Spring has finally sprung

Thought I would try and write a less frantic blog post this time, though I think that will be hard as its such a busy time. I'm struggling to find time to write my blog and I'm behind on reading all my favourite bloggers but I'm sure I'll catch up soon. I've been busy in both the garden and at the allotment. In the garden my spring plants are finally getting going, with masses of primroses and an ornamental cherry blossom whose flowering was short but very sweet.

The daffodils are just finishing but they have been lovely, amongst others I have 'Jetfire' and 'Minnow', the coolish weather has kept them flowering for such a long time. Another plant which seems to have liked the cool weather has been the violas and the pansies which have really taken off again in my garden. My tulips are just starting to colour up.

One exciting sighting has been a flock of birds in a tree in the park near my house, I walk through it on my way home from work and a couple of evenings, at 5.50-6ish, I've walked past and there has been a flock of biggish birds making a lot of noise, I would describe it as trilling, but on mass. The first time I walked past I knew they weren't anything normal but I couldn't really get a good look to see them. Anyway they were there again the next evening and this time I stopped and tried to get a good look, they were the size of a blackbird but sort of plumper and light coloured, plus they had a crest on their head. So I texted my bird guru, my brother Will, and he said they would be Waxwings (this page has a link to listen to their sound, I just played it and confused Bob my cat, his ears were twitching all over the place!), gorgeous birds over from Scandinavia, he thought they were having a pre-roost gathering and would soon be flying back home. Well they've gone again now, not seen them since, but a lovely surprise.

At the allotment my fruit bed is coming on a treat, I've got masses of flowers on my redcurrant, going to be my best harvest yet and my gooseberry bush likewise has lots of flowers and the bees have been busy there. I think I'm going to have to properly net the bush this year, as much as I love the birds, this crop is for me.

Its peak rhubarb season and as with many other bloggers I've just started harvesting mine, my first dish was a rhubarb and ginger crumble which was delicious. I have some plans, if I have enough, to have a go at making some rhubarb wine, following the advice of the lovely John Wright, a recipe he posted in the Guardian in 2011.

I've planted my onions and shallots, which I got going in modules and my garlic is doing well, there are some tentative plans to build a sort of greenhouse in the corner of this bed so I've had to put my maincrop onions in one of the other beds.

I've some broad beans which I sowed in modules, the ones I sowed direct have not come up yet, neither have my peas! I never have much luck with sowing direct.

My potatoes are in and I'm waiting for the first shoots, though we've had a few light frosts this week so hope they will be OK.

I've been trying to finish off the structure of my allotment, last year I divided the big main plot into 3 beds, though the paths at the bottom end of the plot were not finished as this bit was a mass of buttercups and grass. I've been finishing off the ends of the beds and the paths. I can't decide whether to dig up this green path in the picture below and create a woodchip path. It looks quite Ok at the moment, but if you look closely its full of buttercups, though maybe if I keep it short like a lawn the grass will take over. Will leave it for now and see whether it causes much trouble. The patch of earth next to the fence has got my thornless blackberry plant, three raspberry canes, which are just starting to come up and a tayberry, which I'm hoping will get going this year. I've done my final digging of the year digging over these bottom beds, with plenty of muck, this is where my squash and courgettes will go. I'm hoping for better things for these this year.

I've had my first and probably my last crop from the only surviving plant of Purple Sprouting Broccolli. I planted them too late and most got demolished by slugs, note to self, be organised this year.

Finally a quick thanks to Anna at Green Tapestry for the lovely gift in the post, some foxgloves seeds, I'll sow them in a month or so, one of my favourite flowers.

Can we restart Spring now?

So the snow has finally gone from my garden, only yesterday though. There was a patch holding on. All round Huddersfield there are still little towers of snow. The moor roads still have big drifts where the snow plough has piled it up high.Though its gradually sinking a little bit each day.

It was a good weekend though with plenty of sunshine, and it was great to get out for some fresh air after a very stressful and long working week.

On Saturday it was a gorgeous day with proper blue skies, still a bit of a nip in the air but compared to what it has been it was balmy. It was my friend's 40th birthday celebrations and we were having afternoon tea on a canal barge at Hebden Bridge. Delicious scones with jam and cream, cucumber sandwiches and lots tea in vintage tea pots and delicate cups and saucers. Very civilised.

On Sunday the sun was streaming in through the curtains so I gave up on the lie-in and got up and out. It was a little bit warmer too. 

At the allotment, my rhubarb has survived the snow but has not grown at all since my last visit, there are some signs of green on the redcurrant.

Martin helped me finish off getting the last bits of manure on the beds.

I lured him there with a promise of a nice cup of tea and some bourbon biscuits, with our new toy for the allotment, a small gas stove to make a brew.

But unfortunately the water has been switched off on the site due to the freezing weather, I think there has been a leak and it was being fixed today. So no tea for us!! We were gasping after all our barrowing and digging. Oh well I'm sure it will get some use soon.
I've been off today and it was a bit different, much hazier and much colder again, with a biting wind but I finished off most of my digging today and have then been sowing seeds, pricking out and potting on. My christmas present has been coming in useful.

My back bedroom is starting to look like a greenhouse again. But with it so cold at nights I'm reluctant to put too many things in the plastic greenhouses outside just yet.

It seems like the garden and the allotment have been on freeze-frame for the last month. Nothing has changed. Reading my gardening magazines telling me what flowers I should be enjoying is a bit of a joke with the Snowdrops, Crocuses and Hellebores still in full bloom in my garden and the tulips, forget me nots and blossom seeming a long way off. But a bit of sunshine and more importantly some warmth and I'm sure things will start moving again. Maybe soon the scene will be transformed from this monochrome landscape to a world of Spring colour, like Dorothy walking into the land of Oz. Here's hoping it gets a move on.

Seedlings everywhere.

My house and garden is being taken over by seedlings. Today have spent the day pricking out seedlings and potting up plants. I've not stopped all day. There is no room on my desk in the back bedroom. The two three tiered greenhouses in the garden are nearly full!

At the allotment I had to water everything. There is no sign of any rain this week, what happened to all the April showers, it will probably rain all week the week after next when I am off work.

Took some pictures of some lovely trees in the area, one is a blossom tree that I go past on the way to the allotment which is two varieties in one, a double pink and a single white, it looks lovely.

In my local park is a lovely tree which has recently been planted. It has amazing catkins.

In my garden the rhododendron is in full bloom.

 The bees love it!

Spring in the garden

My garden is looking very colourful now, with the tulips coming out.

At the back of the garden under the apple tree, which creates a dappled shade, I have most of my spring flowering plants including Oriental Hellebores, Cyclamen, Primroses, Pulmonaria, Euphorbias and Azalea.

 The big rhododendron bush at the bottom of the garden is just starting to flower, has bright pink flowers which fade to pale pink. It always gives a short but spectacular display.

I also love the young leaves starting to unfurl on the Japanese Maples. I have two in the back garden, one in the sun which comes into leaf slightly earlier than the other which is slightly shaded.

 Have seen my first butterfly of the year today and there are lots of big bees out and about, one particularly enjoying the blossom on my new tree.

Another of my favourite flowers at this time of year is the Snake's Head Fritillary, I've a few coming out around the garden.

Spring has officially arrived!

It really feels like finally after a very long winter spring has arrived! It has been a dry mainly sunny week and a couple of days it has been really warm, up to 16 degrees. Warm enough to have lunch out!
The daffodils are in full bloom, there is a lovely display in a park nearby.

I've managed to get up to the allotment on two evenings this week. it was lovely being out as the sun went down on a quiet allotment with just the sounds of the blackbirds singing. Hopefully it will be even easier to go in the evenings now that the clocks have changed.
I planted my shallots 'Golden gourmet' on friday night.
Even had Martin up there digging this week.

I may have a shed for my allotment, the nursery nearby was throwing one out and one of the blokes from the allotments behind my garden rescued it from the skip and then offered it to me. It looks quite big and is very orangey wood coloured so I'll have to paint it. The tricky bit will be getting it to the allotment and putting it back together again. Martin carried a piece of it down to allotment today but its a long way to carry big bits of wood, so I think we are going to try and find someone with a van.
Was a lovely day again today so at the allotment I dug the bed where I hope to put the fruit bushes and rhubarb.

Today was the first day that there were loads of people at the allotment, met a few of my neighbours. The digging is getting easier!