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Winter Flowers Cheer

© Gay Klok

The heavens are grey and weeping, the wind is making dramatic moaning sounds, the high hills have a thin sheet of white capping their tops and my fingers grow stiff and I have put on a woollen jumper. Yes, winter has at last arrived and I say 'at last' because it is time; time for the trees to rest, time for the grass to stop growing, time for the birds to stop breeding and time for their fledglings to leave home. It is time for us all to take a breath, put our feet up and read the catalogues as we sit by our fires. Or is it? It is more than time for the gardener to take pruners in hand so the roses and hydrangeas can have their annual haircut or will the new leaves emerge immediately and be in danger from a late frost? I had better stop sheltering in the warmth of our house and take my daily stroll around the garden. I will use pencil and paper and make notes of all the necessary 'chores'.

One hour later:

The gales have smashed down the 12/14 feet Tree Dahlia canes and they look awful. The first group of these huge Dahlia plants that I noted are growing from a cut cane we used to hold up some Asters. The cane took root several years ago and has increased to many canes and I have meant to remove them for two years now as they look all wrong in front of the border even when they stand tall and straight. The Tree Dahlia is most impressive, in the right place. "Off with their heads". For sure this year!

I started walking down the 'first' border that is the first garden we planted fourteen years ago. Some weeks ago I dug up and replanted some Louisiana Irises that were taking over the whole bed and this left some spare space and I was jolted into remembering a bag of bulbs I had ordered, through my daughter, to raise money for a preschool the granddaughters attend. I suspect the bulbs came from parents' gardens. I had put them into a shed and promptly forgotten them. I raced to get them - Oh! Dear! - The Dutch Irises [white] are already sprouting, the dark blue Dutch Irises are still dormant and so, strangely are the Crocus bulbs [maybe they are Autumn crocus] and the old-fashioned Freesias. I will plant them today and hope for the best. Better late than never.