Spring is nearly here....

The temperatures are moving just a little, the sun is rising earlier in the mornings and setting later in the evenings and I love it.  I have made a list of jobs that need to be done and have been slowly chipping away at them and progress is being made. 

I have finished pruning the roses and have nearly completed tying them up to the wires. I didn't want to prune them any earlier as I didn't want any new growth to be damaged in the frosts that I knew we would get after the shortest day. They are reasonably new plants and are still in the training period. I am hoping that we have a lovely display of gorgeous scented flowers this season. Most of the roses are down the driveway along the boundary fence, when we moved here there were conifers along there that were crowding out the driveway and were collecting wing mirrors. This year I have chosen new ties for securing the roses and so far I like them, they aren't as noticeable as the black stretchy ties but just disappear among the canes and foliage. Time will tell how they stand up to the weight of the canes and flowers, I don't know yet if I have used enough but I am sure that time will tell. 

I have a thing for scented plants in the garden and that is often the first thing I look for when choosing a variety in a plant. My daphne plant has flowered again and it is just lovely. I love the way that scents can transport you back in time and connect to memories.

The other plant I have been Impressed with has been stock plants, the scent from these catches me every time I walk past them in the garden. They have nearly finished flowering now, so I have cut some and put some in a vase in the living room and have been really enjoying the scent they give. There is nothing like bringing the best of the garden indoors with you.

The petunias are just starting to flower too.

We got some more plastic for the grow house yesterday, this will be my first spring with it built and I am hoping that it makes a huge difference to getting my seedlings started. At the moment it only has plastic at one end and we weren't sure if it would need it on the front, but alas it does as the outdoor heat pump unit sits opposite it and is blowing very cold air straight into it. I am also wanting to make the most of any sunshine that we have to create a lovely warm environment for my seedlings.

It is really pleasant just being outside in the fresh air and sunshine, even if it is for as long as it takes to drink your cuppa and have a walk around the garden. I can't get over how many plants are suddenly coming to life.

What have you noticed coming to life in your garden? Please feel free to share with us all.

Cheers Donna-Maree

Delicious scents....

I just love delicious scents both in my home and in my garden...

Here is the daphne bush that was in an earlier post at beginning of July - boy has it grown and the flowers are plentiful and smell delicious. It has definitely been worth the wait to see this plant flowering.

We have had several days of continual rain and wind and with the sun shining today it is a perfect opportunity to be outside letting the sunshine and fresh air invigorate everything while giving us the opportunity to take stock of how things are doing.

This hyacinth is filling the kitchen and living room with its beautiful scent. These are bulbs that I bought last year and I have done absolutely nothing to them since then apart from bring them inside when I saw that they were starting to flower.

I finally pruned our standard roses this morning, I have been looking at them and wanting to do it for a few weeks, so it is now done. I will have a tidy up in the garden beds around them and feed them. There are three standards and the one in the middle isn't doing as well as the other two, I suspect due to there being less plants around the base of that one which means that the roots are more exposed to the sun and the wind - and possibly the cats. I have some annuals that I will plant around it to give it a little more protection and see how much of a difference that makes.

Until next time - happy gardening everyone 

Donna-Maree

Daphne

Wow my daphne is flowering - I have been watching the buds as they get bigger and bigger. The smell is just glorious. I haven't had a daphne bush since we left the Waikato in 2001. I purchased the plant last winter and have been waiting patiently for it to do its thing.

Hope you are managing to stay warm and dry in our awesome winter weather. How is the planning for your spring garden going? I am starting to think about what I am wanting to plant this coming spring and summer.

Please leave a comment as I love getting your feedback.

Cheers Donna-Maree