GOOD GRIEF!

Just when we were enjoying some seasonable days with drizzle-love gardening in this kind of weather- they tell us it is going to be 89º tomorrow and 85º the next day! As a gardener I don't think I can take much more of this. I have spent the last few days beginning the clean up from the rain, terrible cold and even the long lasting results of the terrible hail event we had two years ago and I dread to think what this weather will bring. There is sure to be another freeze.
I might expect a little of this; paper whites in bloom, but even these are a little early for my garden.

Even a little false garlic, Nothoscordum bivalve.

and the odd grape hyacinth, Muscari starting to peak above their stringy foliage. When will I find some grape hyacinth that have more upstanding foliage?

and before the week is out the gopher plant, Euphorbia rigida, will be blooming.

and roses about to bloom. I had to put a stop to that because they need cutting back and I am not waiting any longer. Forget February 14th. It has taken me two days to cut back the roses in the birdbath circle. And I cut them back hard. Last year I didn't do a hard cut so I shouldn't have been surprised, but was, to see that many of lower branches were showing that hail damage. Now it is out and it only remains to see whether the rose will come back. If not then I will replace them with some new ones. I think they have been in there 10 years.

Bark damage caused by hail

Yes, it's a wintery scene in the English garden which doesn't get as much sun as the other gardens.

Having spent the day with the pruners I turned my attention to finishing another little job I had started at the weekend. Painting the small styrofoam cooler I was converting into yet another trough. So much easier and quicker than making the hypertufa trough and one I am starting to favor. This one was discarded by some party goer on. Dumped in a waste bin I quickly saw its potential and snapped it up. People are so wasteful. At the weekend I did the roughing up and sealing job and all that remained was to paint it, which I did this afternoon. Ever eager to get it planted I found some plants that were in need of a new home. It joins the other one I made which has a bunny ears cactus.

I have one more styrofoam trough garden to go and it's a big one. Maybe I'll get started when the temperature soars to near 90º tomorrow.