Your title had me imagining rearing hellebores, and I pictured some sort of monster mutant plant creatures ready to attack. 🙂
Excellent – just what I like to hear Merril. Many thanks
🙂
With each post, your garden is coming more alive, Derrick. It looks beautiful!
Thanks very much, Jill. Sunshine helps 🙂
Looking at your pictures you can almost believe Spring has arrived.
Thanks a lot, Eric. Fingers crossed
Looking at your meal just made my stomach growl. It looks yummy.
Thanks a lot, Karen
The CQ certainly doesn’t skimp on the gravy, those Brussels sprouts look good enough to eat, just love my sprouts 🙂
Thanks a lot, Brian. When Flo was little she preferred sprouts wrapped in paper to sweets
Your garden certainly is wakening! Happy you have spring and sunshine. It’s elusive here for now. The latest spring I can ever remember. We’re still navigating -9 C daytime temps. With sunshine. But a high pressure system is keeping Arctic Air in Alberta…eeep!
Your Hellebores (such an odd name) are really gorgeous. Oh I wish I could be in the garden too! Enjoy ! x b
Thanks a lot, Boomdee. That is cold – we don’t even experience that overnight. However we are due another rainy spell from the weekend.
That meal looks amazing! The garden is divine!
Thanks very much, Lynn
Hellebores! Yours are out later than ours. I started taking different routes to and from work/metro and have seen some amazing blossoms. A couple weeks ago, I saw a group of hellebores blossoming away like crazy, very happy. They are nice to see, and your garden is looking lovely.
Very many thanks, Lisa. Ours have been out for a while and are ‘blossoming away like crazy’, too. They also self-seed so much that they can be transferred anywhere
Favorite line: “Sunshine, shadows and songbirds returned to the garden paths.” So heartening. And the favorite pictures are those that accompany that happy statement.
Thanks very much, Cynthia. It was good to be able to offer that sequence
Great to see the signs of spring in your garden. And I would like to have that dinner any day – lucky you!
I am very lucky, Mary. Thanks very much
It was a delight to visit your beautiful garden.
Thanks very much, Kalpanaa
Lovely blooms as always!
Thanks very much, Arlene
I see your garden continues to come alive and dinner sounds yummy!!! 🙂 <3
Many thanks, Natalie
Sunshine at last and time to get outside. I have discovered that I have a garden of heavy clay which is a bit of a disappointment.
That is sad, Andrew. I believe roses like clay – but perhaps you have too much? Thanks very much
I don’t like roses, nasty scratchy things, I don’t care for anything with thorns! Coincidentally my Hellebores are doing very well in the claggy stuff!
Good for the Hellebores 🙂
Your posts always take me close to Nature’s processes.
Thank you very much, Uma. Your comments are always a delight
What a lovely cherry tree. Surprising isn’t it that it has been flowering for so long? Your garden seems to be slowly adopting the springtime mode 🙂
It is Geetha. Thanks very much. The tree, meant to be winter flowering, has bloomed since September.
Most welcome Derrick. I am glad it has 🙂
The hellebores have lived like yo-yos this year. Yours are looking beautiful and eager. My plants have been pathetic this year – they don’t seem to appreciate being in pots, even though they are capacious ones. I noticed one of them has lots of shoots yesterday, so all is not lost.
Ours self-seed all over the paths. Thanks a lot, Susan
That’s a lovely ‘problem’ to have. My mum has one I grew from seed and I’m so proud of it. I just wish I had persuaded her to have more of them!
Yes, there’s a lot of rearing going on here too. Hellebores and primroses both looking much perkier. Feels like something has shifted in the air… but I won’t be counting any chickens just yet 🙂
That’s good sense, Sandra. Many thanks
Glad you are finally getting some signs of sunshine to hopefully dry you out a bit.
Another good day today, Gary. Thanks very much
Derrick, would you be so kind as to ask Jackie a question? I remembered my mom making a dish with cabbage, ground beef and mashed potatoes on top baked into a casserole. I made a Shepard’s Pie with cabbage on the bottom and it seemed to be the same dish. My mother was British, but never said she was feeding us Shepard’s Pie. Is it a British dish?
Our pleasure, GP. Neither of us knows of the cabbage version, but, as Jackie says, you cn put what you like in it. Whilst we all tend to call the dish Shepherd’s Pie whether it is cooked with lamb or with beef, the beef is correctly termed Cottage Pie, whereas, as might be expected, Shepherd’s requires lamb. Thanks a lot
Thank Jackie for me please. Now I know.
I will
The blooming flowers give hope spring may finally arrive. By the way, the food looks good.
🙂 Thanks a lot, Andrew
Your garden is far more advance than mine, and what a treat to see those flowers. Also a treat to see photos of Jackie’s fabulous cooking. Makes me hungry though!
Thanks a lot, Laurie. We have had rather less snow 🙂
That’s for sure. Right now, it is snowing again. About two inches and no indication that it plans on stopping anytime soon.
Good grief
Those flowers are so beautiful in the sunshine!
Many thanks, Clare. Gloom has descended for the weekend 🙂
🙂
Your hellebores are beautiful. Primroses (as we call them here) are common in spring. Their prevalence, though, doesn’t take away from their bright beauty–so appreciated after the dreariness of winter.
Thanks very much, Nicki. I am always confused about primroses and primulas, which I think of as the cultivated variety
I love helllebores, they suddenly appear out of nowhere and seem like a kiss goodbye to winter and a kiss hello to spring – which sadly, seems to be refusing to get off to a start in our part of the world. Still more snow squalls. Ugh! Harlon
Thanks very much, Harlon. I hope you warm up soon
I know you have a vast garden Derrick, that is the first time I think that I have seen the outside of your house, having seen it now I understand the garden is a great complimentary feature.
Many thanks, Ian. Although vastly overgrown four years ago, it was the garden that sold us the house 🙂
Those winter flowering cherry blossoms are so sweet and pretty!
I liked the sunrise photograph and those charming hellebores. Simply a delightful post, all around the garden with you. I liked that plateful of vegetables and beautiful beef pie. Mmmm – mm – mm – Good! 😋
Thanks very much, Robin
Garden is looking good. We loved the hellebores.
Many thanks to you both LL/PS