Its the end of January and for one reason and another I have hardly done any gardening this year. We were away for five weeks travelling in Laos in December which was great but while we were away lots of little admin jobs seem to stack up waiting to be done. I will do some travel blogs on Laos shortly now that I have got the list of jobs done.
Before we went away we had a concentrated tidy up of the garden. Thank goodness we did as the weather has not been great since we got back with snow, frosts and rain and even more rain! As a result there are lots of gardening jobs waiting to be done and February is going to be very busy!
This was one of the rare bits of sunshine looking across the garden and I will be honest in this photo it looks almost identical to the November EoMV. 
But looking a little closer we can see many alliums and tulips already making considerable growth.
Similarly in this bed but it also highlights the climbing roses that will need to be tamed in February. (I know it is a bit late but I am sure they will survive.)
Elsewhere spring bulbs are starting to put on a show. This bed is largely snowdrops and aconites. 
Here the snowdrops and aconites mingle with some really beautiful Cyclamens (variety not known) and an Iris Histrioides Katherine Hodgkin. This really is the essence of spring.
This bed is more designed with Yew balls under planted with Hakonechloa macra. In spring clumps of snowdrops come up to extend the interest in the bed.
Aconites and Iris Reticualata bring real colour to the spring beds.
As I said we have had some very hard frosts, -7 c at times and the Euphorbia ‘Mellifera’, a plant that has marginal hardiness in this area has not enjoyed the cold. I think it will be OK but has certainly been knocked back a bit.
Other jobs completed have been the potting up of around 80 dahlia tubers. These had been drying out in our garage but have now been potted up in potting compost and are crowding into the green house. The above photograph is from 2017 but you get the idea. Around the end of February I will start watering them and with any luck they will produce great plants for planting out around the end of May when the frosts should have finished. In addition there has been more clearing some of the dried herbaceous plants from last year.
For those of you who remember this huge Crambe Cordifolia we said at the time that although it looks spectacular it was crowding everything out and we planned to move it. Well that was one of the jobs we have done so we can cross it off the list! The roots were over 60cm but I have replanted it elsewhere and I expect it to sulk for a year and then take off again.
The five new trees of Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn Spire’ also arrived and needed planting in the area behind the high wall. This almost completes the Design Challenge I mention last year and I will do a blog on this later in the year.
| 2018 Gardening Hours | ||
| Week beginning Jan 20th | Total 2018 to-date | Average per week |
| 12 | 30 | 10 |
Given that last year we did on average 19 hours a week you can see we are well down on that!
Some of you will know that I took on the EoMV blog from Helen Johnstone last year. Helen is now back from her break from blogging and would like to take back the hosting of the EoMV which she had been doing since March 2009. So, if you would like to join in with the End of Month View please do. I suggest you add a link to your post in the comments below and also visit Helen and do the same there. Thank you for supporting the EoMV while I “baby sat” it and please come back to Glebe House Garden as often as you wish.
The first wave of aliums are looking splendid throughout the garden.
These have been in for many years and over time have multiplied to the extent we are having to reduce them despite their displays at this time of year.
These are actually killing off the Euphorbia griffithii Dixter!
nevertheless the alium flower is a thing of beauty.
And whats left of the Euphorbia griffithii Dixter is too.
This is Rosa Madame Gregoire Staechlin and is normally the first rose to flower in our garden but not this year as Rosa Old Blush China started flowering on April 8th!
Another rose in flower is Rosa Madame Alfred Carriere.
Rosa Madame Alfred Carriere is on the end wall beneath our conservatory from where we can also see a fantastic display of wisteria.
Wisteria seems to have been very successful all around the area we live in which must have been helped by the lack of hard frosts this year.
The scent from these flowers permeates into the house and is a delight.
Below the wisteria a Choisya ternata which is in also in flower.
Actually this plant has been moving itself. Originally it was planted under the steps leading up to the conservatory. It obviously decided it needed more light and over time has moved!
We have a number of hardy osteospermums in the garden. These have come through the winter well and are already putting on a good display.
However, we always have a backup by taking cutting and bringing them on in the greenhouse. 
Cerinthe major Purpurascens is not really hardy for us although sometimes they self seed and come through the winter as this one has.
but there are also replacements in the greenhouse should they not self seed.
Clematis have started flowering. This is Clematis Daniel Deronda,
and this is Clematis Guernsey Cream.
One of the first geraniums to flower is Geranium himalayense with a Potentilla Abbotswood in the background.
Deutzia x rosea Carminea a relatively new addition to the garden.
Global warming means this Euphorbia Mellifera is able to grow and do well now in our garden.
One of the climbing roses Rosa Shot Silk has started to flower.
This is a beautiful rose but does not repeat well.
It is quite amazing how little has changed over the last 9 weeks since the EoMV for August. The shadows are getting longer and we move our clocks one hour back this week end with the end of summer time so the evening really will get dark quickly. We have had no frost yet so all of the more tender plants continue to shine. Actually there are more dahlias in flower now.
The Dahlia Twyning’s After Eight has produced so many flowers despite a lack of dead heading (I had assumed that any day now the tubers would be going into store for the winter so deadheading would not be worth doing!).
Similarly Dahlia Bishop Of Llandaff and Dahlia Bishop of Auckland
Bishop of Auckland is a lovely dahlia. It has velvety, crimson, single flowers on near-black stems, in contrast with dark green-red leaves. As the flowers age the edge of the petals have an almost incandescent blue tinge.
Dahlia David Howard also continues to perform.
Looking back towards our house along the south west facing border. In places plants are looking dry and finished but the sheer number of flowers is incredible.
From the same spot looking to the south west
A sign of the days moving towards winter when Cosmos Purity gets too large and falls over but it is still flowering.
There are seed heads everywhere. Here the seed head from an Agapanthus.
And here the dried up remains of Miss Wilmott’s Ghost with very nice grasses behind. We grow these from seed but unfortunately did not record what they were!
A corner of the pergola with Eucomis in the foreground and Euphorbia mellifera in the background.
Many roses continue to flower. This is Rosa Mutablis which has now been flowering since last May. Mutablis illustrates the typical China rose trait of darkening with age, instead of fading. Single petals open sulfur yellow, changing through orange to a rich pink and finally crimson. Bright, silky flowers of all these colors will often be on display at the same time, looking as if a group of multi-colored butterflies has settled on the bush. This aspect earned Mutabilis its common name–”The Butterfly Rose”. 
Rosa Mutablis last May, six months of beautiful flowers.
Just as I was about to finish this blog there was a spectacular sunset. This photograph is taken from our conservatory (see photograph above) and is looking across the garden towards the west. The old kitchen garden garden wall (1704) can be seen on the right. Originally it would have continues across the picture, to the left, where there is an arch and rose bed.
Glebe House Garden 