Garden diary: April 2006

15 April 2006 - Hurrah, spring is sprung

Proper spring weather at last. As it's the Easter weekend and therefore involves some public holiday days, I assumed it would pour with rain or hailstones would descend, as that's what usually happens in these parts when lots of people are off work and desperate to enjoy themselves. But, amazingly, yesterday and today have been mild and even quite sunny.

So I've done a couple of major jobs outside, including repainting the walls inside Millennium Shed, which needs doing each spring, with it being open-fronted and therefore exposed to the elements. It's pale blue again this year. I'm pleased to say that the floor mosaic is still intact.

Also, taking advantage of the ground being fairly dry and warm at last, I've moved around some plants. This is obviously more fun than painting the shed. Ah, the joys of digging holes in your garden on a nice sunny spring day.

While I've only just dragged myself out of my winter slothfulness, the birds have been busily dashing about for weeks. I think there may already be a blackbird on a nest in the pyracantha - she was certainly building one. And a pair of dunnocks have been courting busily and excitedly chattering away to one another. They're very tame, seeming to come quite close. They're lovely birds, though their plumage isn't striking, being all brown and grey, but they have really nice markings when you see them close up. Unfortunately the photos I tried to take didn't do them justice, but they were involved in some courtship ritual at the time and I didn't want to barge in with my camera too close, in an insensitive manner, like some tedious paparazzo.

[I've just looked that up on the web to check I'd got the right spelling - and found this interesting article on the word's origins. Isn't the web great.]

There are small areas of spring flowers all over the garden now, mainly hyacinths and small narcissi. I think my favourite though is the puschkinia, pictured on the front page of this site and in a larger image. I've got a few in small pots that I can stand on the windowsill, as their delicate markings are best appreciated close up, methinks. I'm also very pleased to see that my handsome-leaved Skimmia "Kew Green" - bought last year - has at last opened the buds it's been carrying.

I hope everyone out there is having a good Easter weekend.

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