Sunday 16 January 2011

Is it too early for Spring?

The relatively mild temperature (today it's 11 Degrees C) seem to have convinced many plants that Spring has already arrived in the UK.

I hadn't expected to see buds on the Blueberry plants just yet, but they are already there... And some of them are opening.



Maybe the fact that these plants are growing in pots right next to the house is a contributory factor? The wall of the house probably acts as a sort of giant Storage Heater, radiating some welcome extra heat even when the air temperature is low.



It's not only the Blueberries that are early: the Narcissus and Iris bulbs around the base of my Crab Apple tree are pushing up rapidly.



As are the ones in pots...




These ones were covered by fallen leaves until today. I'm not quite sure what they are, but they look nicely "blanched"!




 I reckon that if I had planted any Snowdrops, they would probably be flowering by now! Isn't it funny how we expect that very severe weather will delay plant development, whereas it seems to have had quite the opposite effect.

The roses have also decided to start producing new shoots. This is "Sunset Boulevard":



This is the white one whose name I do not know:




Even the little Hypericum plant that appeared as a volunteer last Summer  is putting out new shoots. I'm hopeful it will go on to be a nice specimen.



Finally, not to be outdone, the raspberry canes ("Autumn Bliss") are putting up their first tentative greenery:




I hope we don't get another spell of really severe weather this Winter, but to be honest, I would be surprised if we didn't. Some of the plants pictured above might be in for a nasty shock!

9 comments:

  1. We also had around 11C today, but I didn't notice any buds or new leaves on trees and other plants.
    I hope your plants will not go through a temperature shock.

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  2. Last year our snowdrops were flowering in February maybe a bit later for us than you in the sunny south.

    Our bulbs are through too but as the blueberries are at the plot - a place that is rapidly becoming a distant memory - I can't say what is happening to them but our daphne has fat buds

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  3. Great to see some new life coming through. Hopefully we're in for a good year!

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  4. As much as I adore the tropical climate of Brisbane, I do still love the idea of such a marked difference between the seasons. We have it here, but you have to look very closely :)

    Let's go blueberry pie! Tea and pie, that would be lovely thanks Mark.

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  5. OK Ali; tea - and cucumber sandwiches (with the crusts cut off), Victoria Sandwich cake, and scones with jam and cream. Sound all right to you?

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  6. Make enough for me too, Mark!

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  7. I love seeing the garden coming to life in spring. I planted 2 blueberry bushes this past year. I've never grown them before so it's nice to see yours and see what to expect!

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  8. Hazel eats a lot Mark, don't let her to get it before me :p.

    Will the jam be blueberry and will it be served on a tiered platter?

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  9. Ali, sorry to disappoint, but the jam will definitely be Strawberry (no, cancel that: I prefer Raspberry.) Not sure about the tiered plates - they're perhaps a bit twee for my tastes. But you know me by now, I might have some up in the loft. I'll have a look!

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