Image by jojo nicdao via Flickr

I haven’t really had much chance to see what is going on in the garden lately except at the weekend because my jury service commitment has kept me from home during the daylight hours. I remember looking around the rear garden on Sunday and seeing flowering plants in the border we created last Summer when we were working on the patio. It is pretty much sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds because of the garden wall which would help to keep them flowering for longer but it is January and not exactly the month to see flowering plants unless they are snowdrops. Daffodils it appears are sprouting up all over the country and there are some even as far north as Aberdeen according to one viewer on a television magazine program a day or so ago. It would seem that Spring has come early this year. Although it is still Winter we haven’t really had much wintry weather compared to what we are accustomed to. It is too early to say that we won’t get colder spells with snow and ice before the season is over or that it is too late in the season for it to happen but if we judge by what the plants are doing it appears unlikely. It it a good thing? Perhaps not. The reason I say that is the plants will be struggling to cope with the changes but more than that there is nothing to stop garden pests from flourishing in the mild weather. When the weather becomes cold it has the effect of curbing the growth or even killing off diseases and general garden pests that threaten a plant‘s developement, especially those we cultivate for food. The garden nevertheless looks fine and the grass is lush and flourishing too but no doubt so will the moss, clover and weeds! Our lawn isn’t that good! There will be plenty to do out in the garden soon enough not least of all replacing those plastic panels that the recent high winds blew out of the small greenhouse. Thankfully the large greenhouse has been unaffected but then it is a more professional affair with glass panels. I will be replacing the damaged plastic panels in the small greenhouse with glass in a few weeks time. There is much to do elsewhere before then.

Shirley Anne