20120123

More signs of life!

Hamamelis is in flower, snowdrop is opening up fully and singing in the wind. Daphne and Sarcococca are giving the whole place wonderful scent!

Narcissus ‘Bowles’s Early Sulphur’

We have this Iris on our ID list this month and were told it is called ‘Gordon’ but I looked it up and it actually looks more like ‘George’…

All is well, apart from… we are really busy with all the tasks needs to be done before the garden opens again and that is not too far at all. We will be open on weekends in February and open everyday in March. First weekend of February is now only two weeks ahead.

20120118

I’ve been having this terrible cold for some time now. That is my excuse for not updating my blog!
新年早々風邪などひいておりまして、そのおかげでブログの更新もままならなかったのです。（というのが言い訳です）

We had a couple of cold days last week and this week but now it is warmer again (10 degrees). Our priority has been the new polytunnels in arboretum area. This is because as soon as we finish building these then contractors can start getting the ground ready for the arboretum. I was not working on this project very much but today, I spent most of my day working on it – we laid weed barrier fabric and erected metal hoops.

何日か寒い日もあって霜も降りたりしていましたが、今日はまた暖かい日でした（１０度）。今日は主にポリトンネル建設に従事しました。何とか鉄の骨組みをおこすところまで終了。明日はその上にビニールを張る作業に追われる予想。

This was one day last week – so early to have crocus open! (in the Ovals)

クロッカスもう咲いちゃってる！２，３週間早いよー。

Lime tree walk looks grander (somehow) without leaves. There are snowdrops in nice crumps.

All sorts of Galanthus are flowering wonderfully in all over the garden – this is our head gardener’s

speciality (he breeds them).

ヘッドガーデナーの専門がスノードロップ（マツユキソウ）のため、庭じゅうにありとあらゆる種類のスノードロップが！（下の写真、ダブルのスノードロップは不思議な感じがします。）

… So you can find something like this – HUGE snowdrop!!

20120111

Happy New Year.

I was back at work on Monday but I am going down with a little cold I had for the last few days and taking a day off today. Hoping to get back on my feet tomorrow and it is a great shame that I seem to have missed a beautiful sunny day (rare in Devon) today.

I returned from my Christmas and New Year holiday and had a walk around in the garden as soon as I got back, on January 8, and here they are! Way, way too early!

Crocus are out all over the place and a lot of snowdrops.

Can you see, in background, Camellia is in full bloom!

A lot of plants can be damaged badly if hard frost comes now or in February... These days we never know what happens weatherwise!