Another very cold and frosty morning in Cheltenham. Not a lot of activity at the moment other than rose pruning when the day warms up and assessing jobs to be done when February comes around. February is my weed/feed/mulch month and I am itching to get started.
These Chaenomeles japonica fruits are hanging on before they finally wither and drop off. In my garden, nothing seems to eat them. I have tried putting them out on the lawn for blackbirds, pigeons and other fruit eating birds but they are always ignored. Strange when you consider they are perfectly edible and apparently make good quince jelly.
Lots of fat buds on the Photinia fraserii ‘Red Robin’ bushes promising a good flush of red tips in April
The purple Honesty has almost shed all it’s mother of pearl seed discs, just leaving their ghostly outline. I am hoping for a good show next year if they decide to germinate. It is one of those plants that only seems happy if it decides where to grow itself. This one arrived by chance from the adjoining hedgerow where it revels in the poor soil and total lack of maintenance.
Even too cold for the snowdrops this morning and I don’t blame them. It was -5°C at 8am.. They will perk up once the sun warms them.
Such a beautiful clear blue sky silhouetting the birches. They had their annual trim this week to keep them looking good.
The prunings make good plant supports too!
Have a great weekend
David
Davids Garden Diary 
I do love birches, I think they are my favourite winter tree. Fingers crossed for your honesty seedlings. Have a great week.
Very pretty photo of the frost on the bunch grass. It’s cold here too and like you, I’m itching to get out and do some garden tasks. Lovely to use those birch prunings as plant supports.
Hi Lisa. The grass is Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ but it is usually known here by the common name of Black Lily Turf for some odd reason, particularly as it is in the Asparagaceae family! Another hard frost last night so no gardening again today!
Good to see Honesty get a mention. We’ve got them in purple and white running along the base of a boundary hedge and, after nearly forty years, they still produce every Spring. How they manage to perform, living on total neglect as they do, I’ve no idea but long may it continue!
I find Honesty a strange plant. It’s a bit like a cat, it will only do what it wants to do! I have tried to grow it several times over the years without success so now, when a plant arrives unexpectedly, I cherish it and leave it alone hoping it will decide to stay and seed about. I envy people who have a lot of it in their gardens. I have a friend with the variegated one which she grew from seed! Odd how it survives in the most inhospitable places!
I love the photo of the birches with a touch of winter sunlight on them. Beautiful!
Thanks Jane. They do look good in winter against a clear blue sky, their pure white trunks and branches gleaming in the sunshine.
Like you this is pruning time, and I like as well to keep as many twigs to use later on in the garden. You reminded me that I am still waiting on my delivery of mulch. much chase the fellows up!
I like the sound of your mulching, weeding and feeding month. It sounds like you would be all set for the year ahead.
Thanks for your snowdrop pictures. Well, minus 5C is not really cold. Our snowdrops survived minus 8C easily. We are of Scandinavian origin and such light frosts above minus ten were never a problem for the snowdrops there.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂