Our Christmas box packs a big punch!
Not the usual conditions for this time of year but it’s great to see bulbs pushing through and snowdrops in flower. Oddly, in our garden the bulk of the snowdrops don't appear until well into February but the little spots of white certainly liven up drab days. The great winter clear-up is well under way; our garden produces far more green waste than we can compost so the remainder is bagged, loaded into the car and taken to the local recycling centre. For just a small garden we seem to make a lot of trips! In the front garden rose pruning was accompanied by perfume emanating from the mature Christmas box. Its tiny flowers certainly pack
a punch on mild days. Hard, physical labour has been the order of the day as the battle to control a large (and spreading) bamboo continues. I’ve taken a ‘little and often’ approach rather than an all-out assault.
A seed head just about to shed its contents reminded me how sneaky plants can be – it was from a thorn apple I thought I’d removed in autumn. I still remember some years ago when an ungloved hand touching a seed pod gave me understanding of how the plant got its common name!
In the back garden, the plants on the patio outside the back door have had a little move-round. The pot-grown conifer, brightly lit not long ago, now gets its chance to shine as a shapely evergreen.
Clearing up around the pond, I spotted a large female frog, quite early for us as spawn usually appears in early March. So far the frog chorus has not begun – perhaps the mild weather tempted her to make an early start and the choir is still warming up. Also spotted around the pond, a hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) had taken up residence, seeded (or should that be spored) from who knows where? It had remained undetected in summer as a large hosta covers that area and the fern must have happily grown away, only to be spotted during the clear up.
Jobs still to do include the continuing attack on the bamboo, slimy paths to clear and the large holly at the bottom of the garden needs its trim before the nesting season starts. Never a dull moment and it's cheaper than joining a gym!