The first half of February saw some cold mornings with
temperatures dropping below zero and the ground frozen solid. It is mornings
like these that bring the birds into our gardens looking for food and I for one
am always happy to oblige and put food out. One particular morning I counted nine blackbirds waiting just
outside the kitchen window where I had been leaving the food. Now I know that
robins are very territorial birds, but blackbirds! There was one in particular
that kept standing guard over the food and whoa by tide any other bird that
came near as it would soon see them off. One of the funniest things I have ever
seen is a blackbird running round the garden chasing another blackbird,
literally!
The last few weeks of February have been a lot milder,
although at the time of writing this I am told that wintry showers are expected.
The milder temperatures have awoken the winter flowering plants and the likes
of snowdrops and hellebores come into their own. It’s a good time of year to
get out and about and visit some spring gardens and get some ideas.
It also the right
time of year when deciduous shrubs can be moved and mature clumps of perennials
can be lifted and divided. There isn’t really much maintenance work in my own
garden at present as its fairly new, but I do need to relocate a couple of
shrubs, which with hindsight were planted in the wrong place. I also need to
reduce the height of the deciduous hedge in the next few weeks as the sap is
rising and it won’t be long before the birds start nesting again.
Indoors I have managed to sow seeds for the tomatoes and
peppers which will be grown in the greenhouse this summer. They need a long
growing season so it is best to get these started as early as possible.
However, if growing these outside it is always best to delay the sowing time
until at least late March. This for me is where the fun begins, as March is the
time when the majority of flower and vegetable seeds can be sown and is really
the start of my gardening year.
