Monday, 23 April 2012

Spring is holding back

 Spring is slow this year.    Low temperatures, sunshine and showers, grass frosts etc have held everything back.      Narcissus 'cheerfulness' is a late bloomer, and has been in flower for a couple of weeks.    It is a particular favourite of mine.
 Forget me nots are out of control, but with a large garden I don't really think it matters.     Apart from that, I love their little blue faces peeping through the foliage.    Blue is such a lovely colour to have in a garden.   We all like blue, don't we??
 Dicentra loves my soil, and does so well.    I divided the plants in Spring and they are all looking healthy.    This is the mother plant given to me by a friend ten years ago.      When they reach this size, how can you not love them.
 We had an inch of rain today......I decided I was tired of being inside and gardened in the rain.     I actually loved it....I was soaked but felt so very content.    Nella was not impressed and took herself off to her blanket in the shed.    She kept coming in and out to check on me but I believe in the end, she decided the lady wasn't shifting and fell asleep.
My favourite bloom in the garden at the moment is this lovely Euphorbia Characias,    Apparently it does not like frost, and does not do well in an exposed site.  I have grown this plant for ten years, the garden is in a frost pocket and is exposed.   It just goes to show that the experts are not always right :-)
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18 comments:

  1. Rowan23 April 2012 at 12:36

    How brave of you to garden in the rain:) It isn't the rain that bothers me so much as the cold at the moment. I really would love to see a few days with blue skies and warm sunshine but it isn't looking very likely I'm afraid.

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    1. Cheryl23 April 2012 at 22:36

      HI Rowan,

      I am not brave really, on some occasions it is just nice to be out with the elements....
      We really do need this rain, but I have to agree I miss the blue skies. Rain is forecast for the rest of the week BTW.

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  2. Anonymous23 April 2012 at 13:06

    Hi Cheryl,

    Lovely photos; you're far braver than I am though by gardening in the rain. I don't mind a bit of a shower or drizzle but there's no way I'd be happy ending up drenched by the end of it!

    I've had enough of the rain now, please bring spring back!

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    1. Cheryl23 April 2012 at 22:39

      Hi Liz,

      I didn't mind at all. When I came in I had a nice warm shower and hot cup of tea :) There are so many weeds, now is the perfect time to pull them.

      Yes a bit of blue would be nice and I know you do not want to hear it but this rain is so needed. Despite the torrential downpours we are experiencing it has barely changed river levels and reservoir capacity.

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  3. John Going Gently23 April 2012 at 14:36

    cheryl
    thank you for your kind best wishes
    jx

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  4. Whispering Earth23 April 2012 at 14:53

    Well done for getting out there in the rain! I planned to today but couldn't face it in the end, a bit of a wimp I know. :) Sometimes being outdoors in the rain is a lovely feeling though isn't it.
    Funny to think a month ago I was praying for some wetter weather!
    x

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    1. Cheryl23 April 2012 at 22:46

      Hi Lucinda,

      Not a wimp at all....I am a little ecentric sometimes.
      I gardened in the rain with Gramps as a child........getting soaked was just part of the fun.
      It didn't bother me, especially as I saw all the weeds in the barrow, instead of the borders :)

      I also prayed for wetter weather, ha!
      Perhaps we should have prayed for persistant OVERNIGHT rain.......

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  5. Crystal23 April 2012 at 15:07

    I was out gardening in the rain too, and my dog wasn't too keen either. He kept going inside and watched from the doorway.

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    1. Cheryl23 April 2012 at 22:56

      Hi Crystal,

      Do you think the dogs have more sense than we do perhaps :)

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  6. Lisa at Greenbow24 April 2012 at 04:05

    I'll bet it did feel good to be out in the rain after your droughty spell. I hope you get more rain to replenish the soil and resevoirs. I love bleeding hearts. I need to get some going again. They don't like my soil much. I have a spot I could try that I haven't tried yet. Sometimes pass along plants do so much better than store bought plants. I have tried Euphorbias here before too. They haven't taken. I have a friend that lives a short 2 miles from here and she has beautiful euphorbias blooming up a storm right now. All of our spring bulbs are finished blooming. I have a dahlia peeking out of the ground about 2 inches. Poor Nella. She was probably thinking you had lost your mind being out in the rain. tee hee... Don't worry Nella you will have your work cut out for you warming Mrs. P's lap later.

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    1. Cheryl24 April 2012 at 07:19

      Hi Lisa,

      Apparently we need six weeks of solid rain to get the reservoirs etc to the level they should be at.
      They way things are going, that seems likely....it never stops raining :)

      I do so wish that you lived along the road, so that I could pass some bleeding hearts to you. I have a lovely white one also.
      Euphorbia are such statement plants. I know many people dislike them, but I have to say, I love them.
      They are unusual and most striking.....

      I think you are right with that, Nella thought I was a trifle mad. I just thought that if I did not get out, the weeds would be like triffids by the time that I did :)
      I felt so pleasantly tired in the evening and yes dear sweet Nella sat by my side, curled in a little ball.......and kept me nice and warm.

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  7. Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte25 April 2012 at 12:28

    Cheryl Your profile states you live in Kent. and I presume that's in the UK. Your blog post appears as 'cheryl...bloodspot.in' and upon researching I found that google is redirecting some blogs from India from .com to .in but you are not in India, right?Your pics are stunning. We too face a water shortage.

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    1. Cheryl29 April 2012 at 03:07

      I was in Kent the last time I looked :)

      All very strange to me, but then technology is just not my thing.....

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  8. Q25 April 2012 at 20:11

    Dear Cheryl,
    I think it is time to call the Water Dragons back! I need rain now!
    Glad you have had refreshment! I too garden in the rain sometimes.....
    Sherry

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    1. Cheryl29 April 2012 at 03:07

      Sherry,
      Please please call the water dragons back :)

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  9. BilboWaggins26 April 2012 at 00:40

    We've had very little rain compared to the rest of the country but yesterday my last hour of gardening was in the rain. Like you, I wanted to finish some planting and although I was wet & muddy it was not cold (relatively speaking).

    I was planting in the Coppice and put four Dicentra in the ground, they are a lovely plant, hope they get as big as yours :}

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    1. Cheryl29 April 2012 at 03:10

      Hi Bilbo,

      I think we are having everyone's rain at the moment. Never known it to be so prolonged in this part of the country.

      Epemediums are also perfect for coppiced woodland......you may want to think about them for next year. Of course, you may already have some.

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  10. Wendy29 April 2012 at 17:48

    So sweet of Nella to check on you while you were gardening in the rain. I hope you didn't catch cold. Your flowers look like they love the wet weather. And yes, I love forget-me-nots with their little blue faces.

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