A month of contrasts…

February 2021

The first half of February was bitterly cold as easterly winds from Russia brought snow, frost and freezing rain. Icicles formed on honeysuckle at the back door, an inch of snow fell on the garden and two duvets were needed on the bed at night - it was bleak both inside and out.

It seemed that the gloom of winter would never end but everything suddenly changed as unusually warm weather from Africa and the Canaries arrived and temperatures soared. Hellebores, heavy with flower buds that I had feared must be frost-damaged beyond all hope of survival quickly recovered and pops of bright cyclamen flowers seemingly untroubled by their recent blanket of snow, floated above the winter debris of dry leaves and twigs yet to be cleared around them. Oh joy.

No time to waste. Gardening duties enthusiastically resumed and over four days of intense work herbaceous plants have been divided, iris’s split and re-planted, a border widened to accommodate a new shrub and the battle with weeds resumed. Removing dead material from herbaceous plants to reveal the fresh emerging foliage then tucking a mulch of rich compost around them was like welcoming good friends after time spent apart. Not surprising then that these tasks of early spring are, for me, amongst the most rewarding.

Now it seems that the mood of the country is lifting too. More and more of us have received the vaccine, lockdown is scheduled to relax and at last we can cautiously look forward to spending time with our loved ones.

The sun will shine again.