Bowsaw massacre, phase 1

Both the weather and the garden are improving very, very slowly.  Temperatures are still way too low, especially when that east wind returns, but at the weekend we had some early-spring sunshine, which wasn't exactly warm but was encouraging.  The nights have continued to be frosty; this morning we had a few snow flurries, but rain is forecast for tomorrow, which will be welcome for the garden.

Crocus 'Whitewell Purple' enjoying the sun

The sun brought out the crocuses, and the first daffodils - the little Tete-a-tete ones in the west-facing windowbox - have finally opened.  There are also a couple of big daffs opening up gradually, and a couple of Anemone blanda.  We also did the first cut of the lawn this year, which always makes things look tidier.

Tete-a-tete, just opening

Given the slight improvement in the temperatures, I risked a little rose pruning; but most of the weekend's work was more destruction.  The dead Mahonia 'Charity' has been cut down, and the dead branches taken out of the Viburnum carlcephalum.  One branch of that is still alive and has flower and leaf buds, but its days are numbered: the same tell-tale brown lesions are at the base as showed on the other branches before they died off.  I'll let it flower and then cut it down.  Not sure how I'll get the stump out, though (ditto for the Mahonia).  I also tackled the Winter Honeysuckle, removing the dead bits and some of the older wood; there's more to do but I'll leave that for another year rather than stressing the plant unduly.  It has produced a layered plant in front of it, unfortunately rather too close to the lawn edge to be left there but a potential candidate for digging up and relocating.  It might just be a possibility for the space created by the loss of the Mahonia and Viburnum.  I've also been eyeing up the Philadelphus that needs taking out, and the Rosa altaica that badly needs thinning, but time didn't permit.  As it was I produced lots of prunings for the wildlife-friendly wood piles at the bottom of the garden (though the diseased bits of the Viburnum went in the bin).

This cold weather is having an interesting effect on my thinking about spring colour.  My favourite crocus 'Blue Pearl' is looking rather washed out, and I'm thinking more favourably about swathes of bright yellow daffodils, which I've been finding a bit too garish in previous years.  I think what I need is a good dose of colour; the more subdued flowers feel just too tasteful at the moment.

The birds have also been noticeably focusing a little less on food (though my morning offerings are still gratefully received, and indeed expected, by the robin and blackbirds) and more on nesting.  Sparrows have been seen picking up feathers, and this morning a song thrush was gathering muddy plant debris from the edge of the pond.  The two thrushes have been about and a pair of goldfinches also turned up.  While I haven't caught any thrush song this year yet, one of the blackbirds has taken up the traditional position on next door's roof and has been singing quietly from time to time.  Maybe spring is finally on the way?