A New Year but a Slow Start

A combination of factors has kept me from recording any changes in the garden since 2018 began. They comprised a brief winter break in Mexico, followed by a bad head cold that kept me indoors, followed by snow that buried much of the backyard.

Only my little metal cat seemed to shrug it off.

  The snow is still around, but in spite of it, the usual harbingers of spring are showing their determination to bloom. I covered most of the hellebores during the nights that the temperature dropped below 0ºC, but when I uncovered them today, several had blooms already pushing at their prison walls.

Frilly Kitty

 Peppermint Ice

Rachel

Cherry Blossom

The stems of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation were smothered by the snow, but as it begins to melt they are struggling to stand upright once again.

Some of the crocus are doing the same.

Gipsy Girl

Firefly

Cyclamen coum along the side of the house also got flattened and is having a harder time to getting up again.

 My Daphne has some broken twigs, but most of the other woody plants held up well under their burden. Skimmia 'Magic Marlot' even looked extra pretty.