It's still winter but today felt like spring.

Today has been a beautiful clear and sunny day, perfect for getting into the garden to get a few jobs done.  I sowed the next batch of sweet pea seeds, checked over ranunculus and anemones which are sprouting strongly (apart from a few mouldy anemones that smelt pretty rotten!), and watered some poppy seedlings which I had neglected and had gone a bit limp. 

The day culminated with an evening bonfire just as the sun was setting behind the trees.  A day well spent, and now we can sit back and enjoy a glass or two of wine while dinner cooks.

Valentine's Day looming

So the countdown is here, only 2 weeks to go. On a personal level, nothing is obviously ready in the garden to do any bunches to sell, but in The Flower House, where I work, madness will kick in.
So ladies ( and men!) what is your preference, roses or spring flowers?

Personally, spring always wins hands down at Valentine's (come summer, with scented garden roses, well that's another matter!).

Wedding portfolio

Here is a sneaky peak at my new wedding portfolio that I had printed into a proper bound book, I was rather pleased with the end result.

Just think what exciting pictures I will now be able to take with our new camera!

Save the roses!

Thankfully it looks as if we are going to have a break in the never ending rain! The cutting area of the garden (in fact most areas of the garden) are looking more like lakes than lawn.

Not the most exciting picture, I know, but this is what I am having to deal with at the moment. So on to Plan B, move the roses to less boggy areas and use these raised beds for annuals. I'm hoping that by the time my scabious, dill, larkspur etc are ready to be planted out, this area will have dried out. Fingers crossed.

Longing for spring ( & summer!)

I had my first day of the year gardening in the sunshine at the weekend and got a taste for what's to come.
It's still a long way off, but it is lovely to think that these

will be racing up the trellises come summer and looking more like this

I must learn to be patient!

Happy New Year

It looks as if I have already broken my New Years resolutions, as it is the 5th Jan and I'm only just writing the first blog of the year. So much for posting more blogs in 2011!!
Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year. We had a well deserved break after a very busy build up to Christmas.

The last of the christmas arrangements managed to be either collected or delivered, the Pantiles market had a second hit of snow the week before Christmas, but customers would not be beaten by the weather and walked in to town instead.

So we are now looking ahead to the new season, tidying the garden, tending to annual seedlings and sweet peas, which the mice have also tried to tend to! And planning other cut flowers and herbs that can be grown.

Roll on spring!