We’ve upped our pace a bit this week having not only spent an afternoon at the allotment but also spending some time tidying up in the garden.
One of our objectives on the allotment was to cut back the row of buddleias. These are cut back hard every year.
As well as the row of buddleias we have a couple growing elsewhere on the plot which were also cut back as was a weigela growing on the edge of our allotment.
A second task was to tackle the old strawberry bed. This bed has been waiting to be brought back into circulation. Regular readers may remember how we couldn’t do anything with this bed as the ground was rock hard and during summer large cracks developed. This year, Martyn was determined to tackle the bed before the ground dried hard and turned once more to concrete. Martyn wrote about this on his blog,
Other plants that needed cutting back were the lavenders at the plot and in the garden. The lavenders on the plot are young plants so just needed a trim. The older plants in the garden needed more severe treatment. Lavenders become very straggly if they are just left to grow but if the plant is cut back into old wood it won’t generate any new shoots. Hopefully, the garden lavender will give us another year but I have a feeling that the plants will soon need replacing.
A video of our afternoon on the allotment is posted here.
Bulbs are now popping up all over the garden. The bulbs in the pots on the patio look as though they will give us a second year of colour.
I weeded the small bed around the bird bath and trimmed the dianthus. I’ll trim the miniature roses a little later,
Crocuses in this bed are already flowering.
Clumps of snowdrops have popped up all over the garden. I always consider the first snowdrops to be the harbingers of a new gardening year.
Snowdrops aren’t the only flowers in the garden. We have a sarcococca planted in a pot on the patio, near the kitchen door, where we can enjoy the sweet perfume. The flowers are tiny and have no petals so rely on the perfume to attract pollinators. I do wonder though how many potential pollinators are about at this time of the year.
A mahonia is also flowering. Often the buds are stripped off by the birds, but this year they seem to have survived. The mahonia is another plant that uses perfume as an attractant.
Hellebores are beginning to flower. 
Martyn set up the indoor grow light and the first sowings of the season – onions and shallots – are in. The light will be switched on once the seeds begin to germinate.
There are flowers indoors too. Back in 2018, I planted some clivia seeds taken from one of our plants. I ended up with two new plants. It took about two years for the plants to produce flowers but now they flower regularly. We have a yellow clivia that I would like to propagate but the flowers never seem to set seed.
Finally some of last week’s meals that utilised our home grown vegetables.
I made a curry into which went some Crown Prince squash and onion. This was served with home made onions bhajis.
I also made a turkey and vegetable stew which used our leeks, carrots, frozen peas and frozen green beans.
That’s all for this week so until next week stay safe, stay well and stay warm.
Lovely seeing your blooms, it sure seems like spring is just around the corner. Good hearing of your progress in the allotment and garden. Yummy looking meals.xxx
Just wish it would warm up a bit, Dina
It’s nice to see your blooms. Everything is still sleeping here. And it’s been too cold and wet to do much outside. Spring will be here soon enough though!
We are seeing signs of awakening, Dave
Ooh, you’re racing ahead now! I’m hoping to see some snowdrops when we clear the wildlife plot – pretty sure I planted a few somewhere!
Your sarcococca image is pretty and the Clovis is a beautiful flower.
We’ve been down to -4 this week but hope the weekend will be a bit more inviting!
Maybe racing in fits and starts, Belinda
My snowdrops are still only three inches high! Hopefully though, the daffodils will be out by March the 1st. I wish I knew how to get rid of my buddleia. It’s now starting to disintegrate a wall.
That’s the problem with buddleias, Debbie they will grow anywhere. Flame thrower?
Blooms already. Things look so green and lush. Good luck on your strawberry bed. I love buddleia bushes, but it is too cold here. I need to find a good recipe with curry. You have inspired me.
I have loads of curry recipes, Bonnie all courtesy of the internet – try BBC Good Food