That's more like it. After a damp weekend, we are now getting double-figure temperatures during the day; we're having a windy week, but the wind is from the south-west and the weather drying up again, with a good forecast for the coming weekend. The gloves have gone back in the drawer, the scarves are staying in the wardrobe and a jacket is not absolutely required when working outside!
At last the daffodils are coming out properly; other plants that had been knocked back by the cold, such as the Bergenia and Brunnera, are tentatively putting out flowers again. It's interesting comparing where we were this time last year (admittedly after an exceptionally warm March), when the plum tree was showing flower buds! - there's no sign of that yet, but things are finally moving in the right direction. The first clump of tulips, the cream ones under the dining room window, are in bud, and so are the Erythroniums; a grape hyacinth or two are also showing colour, and the cowslips in the lawn are not far behind.
On the down side, the damage caused by the cold weather is becoming apparent. I've noticed that plants often seem to be sailing happily through a cold spell, only to shrivel and die once the weather has warmed up. The Penstemon 'Sour Grapes' is a case in point. The plant in a big pot on the patio, snugly up against the south-facing house wall, is fine (and working well with the purple Heuchera, which matches 'SG's purplish new shoots and metallic sheen); the plants that were in the big pot last summer and that were potted up and left by the back door are in a very poor way, although at least one of them has actually survived. I suppose they were more exposed to the wind; something to remember for next year. One of my two big Viburnum tinus is also looking badly scorched around the edges; I'm not sure whether the wind is to blame for that, since the worst damage is on the west side (the rest being protected by adjacent shrubs).
The bowsaw and loppers came out again on Sunday, this time to tackle Rosa altaica. A lot of dead and living-but-old wood came out; there's still more for another year, and a tangle of small growth near the top that needs sorting out, but let's not give it too much of a shock at once! It has exposed a lot of bare growth at the back of the Senecio. I can see potential for quite a lot of remodelling in that part of the garden; the shrubs in there are now very mature, and a good overhaul may be needed.
Seed-sowing, put off because of the freezing weather, was done on Saturday, and the first seedlings (Statice and Cosmos) are already up!
The birds are definitely in spring mode. The sparrows are getting frisky, while the hen blackbird has been seen gathering food - her brood must be hatching. The robin has also been taking suet pellets away, although whether for nestlings (suet pellets seem rather too big?) or as a present for his mate isn't clear. Two partridges come through the garden from time to time, and the pheasant now has three ladies as well as a rival who skulks furtively around the patio.
And today I saw a bee. It seems bizarre that that should be the first I've seen this year, but it is.
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