Six on Saturday: Spring is out there

Tags

Anthriscus sylvestris, Barn Owl, cow parsley, February2020, Hedges, Iris reticulata, mixed variety hellebores, Narcissus 'Tete a Tete', Primula vulgaris, six on saturday, storm Dennis, Winter weather

Dorris has had to take a back seat as my free time has been given elsewhere. I began a Six for last Saturday, without finishing, some of which are here now plus one or two others which have appeared despite the incessant winds, rain and snow.

Smattering of snow Thursday

At work I and my colleagues have undertaken the task of removing a dying and in places dead, hedge of Leylandii.

Planted as a wind break the hedges were kept tightly cut. Now removed they have been replaced with Taxus baccata, Yew.

Thankfully the hedge was not wholly all Leylandii. Inter planted between Buxus, here are the Yews in their new places.   Dennis has thrown his best and worse and I am pleased to confirm that they are still standing.

Other sightings to share are the signs of Spring

Tête-à-tête with cow parsley foliage

Iris reticulata

Primroses

Hellebores

It has been disgustingly wet weather, for what now seems like forever.  Despite this I did manage a walk this week across saturated ground where I caught sight of a white bird in flight. Its flight pattern caught my eye and to my surprise I realised that it was a Barn Owl.  For several minutes my friend and I watched in awe as the owl flew, seemingly effortlessly, across the field, hunting. I have only ever seen an owl fleetingly picked out by my car headlights.  Never have I had the privilege of watching an owl in broad daylight.  Alas my phone camera could not capture the sight well.

 

These are my Six on Saturday  

Wishing you all a good weekend wherever you are.  Thanks for reading.  D.

Please now wash your hands. 

In a vase on Monday:

Tags

@themontydon, in a vase on Monday, storm Ciara, storm Dennis, supermarket flowers

Supermarket flowers

I don’t know about you but I am tired of these storms so called Ciara and Dennis blasting through. Who do they think they are, ripping our trees and flooding our ground. For people badly effected in Wales and Yorkshire I hope things ease quickly for you.

I and 323,000 other people follow Monty Don on Instagram. It must be so distressing for him to see his garden submerged and his large feature urn which we are all familiar with, smashed in the wind. How dreadful this weather is.

I would love to have some flowers for my vase to share with you and Cathy but the garden is too wet to walk on. Given the state of Montys garden I feel I should not moan, but here goes. Sections of the garden look on the face of it to be fine. I dare not walk on the lawn as my footsteps sink in the grass and puddles form.

A cheering, bright sight this morning, still windy but not raining.

The raised beds are looking happy enough

The grass is definitely growing. I would like to give it a light cut but despite appearances here, it is too wet.

The borders have standing water and I still have not been able to complete clearing the herbaceous grasses.

There are flowers out there, hellebores primroses, Iris reticulata, Viburnum bodnantense. I just can’t get to them. There’s always next week……

Enjoy the lull in the weather. Stay safe out there, wherever you are. D.