About four days ago we were remarking that the snowdrops seem rather late
this year, apart from a sparse clump or two here and there. Now we see them
springing up on the lawn and in all sorts of other odd places, too. I've
even seen a primrose in flower but in the garden, not in the real 'wild'.
It's not a cultivated one but still, I'm not counting it as a spring
arrival. Some of the daffs I planted on the drive are now flowering.
They're young and patchy but will clump up over the years and several things
are pushing new leaf growth through.
The thing we've noticed most particularly in the last three days is the
lengthening of the light. In the winter, I'm accustomed to drawing the
curtains and lighting the table lamps quite early and when I went to do that
this afternoon I realised I was about to shut out daylight - something I
really hate to do. Dreary rain and grey days we may be having but it's not
cold down here and spring is giving winter fair warning.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
About four days ago we were remarking that the snowdrops seem rather late
this year, apart from a sparse clump or two here and there. Now we see
them
springing up on the lawn and in all sorts of other odd places, too. I've
even seen a primrose in flower but in the garden, not in the real 'wild'.
It's not a cultivated one but still, I'm not counting it as a spring
arrival. Some of the daffs I planted on the drive are now flowering.
They're young and patchy but will clump up over the years and several
things
are pushing new leaf growth through.
The thing we've noticed most particularly in the last three days is the
lengthening of the light. In the winter, I'm accustomed to drawing the
curtains and lighting the table lamps quite early and when I went to do
that
this afternoon I realised I was about to shut out daylight - something I
really hate to do. Dreary rain and grey days we may be having but it's
not
cold down here and spring is giving winter fair warning.


We did a bit of tidying in the garden today, and lots of things are showing
signs of firing the starting gun. Bulbs showing everywhere, a crocus almost
out, and one of the pink bubbles has managed to flower by hiding behind the
shed where it thought we wouldn't notice :-) Our various cyclamen are doing
better than previous years too.
And down on the allotment, the rhubarb is going for it, despite lying in a
puddle [1] all the time we've had this wet weather, the allotment is like a
swamp at the mo.

[1] It was supposed to be getting frosted, I dug it up in early Dec like
Dermot said, all right, SWMBO told me to, but Dermot told her. Ever since
then it's been chucking it down.

Steve

In article ,
says...
About four days ago we were remarking that the snowdrops seem rather late
this year, apart from a sparse clump or two here and there. Now we see them
springing up on the lawn and in all sorts of other odd places, too. I've
even seen a primrose in flower but in the garden, not in the real 'wild'.
It's not a cultivated one but still, I'm not counting it as a spring
arrival. Some of the daffs I planted on the drive are now flowering.
They're young and patchy but will clump up over the years and several things
are pushing new leaf growth through.
The thing we've noticed most particularly in the last three days is the
lengthening of the light. In the winter, I'm accustomed to drawing the
curtains and lighting the table lamps quite early and when I went to do that
this afternoon I realised I was about to shut out daylight - something I
really hate to do. Dreary rain and grey days we may be having but it's not
cold down here and spring is giving winter fair warning.


Apart from the usual suspects doing their thing I noticed a welsh poppy
in flower and a Lily regale 6" high with flower buds! but no daffs yet,
they are allways late here. Iris unguicularis looking especially good
with its large blue flowers but we wish we could move it, we have tried
but it allways fails in the new spot and has to be rescued and returned
to the base of the conservatory wall
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 20/1/08 23:32, in article , "shazzbat"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
About four days ago we were remarking that the snowdrops seem rather late
this year, apart from a sparse clump or two here and there. Now we see
them
springing up on the lawn and in all sorts of other odd places, too. I've
even seen a primrose in flower but in the garden, not in the real 'wild'.
It's not a cultivated one but still, I'm not counting it as a spring
arrival. Some of the daffs I planted on the drive are now flowering.
They're young and patchy but will clump up over the years and several
things
are pushing new leaf growth through.
The thing we've noticed most particularly in the last three days is the
lengthening of the light. In the winter, I'm accustomed to drawing the
curtains and lighting the table lamps quite early and when I went to do
that
this afternoon I realised I was about to shut out daylight - something I
really hate to do. Dreary rain and grey days we may be having but it's
not
cold down here and spring is giving winter fair warning.


We did a bit of tidying in the garden today, and lots of things are showing
signs of firing the starting gun. Bulbs showing everywhere, a crocus almost
out, and one of the pink bubbles has managed to flower by hiding behind the
shed where it thought we wouldn't notice :-) Our various cyclamen are doing
better than previous years too.
And down on the allotment, the rhubarb is going for it, despite lying in a
puddle [1] all the time we've had this wet weather, the allotment is like a
swamp at the mo.

[1] It was supposed to be getting frosted, I dug it up in early Dec like
Dermot said, all right, SWMBO told me to, but Dermot told her. Ever since
then it's been chucking it down.

Steve


I love that little Polygonum 'Pink Bubbles'. I know it's a menace for
spreading around but it's such an attractive tiny plant. I'm told it can be
tender, too, so you're lucky to have it. I may say that today is
absolutely filthy - it's blowing a hooligan and chucking rain at the
windows.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Sacha wrote:

About four days ago we were remarking that the snowdrops seem rather late
this year, apart from a sparse clump or two here and there. Now we see them
springing up on the lawn and in all sorts of other odd places, too. I've
even seen a primrose in flower but in the garden, not in the real 'wild'.
snipped
My wife and I saw wild primroses in bloom on the Camel Trail on
Christmas afternoon.

On 21/1/08 11:39, in article
, "Peter James"
wrote:

Sacha wrote:

About four days ago we were remarking that the snowdrops seem rather late
this year, apart from a sparse clump or two here and there. Now we see them
springing up on the lawn and in all sorts of other odd places, too. I've
even seen a primrose in flower but in the garden, not in the real 'wild'.
snipped
My wife and I saw wild primroses in bloom on the Camel Trail on
Christmas afternoon.

I know that's practically the tropics down there but isn't that rather
early?! We have two particular places where we always look out for them
because they seem always to be the first. One is at the foot of someone's
drive and the other is a bank beside the Dartbridge Inn just off the A38
turn off to Totnes and Dartington. We see great sheets of them there and
nearly always before we see any number anywhere else.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Paddling through the wet, I see that my quince rootstocks planted last
year are swelling, that tell tale yellow green showing through the
brown buds! No snowdrops yet though.
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

In article ,
says...
On 21/1/08 11:39, in article
, "Peter James"
wrote:

Sacha wrote:

About four days ago we were remarking that the snowdrops seem rather late
this year, apart from a sparse clump or two here and there. Now we see them
springing up on the lawn and in all sorts of other odd places, too. I've
even seen a primrose in flower but in the garden, not in the real 'wild'.
snipped
My wife and I saw wild primroses in bloom on the Camel Trail on
Christmas afternoon.

I know that's practically the tropics down there but isn't that rather
early?! We have two particular places where we always look out for them
because they seem always to be the first. One is at the foot of someone's
drive and the other is a bank beside the Dartbridge Inn just off the A38
turn off to Totnes and Dartington. We see great sheets of them there and
nearly always before we see any number anywhere else.


There were some out before Christmas up on the North Coast, no sign of
flowers here.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 21 Jan, 12:10, cliff_the_gardener
wrote:
Paddling through the wet, I see that my quince rootstocks planted last
year are swelling, that tell tale yellow green showing through the
brown buds! *No snowdrops yet though.

Our quince too and most notably our white ribes! Lots of leaves on it
and flower buds well and truly on the edge of opening. It's too warm -
bad bad bad ...