My gardening DIARY

MONDAY All around the garden snowdrops are pushing through the earth. On the north side of our oak fence a long, narrow bed is home to hundreds of galanthus ‘Atkinsii’. One of the first to flower, it’s tall and elegant.

TUESDAY From now on seed sowing begins in earnest. As well as some of the half-hardy annuals, cosmos, both white and hotcoloured, and cleome that came free with Garden News a few weeks ago, we’re sowing veg, including a broccoli and lots of spinach.

WEDNESDAY Cornus ‘Norman Hadden’ is one of the most outstanding trees in the garden. It was planted almost 40 years ago and has become monumental. A few of its branches reach out across the track. We’re carefully removing the lowest side branches without spoiling the tree’s beautiful shape.

THURSDAY Graham, who works here occasionally, took the plunge and broke the ice on our tiny pond in an a empt to remove the duckweed. Although his brave efforts have reduced it, we’ll have to repeat the process a few times before frogspawn season.

FRIDAY Waging Geranium nodosum war in several beds. One of the reasons this cranesbill is so successful is that once its seedlings establish themselves, it’s very difficult to weed them out. I love the plant but don’t want it everywhere.

SATURDAY One of the most brutal yet effective forms of dividing big hostas is to dig up the whole clump, take a sharp spade and cut slices – like a cake – replanting the original in a new place and the pieces in their own new homes.

SUNDAY The garlic we planted the other week is coming on well, though from time to time blackbirds dig up occasional cloves. We’re constantly returning compost and leaf mould to mulched beds after their efforts but we’d forgive them anything to enjoy their song.