March 2024

 In February we had about  80 mm rain (compared with only 10 mm in February 2023).

This March about 50mm rain (roughly the same as in 2023).

But the ground is so wet, occasionally a dry day so we can just manage to give the grass its first high cut, before the rain come again.

This wet clay soil is very hard to weed without removing great clods of soil with the weed and getting gloved fingers clogged with wet clay. So the weeds are flourishing!

The soil is too cold and wet to plant out new but established plants are doing well.

The herbaceous perennials are appearing though the soil and everything is greening up, a sure sign of spring.

Anemone blanda in the "wild " area of the lawn is lovely with various shades of blue from almost white to deep blue. These are now joined by the cow slips, Snakes head fritillary and green stalks of the Camissia, which will come into flower later in May.

Other splashes of colour are appearing daily

Narcissus bulbocodium  "Arctic Bells"

                            Daphne mezereum rubra, the flowers come first then, the foliage

                                            Hellebore are still going strong, this lovely white one.

                                                    Trillium kurabayashii, a weird and wonderful plant

...and we are still harvesting the wonderful purple sprouting broccoli.