I have been taking a very close look at the snowdrops we have in the garden and on the bank. I have found four different species and have brought an example of each into the cottage to see if I can put a name to them.  Goggle images is very useful in this area.

Great excitement on Tuesday as the Yellow Book arrived.  This, for me, really signals the start of the gardening year good and proper.  It has also been accompanied by some mild weather, which is most acceptable.  The Under Gardener is busy servicing different pieces of lawn and hedge equipment and will, with luck, soon be busy again clipping hedges and wielding the chainsaw.  We have "lost" a small tree in the woodland garden and this needs chopping down, in fact the list of things to do is just getting longer and longer. 

I have pruned the wisteria.  This is always something I do with great trepidation as I never truly believe that I am doing it correctly.  We have a wisteria tree as well and one trained up a half pergola.  The tree variety does very little of course in the summer so I am considering training a clematis through it to give a bit of interest mid summer.  What do you think

Yesterday I got out the mower and trimmed the lawn around the long boarders.  This lawn grows more than any other and was looking very scruffy.  I did it with some trepidation as it was still a bit damp but all was well and the overall effect is good.  I am working on these boarders at the moment, they are having their spring tidy and it is very exciting to see so many things coming back to life.    I am putting off the work on the bank garden as at the moment the very thought of it is making me tired!!  There is a patch of snowdrops on the bank at an angle that unless you are standing right on top of them you cannot see them at all.  I have decided to lift all of them, about 100 or so, and replant in a part of the garden where they can be seen.  At the moment they are in their full glory so that job is for another day!

I keep watching the new rose walk and they are OK, except for the three I have been concerned about they still are looking a bit grim.  Very gland I have got replacements coming.

I have been watching very closely the new roses planted in the rose walk to the kitchen garden.  VERY worried by three of the roses.  They appear to be sulking.  All the others are making healthy growth but these three, all the same variety, are just sitting there.  I have told the supplier and they are sending replacements.  Good of them I know, but this will be extra work when they arrive but at this is to be such a new feature this summer there is nothing for it but to yank out the three sulkers and re-plant.  I shall try to pot the three up just in case they decided to get over it but I am not putting any bets on it.  The grape hyacinths that I under planted the roses with are all doing very well which is pleasing but I have not decided what to plant under the roses for the summer.  I shall keep you posted!!

This month is my least favourite time of year.  It is the pause, a very damp and grey pause, before things start to move.  There is plenty to do but not a lot of will to do it.    I was scrubbing down the drive to get the algae off the tarmac.  I use a solution of hot water and bleach.  Ran it slowly over the affected part of the drive and then brushed it in quite vigorously.  I am delighted to tell you we look like we have a totally new drive.  The under gardener is also pleased as this job was hanging over him.  I say him, what hangs over him by association hangs over me!!  Well it is done and I am chuffed with the result.  Now it is time to get to work again on stripping more debris off the bank garden.  With the weather man telling us next week will be good I am hopeful of getting the new gate in so I no longer have to climb over the fence when I am working on this part of the garden.  I am getting too old to clamber over fences dragging trugs, rakes, pruning sheers etc after me. 

With the exception of the tomatoes I have resisted the temptation to start off any seeds.  I did a lot of sowing in February last year with mixed results, despite heating the greenhouse.  This year I not get started for another ten days to two weeks.  The newly sowen tomatoes are currently in the cottage keeping warm!  Both the Under gardener and I like cherry tomatoes so this year I have again done Sweet Million and Balcony Red.  These are both very good croppers.  The Sweet Million ripen first and Balcony Red goes on the longest, thus offering us a good long season of sweet tomatoes.  I have started them off again this year in Jiffy's.  Soaking them in warm water and then putting two seeds inside each now swollen little jiffy pots.  This has worked so well in the past that I shall continue this method for tomatoes but other seeds will be sown in good quality compost, when the time comes.  The only problem is I collect so many packets of seeds that as they start to germinate I am left very short of space in the greenhouse.  It is very true what they say about never having a big enough greenhouse. 

I suppose the only good thing about the snow is the dog does not get so dirty when taken for a walk!  I had to brush snow of many of the fir trees and box hedging before it did any damage.  I also now have two heaters going in the greenhouse and have delayed sowing any seeds till next week at the earliest.  I always find this time of year hangs a bit, however with the nights getting longer there are jobs to do if only I could get out there.  It is all well and good having tidy draws in the kitchen but I have things to do outside.  I have started checking the weather reports very carefully trying to find a chance to continue working on the bank garden.  I need to crack on with this as the rest of the garden will very soon be waking up and then oh boy if I am not careful it gets out of control in no time.