It is still very chilly out there with threats of frost.  We did have a couple of lovely mild, sunny days and it was so good to get back out in the garden.  We  chopped the pond lily in half as it was taking over the pond and we dug out half of the rush too as it was getting too big.  Just in time too as the frogs started to arrive – this year 8/3/25  I have been keeping a not over the last few years of when the first spawn appears in the pond:

22/3/18

27/2/19

05/2/20

15/3/21

18/3/22

13/3/23

19/3/24

08/3/25

The photo isn’t great but I counted about 20 frogs and can see about 8 or 9 dollops of frogspawn so am happy with that.  I haven’t spotted any newts this year yet.

There are a few splashes of colour now mainly with the hellebores, some narcissi, crocuses and viburnum.  There are a few low branches of the viburnum with lovely scented flowers that are within my reach so I can really get a nice whiff going past. There are big yellow daffodils out the front but tiny yellow narcissi out the back.  The tiny ones are the Tete-a-tetes and the clump in the raised bed are doing well, whereas the clump just a metre or so away in the border has had the flower heads eaten.

I am blaming the wood pigeons but it may actually be mice or slugs too.

The same goes for some of the crocuses flower heads  The ones in the garden are doing well, but the ones planted int the small trough on the patio have been eaten.

At least the crocus indoors came up without being eaten by anything giving some colour indoors.  I did order some ‘Gypsy girl’ and was given ‘Cream beauty’ instead which was rather annoying but they are pretty.

I had also planted some in the garden in front of my favourite stone which is covered in blotchy lichen.

Although the sun is out just now it is still bitterly cold so spring proper will be a few more weeks yet so still in my thermals for the time being.