There is quite a difference in the woodland since the end of January. Most of the snowdrops are up and flowering, some have even have finished and I am waiting for just one clump to open up to the sunshine. Thank goodness the awful storms have finished for now, no more branches coming down and now there is some heat in the sun which is shining on and off most days, between the showers! Last month when I took the photographs I forgot to include the borders in the back garden that are either side of the archway into the woodland, the planting in the borders is similar to the woodland. This first one is the border to the left of the arch.
Looking back the other way.
The border on the right of the archway, looking into the woodland.
I’m now in the ditch once more, wellies are essential footwear! The very early narcissus are over but more are just coming out. The Cyclamen coum on the left are still flowering away and the patch of Cardamine pratensis, mauve flower towards the right, gets better and better each day. This is the right hand part of the woodland.
A close up of the woodland floor which has more and more flowers each day. I like the purple of the crocus in with the white of the snowdrops.
You can see the patch of Cardamine pratensis much better on this photo, half way up on the left hand side. Galanthus Little John in the foreground is now over, he was up bright and early in January. Still the right hand part, taken from the corner near the road.
The Leucojum in the foreground are much later flowering this year, they are supposed to like damp ground so they should have been very happy all winter! This is taken from the left hand end of the woodland.
From the bridge looking to the left hand side.
Snowdrop Hill at the left hand end of the woodland, sharing space with hellebores and crocus at the moment. G.Wendy’s Gold is almost in the centre.
And here she is showing all 11 flowers that she has produced this year – she is a star!
From the left hand end of the woodland looking back to the bridge and archway. In the foreground the snakeshead fritillaries are growing well, it’s too soon to fence the pheasant out, but probably next month I will have to.
Before all the snowdrops vanish, I have a lot of planting to do. These are some forget me nots that I have overwintered after digging them up from the front drive where they had seeded.
Plants of Anemone White Swan waiting to be planted in the woodland, I didn’t dare to plant them last autumn when I bought them as I couldn’t remember where all the snowdrops are.
Last autumn I sowed some seeds of honesty as I thought the woodland should have some. As with the others, I had to wait to plant until the snowdrops were showing.
Waiting in the wings is a plug tray of 72 seedlings of Digitalis alba which I sowed last autumn. Some of them are getting rather large now so I must get them planted as soon as possible.
The colour in the woodland will gradually change by next month from white to yellow when all the narcissus will be flowering. For now though I will continue to enjoy the snowdrops and crocus for a bit longer.
Thanks must go to Helen at The Patient Gardener for hosting this End of Month View, do pay her a visit and see what other gardeners are writing about in their gardens.
What a lot you have going on Pauline! Sounds like a hive of activity too with plants waiting to be planted out. Love your little ‘Wendy’s Gold’ so unusual and aptly named.Have just read your ‘About’ section and seen that you garden about half an acre in Devon, so that explains why you are ahead of us, here in Lincolnshire. My garden is a similar size but we have no woodland. Your garden looks fantastic and you are clearly a willing slave to it !!
Lovely to hear from you Jane, its always good to hear from someone new!
I can believe that we are a bit ahead of you in Lincolnshire, we tend to be warm and very wet!
Yes, I will admit to being a willing slave to the garden we have made here, there are occasions though when I feel I have created a monster, then something flowers and looks so beautiful that I love it again.
You don’t fancy drawing up a little plan of your garden, do you Pauline, so we can orientate ourselves with your woodland and Snowdrop Hill and archway borders….? I love watching the changes and progression in your woodland, and you have reminded me how struck I was with your cardamine so I have a made a note of it this time and will do something about it! Hope you get your seedlings planted out – I have some white flowered honesty which now happily seeds itself at the back of the snowdrop border and also some white foxgloves in the same position as yours! Off out to take my EOMV pictures soon…
Yes Cathy, I can draw up a plan for you, the woodland, archway borders and snowdrop hill are all in the back, between the house and the road through the village. The house has been built the wrong way round as the developer wanted to cut the woodland down(!)to form access, but the village slapped a preservation order on all the trees, thank goodness. An access road was built coming up by the farmers field next door. It looks as though the afternoon will be fine so hopefully I can make a start on my planting.
How exciting to have the trays of plants ready to go in the garden. I imagine the white foxgloves will be stunning!
I can’t promise Marian, that all 72 foxgloves will end up in the woodland, but I have plenty of other shady borders where I can plant any left over.
Your plantings look very naturalistic. The colour of the crocuses blends so well with the snow drops. It is all very harmonious. The foxgloves should fit in beautifully.
Thanks Alain, I try to keep the woodland looking as natural as possible, with most plants having white flowers. I feel that these will show up best in the shade of the woodland when all the trees have their leaves in the summer.
I like the idea of a white themed woodland, but the little ‘pops’ of colour, as with the crocuses and hellebores, looks good too. Anemone White Swan is a beauty, it’s on my must have list for all the plant fairs this year.
There will be other colours Jessica, as well as white, but I think the white will show up best when it is dark with all the leaves on the trees. I couldn’t resist Anemone White Swan, I’ll have to just try and remember where I planted Anemone sylvestris as they aren’t showing yet, must try to avoid them!
It’s bitterly cold outside today. Such a contrast to Monday when we were sat in the warm sunshine on the beach at Blackpool Sands. Still a look out at the garden does show signs of promise. My ‘February Gold’ have just come into flower. They do that every year, just scraping into the month they are named after. Lovely to see your garden transforming. 🙂
Today started of very nicely WW, but has gone downhill now and it’s blowing a gale again. We must have had a bad night last night, our next door neighbour says that one of his huge oaks has split and will have to come down, such a shame, I thought we had finished with all the storms.
Usually my February Gold don’t manage to flower until March so I’m very happy this year that they’re on time.
Your woodland is looking wonderful, I can see it gives you endless delight. White foxgloves are wonderful in a woodland setting.
Have you tried Lunaria annual variegata alba: the white flowered variegated honesty? It is worth seeking out.
Woodland spring flowers are such fun.
Thanks Chloris, I do look forward to a little wander there each day at the moment.I don’t know if all the foxgloves will end up in the woodland, but as many as possible will.
Thanks for the tip about the white flowered honesty, I will have a look for some seeds.
Those additions to your woodland will make it very colourful, I can’t wait to see the effect. Do you rate Cardamine? I have heard it mentioned several times but you are the first person I have heard growing it
Yes Helen, I do rate Cardamine, I planted it when I read that it was used by the Orange Tip butterfly to lay their eggs. When the caterpillars hatch out, they eat the leaves, so you have to be willing to have a few nibbles, but I feel that is not too high a price to pay so that we can have the butterflies in the garden during the summer. The plant goes completely dormant by summer and retreats underground. At the moment the mauve flowers look so lovely beside all the snowdrops.
Your woodland and borders are so beautifully planted Pauline, the image with the snowdrops and crocus together with the sun shining on them is perfect, thank you for sharing your perfection of February planting.
Thank you Christina, that means a lot coming from you! Spring seems to take care of itself, it’s later in the year that I need to improve the planting. It might be too dark for flowers later but I’m sure I can do something with contrasting foliage. Watch this space!
Your woodland garden is really thriving Cathy. Everything looks so fresh and vigorous. Here I’ve also noticed that there has been some heat in the sun this week 🙂 My cardamine has re-emerged now although the flowers have still to open. Have noticed lots of little holes on the leaves. Definitely not slug nibbles but something likes it.
It’s Pauline here Anna not Cathy! It’s good to hear that someone else has planted Cardamine. I think the holes in your leaves will be from the caterpillars of the Orange Tip butterfly, it is the larval food for them. I feel it is a small price to pay to have these lovely butterflies in the garden!
Lovely photos of your woodland, Pauline. I feel as though I’m wandering through it with you. The purple of the crocus is beautiful among the snowdrops. I’ve planted a few snakeshead fritillaries in my newly planted copse this year and I was concerned they may attract the pheasants, but I see they may not even grow to attract them, because some creature has already been digging them up!
I’m so glad you enjoyed your wander Wendy. How annoying that something has been digging up your fritillaries, could it be squirrels? I thought it was just when they are flowering and in bud that the pheasants find them attractive but maybe they could dig them up with their spurs!
Your woodland looks wonderful – I could imagine walking through it and enjoying the flowers. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely to hear from you Julieanne, I’m so glad you like the woodland, at the moment it is my favourite part of the garden. New flowers open each day now so a wander is essential for me to keep up with everything!
What can I say, Pauline — absolutely stunning! Your little woodland area is just so beautiful at this time of year, you’re justifiably proud of it. Soooo many snowdrops! Wow! Love the cardamine plant as well, especially if it provides food for the butterflies. I’ve heard that’s true for Cowslip as well but have never seen any Orange Tips near my plant. Perhaps I need to move it to the shady border? It’s tucked into the veg patch soil in the shade of a raised bed at the mo….
Thanks Caro, the woodland is at it’s best at the moment, later though it will be another story. It goes very quiet in the summer when all the leaves are on the trees, this is when I feel I need to improve it. Probably I will have to find more hostas, ferns, dicentras etc to make a foliage tapestry as I think it will be too dark for flowers. I hadn’t heard that Orange Tips like cowslips, they should be happy if they do, we have plenty in various borders!
I could be wrong but I bought the cowslip when I saw it because I think the label said it was the food of the Orange Tip butterfly! I do like to encourage wildlife into the garden but, so far, have only ever seen cabbage whites. Ah, just googled ‘cowslip’ and now think it could be a nectar source for Duke of Burgundy butterflies. Still all good in my book!
Caro, the female Orange Tip looks very like a small cabbage white! She has black tips instead of orange, so maybe…..!
I would love to spend some time on your garden paths! All of your snowdrops are delightful. Wendy’s Gold is worth her weight in gold, for sure! I have to tell you that I once saw a woodland filled with Digitalis alba. I have tried to recreate that vision on several occasions, with no success. But you have 72 of them and a climate that is sure to please. I can’t wait to see your garden fulfill my dreams!
Deb, I don’t know if I have room for all 72 foxgloves in the woodland, but I will plant as many as I can there, maybe with some blue/grey hostas for company. I really hope I can make your dream come true!
I’m so pleased with Wendy’s Gold, one of the bulbs had a stem with two flowers and the other 4 bulbs had 2 stems each, not bad from just 1 bulb about 4 years ago!
Great photos of another lovely part of your garden. Very fun to see snowdrops and a garden that is behaving normally. Nothing whatsoever up here.
Carolyn, I do feel for you with all your snow. I’m assuming that your little bulbs will all flower at once when your snow goes, which will look fantastic. I really hope that all our weather, no matter where we are, starts behaving properly soon.
So serene, Pauline, it must be wonderful to spend time there among all your little treasures. Our snowdrops are about to go over. Do you know Cardamine pentaphyllos? A delightful creature of the woods…
Some of Mine Annette are going over now, but thankfully I have some that flower later, so should have them for another month with a bit of luck.
No, I’ve not met Cardamine pentaphyllos yet, I must look it up, thanks for suggesting it!
Pauline, the flowers in your spring woodland garden look so vibrant, yet the overall effect feels peaceful and calm. It’s exciting to see how you have created this space and so much more in the works. Susie
Thanks Susie, I’m thinking I would like a seat in this area as I find it very calming, though it will take a bit of thinking about what sort of seat we should have. When we moved here, it was brambles and nettles between the huge trees, so the first job was to clear them, which gave me plenty of time to think about what I wanted to plant. Some plants have failed, others are doing well, but improvements could still be made!
so that’s how you do it! Too often I have accidentally and regretfully dug up bulbs – you are planful and patient, Pauline. And the result is divine.
Thanks Catmint, gardening has taught me patience! Too often in the past,I have pierced bulbs when planting, I didn’t want that to happen this time.