For a week or so now, I have wanted to tidy what we think of as the early spring bed under the magnolia tree.
The bed is home to our hellebores and snowdrops and as it is just outside of the windows at the side of the house it provides us with a cheerful picture early in the season.
I'd noticed that the hellebores were starting to form flower buds and so I needed to cut back last years foliage to let light through to the developing shoots.
The fallen magnolia leaves also lay thickly around and on top of the plants.
Saturday bucked the trend of recent gloomy weather and and I was encouraged out into the garden by a few rays of sunshine falling exactly where I needed to work.
A bag of hellebore and dry magnolia leaves later the shoots were revealed from their hiding place,
Some shoots were just beginning to push through the soil.
Others had flower buds ready formed.
Some had made good progress having pushed through where the carpet was at its thinnest.
I did clear away some leaves to reveal hidden treasure.
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The joy of new shoots pushing through the cold winter soil brings a promise like no other!
ReplyDeleteI love finding skeletal leaves and seed heads.
Get some signifies the beginning of the end doesn't it, Deborah?
DeleteNothing brings on a smile like those first hardy plants ushering in a new season.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they will really grow now with the bed tidied up.
Enjoy!
:)
I really look forward to the snowdrops in flower too, Sue
DeleteTrimming back the hellebore leaves has become one of my favourite winter jobs. It's so cheering to see those developing shoots.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to wait until there is a little bit of sunshine to enjoy too, Jessica
Deletetime for me to pop out to the garden and check my hellebores out
ReplyDeleteMay you have plenty of buds, David. :-)
DeleteSo lovely to see jobs we can do to as new life starts to peak through
ReplyDeleteHello, M and W it is good to 'meet' you :-) yes it is good to manage to get out into the garden for a change lots more to do when the weather plays ball.
DeleteNew spring comes, Sue! I like your hellebore and crocuses. I'd love to work cleaning the beds the only I can is shoveling snow.
ReplyDeleteThe bulbs are snowdrops, Nadezda but it is difficult to tell at this stage isn't it? I bet there is plenty going on in your garden under that snow.
DeleteGoing to be a mass of Hellebores in a few weeks time. How lovely. Have they seeded around in there?
ReplyDeleteThey have seeded prolifically, Annie.
DeleteYou remind me Sue that I need to get on and do mine.
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of service, Brian.
DeleteYou will have a fantastic display soon. It's so cheering seeing the hellebore flowers and bulbs coming out.xxx
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is, Dina?
DeleteThere is a real beauty in the Spring flowers pushing through the debris. Phooey to those who are too tidy!
ReplyDeleteHaving said that I do like to remove the old hellebore leaves before Christmas - although I am not too fussy about leaving some providing they are not going to hide the flowers and that they are still a healthy green and free of brown or yellow fungal disease.
There are still some small bits and pieces of leaf left on mine too, Roger. All the leaves were nice and green and fresh that I removed.
DeleteI especially like to see the snowdrops coming through.
That's exactly one of the (many) jobs I'd like to get to this week.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you manage to get it done, Jayne.
DeleteThat's really a hidden treasure! Soon pretty flowers will appears to cheer the ground!
ReplyDeleteI hope so, Malar
DeleteIt's lovely to see the new shoots poking through the soil now. I walk round the garden nearly every day to see what's new. You've reminded me that I need to cut the hellebore foliage back.
ReplyDeleteI need it to be a bit warmer so I can trim back the perennials to give the shooting bulbs space, Margaret. Not a job for the freezing cold.
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