End of Month Review - February 2015

Whoosh, that was February, a month not usually known for its speed but this year blink and you probably missed it.
It was cold, frosty, a little rainy and sometimes even a bit snowy.  All sort of wintery really.
I start in the driveway where the snowdrops are flowering.
I noticed the amazing catkins on this tree that is not mine, but just over the fence by the side of the big shed.  It was gleaming in the sun (tree, not shed).
The Aconite Lawn..............yes, well, the side lawn, has fewer aconites than I had hoped (I'd hoped for one).
On the plus side, there are real signs of growth now, it feels like Spring is on its way.
The Knot Garden is looking better as I have removed some of the lavender bushes that had got a bit large.  It looks simpler again and that makes me happy.
The Gravel Garden is enjoying its Spring colours from the crocii, black lily grass and primulas.  You can see the ever encroaching sea of ivy which needs some further cutting back.
Into the back garden it all looks quite cold and wet, but I have things to focus on at the moment so I barely notice this.
In the Conservatory Border I focus on the newly emerged irises, one of my favorite plants.
I am also watching this Geranium palmatum to check it is getting through the winter ok.  It seems a tough plant as it had survived two winters now.  I keep hoping it might self-seed a little but no luck as yet.
In the Courtyard currently this camellia is the center of attention, I'm watching the buds swell and get ready to open.
Natasha and Elsie have some new Easton Walled Garden snowdrops to keep them company.
and I've popped a couple of sempervivum into a hole in a stone in the Pond Border, well why not I thought.
In the Woodland Border this eurphorbia is my center of attention and it is turning out to be one of the best performing plants I have ever grown.  It really is doing something every week of the year.
In the Tree Lupin Border I am focussing on the Prunus Ben chidori which is thinking hard about flowering but not quite yet.
Back to the Pond Border and these sedum are providing wonderful structure and color.
The Prairie Borders provide a blonde pause.
The Illicium simonsii in the Wild Garden is growing really well, every year it gets more established and earns its place as one of the few evergreen shrubs I allow.
and the Edgeworthia is still alive (does happy #edgeworthiawatch dance).
Whilst I am wandering around the garden his gingerness as ever demands my attention.
Yet whilst I am concentrating on individual plants, in the Wild Garden the snowdrops are flowering well and now forming definite clumps.  This makes me happy and reminds me I need to buy another 200.
and in the greenhouse under the covers the plants are getting through the winter.
Finally there is, as ever, the pond.  Currently not frozen and waiting for its first frogspawn, it is only a matter of time now.
Thanks as ever to Helen for hosting this meme.