Another week gone by, this time a very cold week with lots of frost each night. The garden has dried out a bit, but the lawn is still very soft to walk on. Most of the flowers that I showed you last week have survived the frost, just the camellias that aren’t looking too happy. I don’t know if I didn’t look properly last Saturday, but the first photo is of a flower that I saw last Sunday when walking round the woodland, was it out last Saturday or did it open overnight?
Summer snowflake, Leucojum aestivum, has decided to flower in January, I think it should be renamed Winter snowflake! I have 4 clumps of these flowers and each clump has one flower showing. No sign so far of the Spring snowflake, Leucojum vernum, not even the leaves that I can see.
Yes, we actually had a sprinkling of snow overnight during the week, I think it was Tuesday night, just a very light sprinkling. It looked rather nice when I came down in the morning but soon went when the sun got up.
My robin has taken to following me around when I’m outside, he/she knows that I have sunflower hearts in my coat pocket!
More snowdrops opening all the time, here are Ivy Cottage Corporal in the front, Hobsons Choice in the middle and Anglesey Abbey at the back. I have made a start on raking the leaves up, but some days it is just too cold, fingers and toes are soon frozen and I retreat back inside where it is nice and warm!
G. Lapwing in front with Diggory behind, Diggory hasn’t yet puffed himself up to his more familiar shape.
A dark red Camellia that is thinking about opening, but if it has any sense it will wait a while as it is going to go colder after this weekend with maybe more frost and snow.
Those are my six for this week, it remains to be seen whether we will get snow over Tuesday night into Wednesday, or will it go to France instead! Hopefully I’ll get more leaves raked up in the woodland today, the snowdrops are coming up faster than I can clear up and I must have it done and mulched by February 8th when the ladies will be coming again! Thanks once more to Jim at Garden Ruminations for hosting.
Snow is forecast for Wednesday here during the day, in the north of France and the south of the UK. It can still change…
Anyway, we may have more than the little sprinkle that you showed us and that we also had this week. Very nice photo of the robin and my camellia buds are at approximately the same stage.
The forecasters don’t seem too sure about the coming snow Fred, I think you might get more than me! I have quite a few camellias almost flowering, I think they will stay with their buds tightly furled if they have any sense and wait for it to get a bit warmer!
I love the photo of your feathered gardening companion.
It’s lovely to have company while gardening Graeme, he’s never far away singing to me, telling me to find a worm or two!
I love it when the snowdrops start to flower, and you do have some lovely ones.
They start the new gardening year for me Noelle, building up to a climax in mid February before finally finishing in March.
The robin is such an interesting bird. He looks much different than our American robin.
The robins follow gardeners round Topdock, knowing that when they turn the soil over or rake leaves away, lots of fat wriggly things will be exposed for the robin to eat, they have us well trained!
I love the snowdrops but the robin’s my favourite, he almost makes it worth the cold fingers and toes if he’s your companion when you’re outside:-)
I don’t have to wait long for him to join me Helen, he knows he’ll have a good feed when I’ve been raking the leaves up in the woodland.
I agree Pauline, the Summer Snowflake might need a name change! Your snowdrops seem to be doing well even where leaves remain on the ground. Hope the weather improve soon.
The Summer snowflake has certainly got its timing wrong Denise, definitely shouldn’t be out now! We are now having a couple of not warmer, but less cold days, before more arctic weather comes down on Tuesday, we will have to see what happens overnight when it meets warm weather coming from the south, could be interesting! Stay warm in all your snow!
Yes, doing jobs in short bursts is needed when it gets to a certain temperature, as there is a limit to the number of clothes you can put in! It has been colder in the south than here, Pauline, but we are certainly due cold nights this coming week! Lovely to see what’s blooming in your garden – and I need to go out later to see if there is any sign of my leucojum emerging!
Even with gloves and thick socks the frost gets through to fingers and toes Cathy, there has been no let up yet in the lack of temperature, it will be interesting to see what happens tonight and tomorrow!
It’s been the same story here, go outside and think about work but then return to the house because it’s too wet or chilly. Next week it will actually be cold, so I won’t even need any other excuses!
It’s encouraging to see the snowdrops coming. Ours were trying but it’s much too early, so I’m glad the weather change has come along to slow them down.
I keep thinking I must get out and do some work Frank, but a temperature of just +2C is too cold for me! I haven’t even ventured into the woodland to see how the snowdrops are coming on, they are probably all collapsed on the ground!
Love your robin. Lovely blooms too. Clearing leaves certainly takes forever!xxx
Thanks Dina, I’m enjoying all the lovely flowers. I think my robin now has a mate, there are 2 that come to the feeder and they seem very happy with each other,x