We seem to be having a dry but chilly winter, so as long as I’m wrapped up with scarf, hat, gloves etc I’m OK for a while in the garden. I’ve been concentrating on the raised bed by the patio. It’s about 6′ deep and about 20′ long, so it’s taking a while! It’s also 2.5 to 3′ high, so far I’ve been tidying up and weeding the area I can reach without having to climb up. It’s looking better already…
My deep wine hellebores have finally started flowering, aren’t they a beautiful colour! I bought them last year on Otley market, they’re just by the path in the Amethyst and Amber garden, so I can admire them whenever I walk the dogs!
I was checking the other hellebores near the pond and there’s lots of buds just appearing so hopefully in a few weeks it should look pretty good. I’ve just discovered this one is called Helleborus argutifolius, otherwise known as the holly leaved hellebore – that will be why it’s so prickly!!!
The mahonia down the drive is still putting on a good show, I have a love hate relationship with this one as it regularly prickles me as I walk down the drive. This one is getting rather large and straggly so I’ll be checking in my pruning book when and how to tackle it – apart from with gloves on!
In the front garden I’ve got a very pretty erysimum, the perennial wall flower. It’s a beautiful amber / rusty pink sort of colour and it’s been flowering for most of the winter, it’s definitely earning it’s keep.
Down the drive by the house I’ve also got a euphorbia wolfenii, it is a particularly dry bed as it’s under the shelter of the eaves but it seems happy there. The new fronds are looking quite statuesque.
All over the garden bulbs are starting to push their shoots up, daffodils, alliums, unidentified bulbs in pots from my mums and of course snowdrops. These are tiny ones and they are just starting to open their dainty white petals. They’re up by the pond so I keep having a peep when I walk past with the dogs.
The cold but dry weather looks set to continue next week, so hopefully I’ll get a few sessions tidying up in the garden.
thecraftycreek 
Statuesque is certainly the right word for the wonderful euphorbia. I really understand how you have love hate relationships with plants, like the mahonia. Plants that can put on a great show and work where nothing else will, but want to take over the whole garden! Mine is with the alestromeria (not sure of the spelling) that grows under the maple tree.
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Looking great ~ my hellbore is blooming too – I only have 3 of them in my garden, I want more 🙂
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I’ve decided I want more too!
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I love all the moss on your raised bed rocks. You have so much more growing and blooming in your garden. Here it is cold and snow covered for now. Soon it will melt off and it will begin again.
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The idea that you have flowers blooming boggles my mind. We have feet of snow and temps that would kill any living thing! I love those hellebores!
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Not feet of snow here, but plant killing temps for sure!
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