The First Signs of Life: Spring is almost here!

The First Signs of Life: Spring is almost here!

For most gardeners, winter is spent longingly gazing out the window, wishing for warmer days that can be spent in the garden. Whilst there’s many indoor and outdoor jobs that can be completed in the winter months, it’s a time of year that certainly drags on while we wait for the first signs of spring.

But that time is finally here! The sun is shining, and our gardens are slowly waking up. Here’s what’s coming to life in my garden.

In my pots:

I spied some brightly coloured buds on my peonies (this is Karl Rosenfield from the March 22 TRPG subscription box).

Next, the bulb lasagne I created back in November has shot to life! This pot has three types of bulbs – tulip ‘Copper Image’, daffodil ‘Salome’ and iris reticulate ‘Frozen Plant’. I cannot wait to see this in full bloom!

Next up, in this gorgeous terracotta pot, I planted the Tulip ‘Bakerii Lilac’ from the October 22 TRPG subscription box and topped them with some Cyclamen. Unfortunately, the bedding plants didn’t survive the incredibly harsh frosts we had in December, but I can see the tulips poking through!

In my hanging baskets, I decided to experiment with a few extra bulbs I had lying around. In these two baskets, I potted up a combination of iris reticulata ‘Pauline’, crocus ‘large flowering mix’ and the remaining tulip ‘Bakerii Lilac’. I then topped them with some violas. Whilst I can’t see any bulbs poking through yet, I did plant these quite late in the season and they are an experiment after all!

In my borders:

Roses, roses, beautiful roses! This rose is fairly young, only two years old but it provided a flush of stunning blooms last summer and I cannot wait for more this year! I was very excited to see buds on the plant:

Lining the front of this border, we have forget-me-nots – I was worried these would be completely taken out by the frosts, but they’re hanging in there!

I bought these alliums in a pot reduced to clear from a local nursery last year but unfortunately, they died down and didn’t flower so I was very happy to see the shoots poking through the soil on my walk around the garden! I also planted some fresh allium bulbs from TRPG in December and I’m looking forward to seeing them in summer.

And check out this gorgeous foxglove. I planted this out as a tiny little seeding and I’m so happy to see how it’s grown! This is my first year growing foxgloves so I can’t wait to see this in bloom.

And finally, in my front border, this has to be the bulb I am most excited about; Replete Daffodils! They’re only just poking through, but I know these will look absolutely stunning:

In my cold frame:

I’m so pleased with how my autumn seeds have grown! Here we’ve got larkspur, orlaya grandiflora and eryngium!

And that’s it! I’m really happy with how my garden is looking at the moment – there are of course lots of jobs to do – cutting back and tidying up etc., but seeing all the new growth really lifts my spirit!

Here’s to our best gardens yet!