The days may be dark and grim but there is the promise of new blooms as the bulbs begin to emerge, and already there are snowdrops.
Everywhere I look delicate green shoots are pushing through the earth and each week it gets a little lighter. Spring is not far away.
Viburnum, witchhazel and snow berries brave the endless rain, frost and freezing fog.
The dogwoods shine out, even through the rain…
and beneath them the first of the hellebore buds are beginning to appear, soon the gardens will be full of them. How I love their droopy, sad little heads.
It’s like groundhog day here, we haven’t even walked the dogs for the last few days given the torrential rain, which is set to continue. Flood alerts are everywhere. How awful it must be having to abandon your home, especially during covid.
I sowed a few coriander seeds a few weeks ago as an experiment, I was astonished to see they have already germinated.
I’m now pondering what to sow next.
And Finally…..
the lawn is now like a marsh, mainly covered by water and today hubs and I actually had to bail out the courtyard with buckets as the water had breached the air bricks. It really needs to stop raining!
Until next time, stay safe guys. xxx
Hello there you ! LOL
I know the buckets of rain must be so annoying when you are yearning for sunshine and those Spring bulbs to smile up at it. But count yourself lucky that you aren’t watching a snowstorm in real time and knowing you have months of it ahead of you ? LOL
I’m just desperate to see the new on line plant catalog from one of the mail order providers.
I practically drool on my keyboard with daydreams of plants I’d love to have .. but I digress.
We go through cabin fever every year at this time, and for a few more months even without Covid .. so I count myself lucky that we aren’t feeling the brunt of the pandemic.
I am indeed sorry for the people that are having a difficult time .. lets all hope 2021 will turn all these events around !
PS .. I just read another British blogger’s accounts of snowdrops and winced out of jealousy! LOL
Hi Joy, good to hear from you. Yes, several months of snow isn’t something I can even imagine. We had snow in winter when I was a kid but rarely these winters given we are on the coast. I’m always googling plants online….it’s an illness with me! Each day more snowdrops appear, I love the little blighters. I’m so glad covid isn’t too bad where you are, they reckon one person in every sixty eight has it here, sighs. xxx
We’re not flooded or besieged with torrential rain, but it’s been gray, foggy, misty, and wet for days. I was grumping around a bit, but after reading your post and the comments, I’m going to go all chin up, and count my blessings! I’ve not even been out to see what might be happening with spring ephemerals; it’s the time for them to be emerging, and I think I’d best be out and about tomorrow, even if the mist and fog endure.
Your coriander’s interesting. It’s a spice I use, but somehow I’ve missed seeing the plant. We non-gardeners miss a lot!
Now mist is something I’ve always loved. Looking forward to what you discover on your travels. I am a huge fan of coriander, it’s so easy to grow and delicious freshly picked for cooking. Thanks Linda.xxx
Everywhere is definitely waterlogged. We are not as bad as you but there are plenty of floods around locally. On a brighter note, our first hellebores have one or two flowers.
Let’s hope the rain and snow ease soon. Good to know your hellebores are up too! Thanks Sue.xxx
It’s always nice to see the new growth, a sign of renewal and Spring on the way :_
However, the weather is definitely letting us know we are still in winter!
So many have been affected by the rain, floods and snow.
I do feel so sorry for the many families affected.
Take care, keep safe and warm
All the best Jan
PS I like how you’ve included all of the different size photographs on your post.
Yes, it’s awful seeing how so many are having to move out of their homes, what a nightmare that must be. Thanks Jan.xxx
Great post and images. Spring is not too far away. Take care up there.
Thanks Peter. This winter has really dragged, spring is most welcome.xxx
You are a good couple months ahead of us. Nice to see stirrings of spring.
Here’s to you catching up. I hope you are feeling well. Take care.xxx
Coriander grows well in many environments. I always think Dogwood is enhanced when wet.
At the mo’ the ground is saturated and it is hard to envision it being much different with all the wet stuff descending from on high.
Look after yourself.
xxx
Oh yes, dogwoods seem to shine in the rain! The water really has nowhere to go now which is a little worrying. I can’t recall such a wet winter. Here’s to dryer days! Thanks Menhir.xxx
You have certainly had it bad up there on Merseyside, I feel for you all. We had non stop torrential rain for 2 days with storm Christoph but even my soggy lawn doesn’t look as wet as yours. It is so heartening to see all the bulbs coming up, showing us that no matter what else is happening in the world, Spring is on its way! Hang in there, it can only get better!
I’m glad you only got two days of the rain. Our lawn is now a marsh! Yes, it is getting better, Spring is around the corner and vaccines are steadily being issued. Hopefully things may be more normal by summer. Thanks Pauline.xxx
Wow, you are having SO much rain! Your budding Hellebores look better than ours, I have a feeling they don’t like the Aussie weather.
If the sun starts to shine (in another month or two!) you will have a glorious spring…now that is something to look forward to.. my granddaughter would love some of your puddles to jump in!
It has been a really wet winter this year, probably the first time I’ve worried about flooding. I can’t wait for Spring, this winter seems to have gone on forever. Ahh, I hope your granddaughter gets a few puddles, how kids love them. Thanks Gerrie.xxx
I admit, I would not be jealous of soggy-forever gardens, but I am definitely jealous of all your new growth spurred on by the rain. Hope your coriander does well for you! Here, with so much sun, they sprout, leaves are good for picking for about five minutes, and then they bolt — even the slow-bolt variety…
Hope you get a reprieve from the deluge soon!
Soggy gardens are not much fun! What a shame about your coriander bolting so quickly, it tends to last months here. I always have a problem with rocket, here today, gone tomorrow.
I was surprised at how early the coriander could be planted, I thought it would need more sunlight hours to germinate. So many herbs can be sown all year round these days. Thanks Anne.xxx
Oh dear, Dina – it’s rained nonstop here in darkest Devon too. Do hope it’s stopped for you. We got out for the first time today and went for a two-hour walk along the front and up and over the top of the cliff and down into the next little bay, and back again: but everyone else was out too, with their dogs, and not everyone was social-distancing. I’ve now taken to turning my back on people and covering my nose and mouth if I haven’t got my mask on!
It’s happy that spring is coming, but I don’t want it to come too soon – I hate the seasons not being ‘proper’. At least we’ve had a bit of proper cold winter weather!
Chin up, lovely Dina xx
It’s still raining here! Struth, I do hope it stops soon. That sounds like a lovely walk but what a shame about people not social distancing, I’d turn my back too. Here there are joggers everywhere we walk. Talking of proper winter weather, there has been lots of snow around and more on the way. Sadly only sleet here. Thanks Gill.xxx
Yes, it needs to stop raining for so many people…..but how hopeful to see all those beautiful shoots coming up:)
I can smell spring in the air… – not long now xxxx
There is definitely a smell of Spring in the air, bring it on. Here’s to dryer days for us all. Thanks Janet.xxx
Oh, my! I know I say this every year, but I can’t believe how early spring comes to you! How glorious to see greenery growing!
Sorry about all the rain, though. Don’t want people displaced or seedlings drowned. Hope it abates soon!
We finally received sunshine (literally and metaphorically!) so we’re happy and chilly and haven’t started our seeds yet!
Blessings for the dry weather’s return!
It’s lovely seeing the Spring bulbs coming up, I can’t wait to see the back of winter this year, pandemics are so much more manageable when you can get out into the garden. Sadly it rains on. Enough is certainly enough now. pleased to hear about your sunshine, long may that continue. Love and hugs to you all.xxxx
A nice, optimistic post. It’s good to see snowdrops and plenty of other bulbs emerging. There’s certainly been more than enough rain.
Thanks, and you too. xx
Thanks Flighty, it’s wonderful seeing the spring bulbs arrive, roll on Spring and dryer days.xxx
Yes, it never rains but it pours, literally. I do feel so sad for those people who are having to leave their homes, which is bad enough but even worse in these uncertain times. We’ve had a lot of rain over the last couple of days, now we’ve got the wind to go with it.
Yes, I can’t imagine it must be for people with flooded properties right now, especially when it’s happened before. We’ve had wind too, thankfully not for prolonged periods. Thanks Jo.xxx
Oh I agree, I can’t imagine how awful it must be to be flooded at the best of times. During a pandemic, it must be the last straw. I’m glad we’re not the only ones with a marshy lawn, I had to splosh my way to the greenhouse the other day. Well done on the coriander seeds – were they bought specifically or just ones that you use for cooking? At least the wind seems to have died down today, so hopefully storm Christoph is on its way out. Stay safe. xx
It’s the worst possible time to be flooded isn’t it? It’s awful seeing how heartbroken so many house owners are on TV. Our lawn has been a marsh for weeks now, the water has nowhere to go. Here’s to dryer days for us all. I bought the coriander seeds, I was surprised at how early I could sow them. Thanks Veggiemummy.xxx