Winter-flowering honeysuckle in bloom, winter-flowering clematis almost there.

Now the hazel catkins have opened

EDIT 5 Jan now also winter flowering honeysuckle and winter flowering clematis. Outside the garden, patches of winter heliotrope are well in flower (it's not a plant you want to encourage, attractive odour but takes over with roots like bindweed).

Thought I'd put this in here to save starting a spring flower thread prematurely, but \i saw the first celandine (pilewort) yesterday, down by the coast. The record runs (just didn't record in missing years)

First celandines 26/1/05, 6/3/06, 18/2/07, 2/3/10, 25/1/11, 1/2/12, 22/2/14, 17/2/15, 24/2/17, 24/1/18, 13/2/19 (Chi), 10/1/20

Not systematic, just where I happened to be at the time.

One single Dandelion in flower in the grass at the side of the house. Daisys are also in flower.

Geraniums in pots still have their pink flowers. Cosmos are still in bud.

Hi Caz! I've just discovered this forum and this thread, so I might well be contributing more to it.  Do you happen to know what variety your blackcurrants are?  I want to plant one or two bushes in my garden and I'm not sure which variety to get.  I love the flavour of blackcurrants, in things such as blackcurrant jam, blackcurrant and apple pie, and (if you can find it) blackcurrant ice cream.

Here we go round again! 5 crocuses flowering, two snowdrop clumps showing bloom, and the early-planted garlics have-to my surprise- put up two tender hope-shoots (from many more planted).

5 snowdrop clumps, hellebores, crocuses and a dozen or more garlic shoots. The blossom on the local mirabelles is out.

As there's not much of interest going on with regard to the weather, my thoughts have returned to gardening.  The winter-flowering jasmine has put on a good show this year, as we've hardly had any frosts which tend to kill off the flowers.  The begonias that I planted last spring are still alive, though the tops of the old flower heads got nipped by the frost when we had some last year.  There's a chance they might survive to next spring, though there's always the possibility of a late frost to do them in.

A couple of weeks ago I got out and tied up my loganberry canes because the buds were starting to burst (two months early) and if I'd left it any longer there was the possibility of damaging them as I moved the canes around.  Apart from that there's not much I can do as the ground is so sodden it isn't even possible to do any weeding.

Cyclamen -Snowdrops - Geraniums and a Hellebourous Niger (Praecox) are in flower. Tete a tete Dafs ar well in the bud and showing color.

Apricot trees are in leaf buds. Herbs have lasted out. Mint in the growing room. Parsley and Rosemary have been used a lot in the slow cooker.

A beautiful sunny day has allowed me to do the first mow of the lawn, sweep up the last of the leaves and generally tidy up the garden. Green bin is full, so needed to use a "garden bag" - which is nearly full! Feeling very satisfied. Beer fridge is full so I can keep up my fluids as needed! Managed to bake 2 loaves of bread too!
Roger

Apricot bush has buds and flowers opening out. First in 3 years.  Wild strawberries are also in flower. They are planted in a large pot.

Newly arrived patio cherry tree ' Stella ' has arrived. Plenty of buds on it so need the frost to stay away. I have  a good sheltered spot for it. 

On my front lawn I got tulips and daffodils but last two years they don't seem to flower. The leaves grow but no flowers. Perhaps time to let them go. Also the grass needs cutting but the ground is so spongy the the mower will probably just rip it up. Me shrubs are starting to sprout leaves. Really need to sort my garden the winter has trashed it. 

What a beautiful day it is here today. Although I've been doing bits and bobs in the garden for a while this feels like the first real day of gardening for me.

With preparations for a lockdown in mind I've sown a number of pots of herbs to grow indoors (should've done it sooner but never mind). I've also sown spinach, chard and lettuce. The garlic and leeks are coming along nicely and we still have plenty of chard and kale that has lasted over winter - although it is now starting to go to seed.

Bumble bees are around, the sun is shining and the birds are singing, it's been a real tonic to get out.

My activities in the garden are all about dealing with the weeds at the moment.  I've got loads of ragwort seedlings growing, a small variant of rosebay willowherb which is sprouting everywhere, the cuckoo pint has sprouted yet again (I'm having a determined campaign against it right now), dock seedlings, and I've just discovered creeping sow thistle. The bindweed and mares tail will be up soon, so thank goodness for weedkillers (glyphosate, and for the real tough ones SBK Brushwood Killer).

You could try lifting and moving the bulbs. Also, a well-drained spot is better than a muddy lawn for many spring bulbs- not fritillaria of course.

not a fan of weed killers at all. Try leaving a few in, they are easy to manage without chemicals and fantastic for wildlife which needs all the help it can get at the moment.

I've got a lovely photo of a ragwort I left at the edge of a fence last year with three Gatekeeper butterflies on it. 

Ok shall try that see how we get on. Didnt think of moving them. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-52262603/coronavirus-digging-for-therapy-amid-the-pandemic

And divide the bulbs at the same time,  overcrowding can lead to loss of flowering. But if you;ve got any spare cash this autumn, I'd say buy in new bulbs and pick varieties billed as suitable for naturalising, some hybrids lose their vigour after a while.

That's a nice piece. Hard work turning grassland to a vegetable patch! 

[quote=Rob K;1205882] Maybe a bit early but my courgette plants were taking over the windowsill so I planted two of them out yesterday. Hopefully we won't see a repeat of the frosts we had at the start of the week but I'll be keeping an eye on the forecast and get some fleece over them if it looks like turning cold again.

I've also got tomatoes and butternut squash seedlings in pots inside, and carrots, lettuce and peas sown in the raised beds. It's nice having enough time at home to do all this stuff![/quote ]

Oof! A bit risky that . I know exactly what you mean though, every window in my house is covered with trays and pots! One of the positives of lockdown is the amount of gardening I've been able to get done and because most garden centres are closed we've grown a lot from seed this year. 

I'm going to wait a bit with my courgettes - especially up here in the frozen north - but I'm thinking it might have been better to sow them a little later as they are taking up a fair bit of room. 

For what it's worth and to avoid the hassle of sowing seed, it's probably easier to buy for 45p or so, those pots of parsley you often find in supermarkets. Far far cheaper than most garden centre offerings. They are often a bit floppy but if you cut them back by a third and repot into a decent compost or even plant them in open ground they soon produce fresh growth. Otherwise parsley from seed can take an age and a half to germinate.

However for dill and basil, both are very easy to grow from seed yourself if you can find seeds nowadays. Thyme is easy from cuttings once you have a decent plant but you must keep it well trimmed so it produces fresh leaves. 

It’s taking longer each day to carry them all back and forth and they really need planting out.  I’m going to risk it with all but the chilies, keep an eye on the forecast for frost and fleece them if necessary.