Its a few days since I made an entry here - that's what happens when the school holidays coincide with our first guests of the season and a birthday party to organise!!

It will be about two weeks since I noticed the first blackthorn flowers coming into bloom. This flowering is often associated with a spell of cold weather which persists until the blackthorn petals have fallen to the ground.  Sure enough, the wind swung into the east (our cold direction) and the weather has remained chilly.  Thus arises the term 'blackthorn winter' - which in my experience holds true every year. Blackthorn is a woody shrub usually found as part of the mix of hedgerow plants.  It bears white flowers on bare stems, has strong thorns and later in the year, bears sour blue/purple fruits called sloes (from which sloe gin is made).

The only sowing  I have done so far has been in the greenhouse and I have various types of lettuce and the indoor tomato plants off to a good start.  Also growing is celeriac (this takes a long time!) and basil which has surprised me by getting started so soon - basil generally loves the warmth that only the sun can bring. On the ornamental side, I have zinnias and dahlias - both new things I have not tried before. I have also propagated the arum lily and when all these things reach the potting stage there will be a 'space issue' in the greenhouse!

The rest of the garden is starting to look as though Spring is about to arrive. Various tree buds are swelling and there will soon be blossom on the fruit trees.  We are just at the stage where the garden ceases to look desolate and begins the march to full growth and we wonder how winter can ever have happened.

Good gardening!

Susy