Forewarned and forearmed

Pots tucked up

Some pots in the greenhouse

February has been wet rather than particularly cold, or so I'm informed; for much of it we have been away.  (Despite the warning about not leaving the new greenhouse heater "unattended for long periods", it was left on unattended for nearly three weeks and hasn't exploded.)  Since our return last week it has been chilly but dry, and the forecast for the next few days is for a very cold spell with the risk of snow, brought in by winds from Siberia.  The more excitable elements of the media are billing it as "The Beast from the East", and certainly the Met Office is warning about the dangers of cold and windchill (of as much as -14C) as well as snow disruption; although having just returned from similar temperatures in Norway, I'm not inclined to get too worked up about it.  Forewarned is forearmed, however, and I remember the similar-sounding bitter spring of 2013, so all the usual precautions of laying in food and fuel have been taken, as well as tucking the garden up as best I can.  Most of the pots have been grouped together, against the house wall where possible, to protect them from the wind and the effects of drying (any snow doesn't matter); the compost is looking quite dry as it is but I don't want to water them too much so that the roots don't freeze.  Some old garden fleece has been draped over them to give a little protection.  Small pots have been moved into the greenhouse and cold frame, as have all the borderline-hardy things (penstemons for example).  Fingers crossed!

Crocus 'Blue Pearl' (look closely ....)

The snowdrops and aconites are all still out, as are the hellebores (not so many of them now that the ones self-sown into the old path have gone), and the early crocuses have coloured (though I haven't seen any actually open yet).  The 'Cream Beauty' ones in various pots have come through well, although there aren't so many 'Blue Pearl' in evidence, only a few in the front garden and a couple pushing through the tatty heuchera leaves in the big pot.  C. tommasinianus 'Whitewell Purple' is showing down at the bottom of the garden, but they need sun to open and they're rather in the shade down there; I must find them a new home as they're lovely, cheery things.  The daffodils are still in bud, with those in the front garden furthest ahead, but given the weather forecast we probably won't have any in bloom for some time yet.  The self-sown pulmonaria over by the wall is flowering, though sadly its leaves are looking very much the worse for the wear and don't set off the blooms very well.

Pulmonaria (variety unknown)

With the weather having turned colder I've tried to be more regular about putting out food for the birds.  The fatballs continue to be popular, including with the long-tailed tits which, being only tiny, presumably really need a reliable food source.  We've had four of them in the past few days, feeding together and also trying to land on the false glazing bars of the patio doors (they really can't work out why they can't get a grip).  Keeping an unfrozen water supply is trickier; today we had two woodpigeons sitting on the birdbath looking disconsolately at the ice, until Lefty chased them off (he wanted a drink, too, but there was none to be had).  Plastic bowls of water last a very few hours until they, too, freeze over.  I've been putting out apples from the greenhouse for the blackbirds, one on the patio and one by the front of the garage where I can watch them from the kitchen window; the apple store is diminishing but should last a good few days yet.  The greenhouse mouse is still nibbling them, and it has had a go at the chitting potatoes too; it looks as though it has given up on those, but the lettuce seedlings have all been nibbled down and I should really discard them for hygiene reasons, along with the other salad leaves.  Most of those have been little damaged - mousey doesn't appear to have a taste for bitter things like rocket and mustard - but he has probably been trying them out so they ought to go too.  I'm annoyed about the lettuce but the other leaves were already past their best anyway, and I will shortly need the space that they've been occupying when I start potting up the dahlia tubers.  It may be cold out there, but it's already time to start seed-sowing so I need to find room for all of that!  I just need to find a way of preventing the mouse from eating those too.....