Gath'ring winter fuel

Crocus 'Whitewell Purple'

With all this wind, a lot of twigs (and a few bits of branches) have come down from the ash trees.  The neighbours' one in particular has shed a lot onto the veg plot.  I had been piling them up on a vacant bed, but have now filled three compost sacks with them; a good store of kindling for the fire!  A much smaller pile is sitting by the summerhouse, having fallen out of the big tree in the field, and today I found the first crocus (Crocus tommasinianus 'Whitewell Purple') of the year flowering happily among the debris.  The snowdrops (G. atkinsii) nearby are fully out; not a bad display considering I thought I had dug them all up!  I planted the dug-up bulbs in a pot (for want of anywhere better just at the moment) but they aren't doing anything; perhaps I'll revert to the traditional method of moving them 'in the green'.

Galanthus atkinsii

Cyclamen coum

Daffs already in bud!

As for the wind, we had more gales last week and there are yet more forecast for tonight.  It's mild and damp, and the spring flowers are thriving; there are daffodils in bud under the plum tree and in the front garden and it's not even February yet.  There's also a nice clump of Cyclamen coum down under the winter honeysuckle; rather out of sight and out of mind, but welcome all the same.  I'm not taking chances with the weather, though.  I've cut off the old leaves from the epimediums to let the flowers come through unimpeded, but E. sulphureum, which is facing the prevailing wind, has a 'hat' of old cut leaves on top so that the flowers aren't blasted by the gales.  And yesterday we had a short snow shower; it clearly wasn't going to lie, but it was a warning that winter isn't done with us yet.

A satisfying weekend's gardening: shallots planted, one-and-a-half veg beds dug over and a bean trench started, a self-sown ash stump which had been difficult to remove dug out, old hellebore leaves removed, wisteria and small apple tree pruned, and various other small tasks done.  And last week I dug over and weeded a patch in front of the pear cordons so that the daffodil bulbs (Narcissus 'Silver Chimes') and Allium cowanii could go in (better late than never!); the last of the tender and tender-ish plants were also removed from their pot and put in the safety of the greenhouse.

Not a bad tally for the Big Garden Birdwatch, given that the mild weather is keeping many birds out in the

Viburnum, comfrey and wallflower

fields: eleven sparrows, four woodpigeons, two of blue tit, great tit, blackbird and dunnock, and a robin, wren, chaffinch and greater spotted woodpecker.

This week's cut flowers are Viburnum tinus 'Gwenlian', comfrey 'Hidcote Pink' and wallflower 'Sunset Red'.