Iris histrioides 'Katharine Hodgkin' enjoying some late winter and early morning sun today
Meanwhile, now that we're back (and recovering from jet lag) it's time to face the garden once again. Luckily the weather has been great this weekend. Although the temperatures are far from tropical compared to the place we just recently have been to at least it was sunny and dry this weekend, making it conducive to spend some time outdoors and in the garden.
Sun, sun, sun!
And that's what we did. To add to the lovely ambience, signs of new growth and plant activity are more noticeable, even the odd bloom here and there, with Iris histrioides 'Katharine Hodgkin' looking at its flowering best this weekend.
Another clump of Iris histrioides 'Katharine Hodgkin', peeking through the base of a Kniphofia caulescens
Despite the jet lag, we still came home mentally revived and refreshed with ideas, with that extra zest to carry on gardening and look forward to the growing season ahead. Taking advantage of that, as well as the good spring like weather we have started our spring tidy up. So lots of cutting here and there, and lots of mess to get rid off too. But it's a ritual we're used to now. It's not just spring flowering bulbs and fresh growth we associate spring with, but also huge piles of trimmings and cuttings piled up everywhere. Most of them will end up in the green recycling facility near us.
Yucca linearifolia enjoying the sun
and so is this Yucca rostrata
Not to forget this Yucca faxoniana
The Kniphofia northiae had its yearly foliage trim today. The long, wide, and razor sharp edged leaves sprawls all over by the end of winter so needs to be trimmed back every so often.
And so did this other Kniphofia northiae. Both look very odd now but growth should speed up in the next few weeks to replace most of the old foliage. We might even get a flower this year!
The Yew tree (Taxus baccata) beside the Trachycarpus fortunei in the photo above have had a major trim today. The tree is now in a better shape and is letting in more light now in that area.
No flowers from our Foxglove Tree (Paulownia tomentosa) this year. The frosts and snow early last week have zapped all of the flower buds. This tree has had a trim today, to keep the size under control as well as....
Give us a better view of this clump of Phyllostachys bambusoides, which after several years on the ground is now beginning to send out larger culms. The smaller culms from previous have been removed today too.
Several trips to the tip will be needed. If we had the space we'll compost them all...
Oops!
It's been a productive weekend, although we made a huge dent on our spring tidy up there's still loads more to do but it all adds up. It might get cold here again next weekend (hopefully it won't) but at least it's comforting to know that spring is definitely just around the corner now.Mark :-)
