Hobbies and Crafts

I dare say the paint pots will come out again Ann, although a lot of the house was redecorated in the Spring after the damage we had from the rain. Little one' s room will remain the same but I have a bit of an itch to have a really nice " proper " spare room again, kitchen could do with a spruce up too.

We are in Somerset at the moment, doing Christmas with eldest son this weekend, they are staying down here as daughter in law is on duty over Christmas and New Year. It is also her families' turn to see them.

There are daffodils out on the approach to town. I have seen them as early as New Years Day there but I don't remember them before Christmas before.

They flower in two or three batches and then finish just as the normal ones start to flower.

Spring is coming !!!! And it's not even Christmas.

M. :-)

Daffodils ? Wow, how lovely!

I will do a local Christmas card delivery over the next couple of days and will look out for snowdrops, which I know are early bloomers in one garden on my route.

Gwyn

Well up here in the Lake District it is a very wet misty morning and we can't see tha lake. Not a bad journey up here, heavy but moving traffic. Gwynne we saw snowdrops locally at home last week. But daffs, wow that is early Maryanna.

Not only that, we went to Dunster earlier today, just up the road from us. By the Yarn Market is a lovely pink Camellia in full flower.

Other. Gardens locally still have Geraniums and Fuschias flowering, some of mine are still out, sharing window boxes with Pansies and Primroses.

Must keep my eyes peeled for Snowdrops though !!!

M. :-)

Spring has sprung in west London.
My first daffodil is out today. :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
It is the earliest they have flowered which means they have flowered twice this year. :-S

Happy christmas to all my garden friends and may 2015 be a good year for the garden

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all those green fingered and not so green fingered GaRdeners,

Hope you all have a lovely time.

M. :-)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Sorry I've not made many contributions to the thread this year.

Lesley x

No problem Lesley, come back to us when you can :- <3

Just looked out of the window and there is one beautiful rose in bloom, though a couple of pansies that were blooming seem to have disappeared. I'm just going to investigate and see where they have gone.

A few Snowdrops are out in the front garden and I would say we have about a fortnight before the crocus will start to flower, they are well up.

The frost is so thick here it is like snow and I am just so annoyed I left my huge Chrysanthemum on the doorstep over Christmas, it really hasn't appreciated the cold weather.

All the delicate stuff that I covered with fleece a few weeks back seems to be ok.

Clear blue sky here, in Surrey, and loads of birds in the garden, someone seems to have been digging in the lawn though. :-(

Another hour or so and we will be on our own again, need to feed the last of the waifs before he goes back up to London, our daughter has settled into her new house remarkably well considering the time of year. There is a removal van up the road today, don't envy them at all, at least they got Christmas out of the way I suppose, the house was on the market over a year, I bet they are glad to be on their way at last.

Happy new year everybody.

M. :-)

Haven't really looked at the garden since we got back The only thing I can see flowering is the Mahonia.

Thought I would just bring the thread into the New Year.

Today I discovered my snowdrops are out together with some winter/spring cyclamen.
I also have hellebores in bud.

However I have a question. As part of my Christmas present my neighbour gave me two beautiful hyacinths which bloomed over the holiday period but have now finished.
They have been on my kitchen window sill but now I'm not sure what to do with them.
I will replant them outside later in the year but not sure where to keep them meanwhile. Any ideas?
Take care
Von

I think we have normally kept them in the conservatory where it is cool but frost free. Maybe the garage??

Haven't checked our helebores yet they are usually in bud early so will have a look tomorrow.

Thanks Ann.
Don't have a garage but could put in unheated greenhouse :-)

Greenhouse should be ok if you can maybe cover them with fleece or bubble wrap

Apparently we have a couple of helebores in flower and the snowdrops are pushing their was up. I was about to go and check when it chucked it down with rain.

I was feeling a bit down this morning. The weather was very cold and a bit gloomy, the car has died and is awaiting repair, there's a slight leak in a water pipe and I am full of cough and cold. :-(

As I stood looking out of the window into the garden the sun broke through and shone down on a red flowered witch hazel and I realised the flowers were all opening up. Several pansies are just coming into bloom and a big pot of Heart's Delight tulips has a lot of inch high shoots showing. Amazing how a bit of sun and a few plants can make you feel more cheerful isn't it? :-D

Yes it is lovely to see the sun Vera. Sorry to hear you were feeling down. This cough/cold virus doing the rounds is horrible, I am in my third week of the cough now, although the cold has gone. OH is in his second week, all you can hear his cough cough from one or other of us. Glad the sun shone to cheer you up.

Quite bright here today with a very wintry sky and very cold. But we are just back from the local garden centre where we bought our seed potatoes and also seven half price packs of seeds plus with the Thompson and Morgan seeds we got a free pack for every 2 packs bought so 3 free packs. Worked out that we saved £8 this morning. Every year they have a week in January when you can buy hald price seeds, so that is our French Marigolds, tomatoes, sweet peas and baby carrots bought. About all we grow from seed. So Spring must be on the way. Lovely thought. :-) :-) :-)

Vera, hope you feel batter today. <3

Still full of cough and cold but I'm not feeling so grumpy now, thank you Ann. Cancelled a hair appointment this morning though as I couldn't face that and I don't suppose the hairdresser wants me coughing and sneezing all over her. Hope it's a bit better by Saturday as we have a dinner to go to and I don't think my outfit will be improved by a shiny nose and bags under the eyes.

I have put my ground feeder thingy out this morning and am waiting to see if the robin or other small birds get to the food before the starlings do. I don't know how the starlings get in and out as the mesh on the cage is fairly small but I suppose they are quite slim birds. At least it keeps the fat old pigeons away.