Pinch punch, First of the Month

Indeed its a day to be optimistic - I think!

White rabbits, white rabbits!

It's good to get January out of the way. The garden is beginning to come to life. I have hellebores flowering, and an odd snowdrop. Where the others are is anyone's guess. I hope the mice haven't eaten them.

I don't do optimism! Shades of Eyeore me.

We seem to be low on snowdrops this year. And crocus too. Why is it? I've got flowers on the Jew's Mallow too - but no leaves! Most odd. I don't think Spring is going to spring this year. I think it will crawl in. Sad really.

Forgot the 'white rabbits' thing. Said it last month though. Didn't notice the difference.

A day nearer to summer.

Bring it on.

I planted lots of bulbs last year, but rats or mice have dug them all up and eaten them! It never happened before. Large daff bulbs seem ok though.

Local Garden Centre owner cautioned against planting tulip bulbs too early, danger of disease 'cos of wet Autumn. Could other bulbs have gone the same way? He also advised a layer of grit if planting in pots, bulbs do not like to be sitting in wet compost/soil. Sorry if this is teaching Grandmothers to suck eggs........

Daffs, crocuses and snowdrops all out together. Odd. Agree, far fewer snowdrops than usual. I always thought it was squirrels who dug up the newly planted bulbs. I feel so sorry for the poor confused birds who have been collecting nesting material.
Yes, white rabbits, and a longer February this year.

OGM, I didn't plant the tulips too soon - sadly they are still waiting! But there are plenty of snowdrops and the hellebores are flowering. The cornus mas shrub is a haze of yellow at the end of the garden and the rest is a mess!

Anno My small garden is weird this year, daffs have been out for ages, as have hellebores (Speaker at Hort Soc who breeds the latter said hers were TWO months ahead, sad as she opens her garden for charity in March) No snowdrops but tulips (in pots) have been poking up above the soil for weeks. Too wet to tidy altho' badly needed!

Hellebores yes they are out but my snowdrops have been and gone, and now my beautiful cherry tree sort of blossomed last week but already the blossom is falling I'm very sad as its usually in full bloom for a couple of weeks at the same time as the carpet of so far non existant crocus that I planted in the lawn under it.

It's the wind that is making the blossom fall from the trees, isn't it? Ours only just seems to have bloomed, and like you tanith the blossom is falling.

Not a snowdrop and the squirrels have caused such havoc with the pots that we can only salvage one out of six. DH is now shooting squirrels.

Oh the snowdrops - it has to be mice doesn't it ! I keep trying but they never appear.
Crocus out though, and for some weird reason a Red Hot Poker has been sending up shoots and flowering all winter !!
The camellias are wonderful right now.