My Garden Journal 2023 March

Already I am creating the third monthly entries for this year, March, the month when the weather should be looking better and more conducive to gardening.

On the opening page I wrote, “March, according to the meteorologists we are now in spring, but as gardeners we know it is still well and truly winter. So far the weather has been cold and very dry. This type of weather however doesn’t stop us getting out into our garden.”

I show this with a set of photos of us at work.

Hebes feature on the opposite page where I wrote, “Hebes enhance our garden every day of the year, both interesting foliage and delicate looking flowers. Foliage comes in different sizes, shapes and colour from glaucous to almost black, but they are always glossy. Plants themselves vary in size and shape too, and flowers come in white plus shades of pink, purple and blue.”

The following photos show just a few of our collection.

On the next two pages are featured how we continued to develop the new outdoor dining area. and then the snow came! The large glaucous leaved bush bottom left is about 4 feet in diameter. A big, old healthy shrub!

The next double page spread features one of my sketches on the left hand page plus early flowering bulbs opposite.

Writing about working to finish our new outdoor dining area, I noted “We have just finished changing our ‘Secret Garden’ into an outdoor dining area.’

I repurposed this unwanted futon stool, making it into a planter. Jude planted a selection of herbs, giving us an herb garden right next to the table.

On the opposite page I celebrate the arrival of our first snow of the winter, and share a selection of photos taken in the cold.

Over the page we find that I wrote, “Emerging from beneath the snow this small piece of fennel dried and delicate. Drawn to actual size.”

I then looked at bulbs that were in flower, about which I wrote, “Early flowering bulbs and perennials provide food for early emerging bees of all sorts. Crocus are very important to wildlife.

On the final page of my entries for March I considered signs of wildlife in our garden. I noted that, “I am amazed at how many signs and sights of our garden wildlife we experience in cold weather. Our hedgehogs have come out from the houses we have provide for them and those they build for themselves. Poos are the most obvious sign! Birds remain busy on the feeders, and some are already nesting.

Early flowers on shrubs, bulbs and perennials are a delight for early bees.”

“The snail on the terracotta flower pot stops bees getting a chance to nest which is why it is there.”

“This sparrow terrace had a nest starting in the bottom compartment but then a swarm of Tree Bees took it over. I opened it up recently and found both nests tightly crammed in.”