Despite the intensity of the wind accompanying Storm Doris as she visited the UK yesterday, damage in our own garden was limited to small branches and twigs, a redistribution of loose oddments and a good deal of flapping of the bubble wrap on the greenhouse exteriors. The bamboo windchimes shown above are only lying on the woodland floor because the small branch they were hanging from was detached. It all seemed strangely calm and still this morning now that Doris and her hyperactivity have moved on and I have taken the opportunity to observe and photograph foliage for a belated Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day, hosted by Christina of My Hesperides Garden.
Bulbs have continued to push their way through, with a few blooms of Tete a Tete now accompanying the green leafy spears, and tulip foliage now beginning to emerge too. The alliums will be in flower well before these though, and today I was admiring the tiny pinky-purple detail of what I believe will be Allium Christophii – I have added 30 more of these after admiring their long lasting effect in the borders last year and because they were planted fairly randomly I have not labelled them:
Giving most pleasure though are the seasonal stirrings of the herbaceous plants, re-emerging from their winter slumber and poking their familiar faces out from under the bedclothes once more:
Top row, left to right: the tiniest shoots of Primula ‘Harlow Carr hybrids’, grown from seed and last year bulking up and producing flowers from even the smallest of offsets; Echinops bannaticus ‘Blue Glow’, beloved by bees; hardy Geranium ‘Lace Time’
Middle: Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’ sprouting again from the base of its collection of dead sticks; a dark leaved and scented polemonium, its label buried under a dollop of compost; new shoots on Clematis alpina ‘Constance’ and Surprise! Surprise! some flower buds!
Bottom: leaves of Anemone coronaria (red, white or blue?), grown for Younger Daughter’s wedding flowers and replanted in the borders; distinctive feathery foliage of aconitum, this one A ‘Napellus’; equally distinctive aquilegia foliage, invariably the first to emerge.
Just as the garden stirs in this way, so does my excitement in watching it, with new discoveries each and every day. Even without blooms, the presence of new foliage heralds the changing seasons and the longer and milder days, whereas more permanent foliage has sustained the garden and the gardener over the winter months. Christina recognises the value of foliage in its own right too which is why she hosts this meme, so do look at her blog to read about foliage in her own garden and check out links to other gardens – where many other northern hemisphere gardeners will be experiencing the same promising stirrings as I am.
Rambling in the Garden 
Glad you didn’t have too much damage from the storm. Your Allium bulbs peeking up in February are a wonderful sight! My foliage: http://landscapedesignbylee.blogspot.com/2017/02/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-foliage.html#.WLCBcm8rKUk
Thank you
Oh what fun to see so much green. I am glad the storm didn’t do any major damage. Lucky you getting some rain. We need rain in the worst way.
Thanks Lisa – hope you get your rain!
You got off lightly with the storm, we were not so lucky, but no houses damaged, just roads blocked, gates damaged and a lot of men smiling this morning as they sawed and chopped the trees. Your bulbs are springing up and I agree it is a very promising time of year.
I will be interested to see our local weekly paper later in the week and see if there was any local damage other than branches
Considering you were in the epicentre you’ve escaped lightly from Doris. Can’t have been much fun to watch.
Until you said, I hadn’t realised that East Mids was the epicentre Jessica, so yes, we did get off lightly
The Harlow Carr mix is one I’ve used myself to good effect. ‘Tête á Tête’ is one of those narcissus that is offered in every outlet imaginable and yet is so adaptable and prolific, throwing out blooms of different sizes. It also flowers early to late depending when it is planted. The perfect plant.
HC is the only primula I have had any success with growing from seed – last year was their first real flowering season but even from the odd flower the previous year their were several new seedlings so they obviously know what they are doing when they seed themselves!
So wonderful to see all the new shoots sprouting everywhere, so much promise of delights to come!. I’m so glad you didn’t have much damage from Doris, we too just had small branches and twigs everywhere, not just in the woodland, we are still clearing them up.
We all held our breath while Doris was visiting. A local village hall was unlucky to have a oak tree fall on it. Walking round the garden it is amazing to see the growth from one day to the next.
It really brings home how destructive thw wind can be, doesn’t it?
Good news that ‘Doris’ didn’t do any serious damage to your garden. Strong winds are a curse, my garden suffers regularly from them, both hot and cold. Thanks for participating in GBFD this month, we are all pleased to share in each other’s excitement of the new gardening year.
On the whole our garden is moderately sheltered but I am sorry that yours suffers regularly
So lovely to see spring poking up through the garden! Your Aquilegia foliage definitely catches my eye; I always have loved their new ruffles 😉 Mine were lost to the rabbits last year, so I’m starting over this spring… I’m glad to hear you had so little storm damage!
Yes, I am especially fond of fresh aquilegia foliage too
those whorls of new leaves are as pretty as any flower and you display of crocuses is unique.
Thanks Jolanda – there is always something to excite in my garden in one way or another…
I’m so envious as we’re back to winter and a scene like this is a long ways away in my garden. So many luscious green things coming up in yours; looks lovely.
Brr! And of course we my still have more ‘winter’ to come, so I shan’t get complacent!