Thursday 12 February 2015

In Need of my Spring Fix

The weather seems to have subtly changed here in East Lancashire. It is still cold, but finally all the snow is melted and there have been no frosts for a few days now. When this happens I find my mind turning towards Spring time and all that joy to come. I love seeing the first snowdrops, which are nodding their white heads in my garden now.



My small narcissus are  growing nicely too although my daffodils are yet to appear.



At this point I would usually be reaching for the compost and seed packets, desperate to get growing things, but I am forcing myself to wait this year as I am always too early. I have decided that the first week of March will be my first planting, desperate though I am. For someone who isn't interested in gardening this itching to start planting must seem like a strange desire, but anyone who has grown plants from seeds knows that this is one of the most exciting times of the gardening year.

I have given into my planting fix by buying an azalea which is going to go in a pot. One afternoon I was sitting in my arbour with a cuppa looking at the garden from a different angle and I realised I was misssing a trick. At one end of my deck is a lovely azalea that has rich purple flowers when they come and on the other side of the deck was nothing. I thought a pair would look nice at opposite ends. I am not usually one for symmetry but this appealed to my gardening eye. The other factor was that it is in a very pretty pot that I got for free from freecycle and I had another one exactly the same with nothing in it currently so they really will be symmetrical. Just to mix it up I got one with pink flowers though instead. It is currently residing in my greenhouse awaiting potting up - this afternoons job so photos will follow.


Has anyone else given in to the planting temptation?

7 comments:

  1. I have learnt not to get my fix too early. I tend not to start tomatoes off until almost the end of March as we still get the occasional frost early May when earlier sowing's need to go outside. We have no greenhouse so have to wait!
    How is your teaching going?

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  2. I'm starting to get itchy fingers too but so far have only bought a few packets of sweet pea seeds. There's still plenty of time though - there's no point in starting now as we may still have another cold snap. Things soon catch up when it starts getting warmer.

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  3. Even as a novice I'm getting the itch to dirty my fingers, so much that I want to get on with in my budding wildlife garden. The first of many bulbs planted last year are finally now pushing through, though there is not a sign of the Snowdrops I put in, just have to try again I guess.
    John

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  4. I know, I know. It's' such a hard temptation to resist! I'm scratching the itch by chitting potatoes but it's not nearly as exciting.

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  5. I have bought compost and seeds and like you can't wait to get going. I must restrain myself :)
    Twiggy

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  6. I am having gardening itch all year round! A few days of rain with me indoors and I have cabin fever, aching to get out in the garden again. I haven’t sowed anything yet but will start soon, the weather is fine down here in London for hardy seeds but there is nothing to gain from sowing until first week of March anyway. Good luck with all your projects :-)

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  7. I moved house 6 months ago, so am enjoying seeing what's appearing in the garden AND there's a greenhouse, my first ever. Yesterday I went out and bought seed compost, seed trays, propagator lids, pots, seeds, corms, . . . . . actually I broke the bank by a long way! Now I wait for the rains to go away so I can potter back and forth, learning as I go.

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