The bees are back in abundance

Luckily the weather hasn’t been as bad as they predicted. We didn’t have the hailstones I was worrying about this time last week.

The bees are back, with abundance! The garden is buzzing already. I saw the first hardy few, back in February.

We try and have something flowering all year long for insects. These milder winters mean we pretty much manage it.

The late flowerers last year were the Leycesteria formosa (Himalayan honeysuckle), Erysimum (perennial wallflower), the white penstemon ‘snowstorm’, Japanese anemones and most surprisingly was my white fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’ which went on & on into December.

Just a small gap before the snowdrops came out in mid-January. Followed by the crocus, hellebores, primulas and pulminarias by the very end of the month.

Into February, we had half a dozen different varieties of narcissi (daffodils). These were already in the garden when we came. As we gradually dug our way through the whole garden, I kept finding them and saving them.

We have three deciduous red leaved trees ‘Pissardii Nigra’. They lose their leaves later than other trees and gain them sooner. They produce the most beautiful pink blossom in early March and the bees love it.

Now here on the last day of March we’ve just got the cherry blossom and pear blossom opening up, due to this fabulous weather. A handful of tulips are out, the white star magnolia ‘Stellata’ is out fully and the pink magnolia liliiflora ‘Nigra’ has full fat buds, ready to burst open.

We are also able to enjoy next doors fabulous mature magnolia, above our hedge.

The most extraordinary thing this week is the earliest asparagus we’ve ever had!

We got the asparagus bed planted in 2014, the first spring after moving in. Waiting two years before we could eat it, felt like torture.

It’s always been April before we get to taste those delicious spears. We simply fry them in the tiniest amount of olive oil. I can’t tell you how good they taste when they’re that fresh.

The purple sprouting brocilli is a little disappointing at the moment as the plants are so tiny. It goes without saying that it still tastes great, but not quite enough of it!

A gorgeous pair of goldfinches turned up on our cotton lavender. I’m not really sure what they were doing, they could have been after nesting material the way they were tugging at it. Not the clearest of photos, but I didn’t dare get any closer.

As the hour went forwards last weekend, the dawn chorus is now around 6am. I’ve woken and heard it a couple of mornings. It’s certainly getting louder. I never begrudge being woken by it and love lying there listening to their singing.

Gosh I love spring!

Stay safe and happy gardening.