March in the garden

I can't believe I haven't done a garden update since December, but I suppose it's not surprising really as I've barely been out there. Partly, it's been cold and rainy and dark, and not much has been growing, and we've been focusing on the inside of the house. 

This weekend though, the sun came out, and we finally cleared a path to the front door and opened it for the first time this year (I mean, we have been out of the house in that time, we just use the back door as our main means of escape).  

The garden hasn't been quite as neglected as you might think - because it runs alongside the pavement I do pull out the odd weed or bit of litter as I'm passing to get into the car. But that's not the same as being in the garden I don't think. 

Yet again, I was impressed by these winter pansies, which have lasted since August, which is seven months now. That's pretty impressive, and they've just got more and more abundant throughout the winter. 

The ornamental cabbage have gone to seed, but I've left them for now as I think they look quite sculptural (and also I have nothing to replace them with).

Signs of spring are peeking through though. That's my only daffodil that you can see above. My mum helped me plant what felt like a thousand crocus bulbs last winter, but so far only these at the bottom of the apple tree have emerged. 

I love their delicate purple stripiness and their thin stripey leaves. 

The tulips are making progress, although no flowers yet. And other signs of spring have started to surprise me, like this hyacinth that I'd clearly shoved into a pot outside the back door after it had flowered inside last year (or even the year before). 

Some things are looking a little worse for wear. These pansies have clearly been munched - I suspect by a slug slithering past on its way to the nearby compost bin. I need to put them back outside the back door actually - they were moved when I neighbour had scaffolding round their house before Christmas and are now tucked away in the shade of the lilac, which isn't an ideal place for them. 

Every year I think I've killed the rhubarb (and the fuchsia, but I've no evidence for the contrary on that yet this year so we'll have to wait and see). However, it seems I'm wrong - rhubarb is wending its wrinkly way up through the lavender.  

Speaking of lavender... I never did get round to harvesting it at the end of last year, and it was looking rather woody and gangly. It started drizzling while I was out in the garden, but I did manage to pull the woodiest stems off this and it now looks considerably more tidy. 

So there we are - a little peek round my garden on this, the spring equinox, when the day and night are equal length and we start, slowly, to inch our way towards summer. 

How's your garden looking?