I finally managed to do a little gardening this week, usually I like an early start to the gardening year but my neck operation put paid to that. I’m taking it gently and slowly starting the spring tidy up. It’s a big relief that my OH has taken ownership of the front garden, so I can just concentrate on the back.

This morning I spent an hour or so tidying the Autumn bed, cutting back the dead stuff, weeding and pruning where needed. Before I started it looked like this…

I pruned the rose and the three clematis, cut the old leaves from the hellebores, pruned the spirea and pulled out eryisimums that had obviously not made it through the winter…and weeded! It did look better after, just got a few dead leaves to pick up…

The old compost heap is due to be dismantled soon then I can tidy the corner up a bit.

The snow drops have been lovely this year, our patch is growing so it makes quite a show now up by the pond…

They’re looking happier since I took all the dead hosta and geranium foliage off them at the weekend. The pond area is looking a bit bleak at the moment but give it a few weeks and it will be bursting with foliage again. The pond itself is looking very green, it really needs a good clear out.

I’ve a few hellebores around the garden and they’re all giving some much needed colour. There’s a couple you can just see in the photo above behind the chicken, but there’s also some on the other side of the garden and also by the patio. The fluted one is particularly pretty, it’s been flowering since Christmas. The purple one is a gorgeous colour…

Once you get out in the garden and start to look around, there’s actually quite a bit going on, perenials are starting to push the new growth up, roses and clematis are starting to bud so they need pruning soon. Some of the early daffodils are brightening up the beds, I particularly like the little ones as they aren’t damaged by the wind so easily. There’s a few dots of pulmonaria too, I love the way they have several different shades of flower on one stem.

The summerhouse is in need of a coat of paint but it’s still my favourite place to sit and have a cup of coffee when I’m out in the garden.

You can just make out three bird boxes we’ve put up, hoping for some feathered interest, I’ve put several up around the garden all pointing in different directions to see which the birds favour. Fingers crossed we have some residents this year.