There are many things in the garden that are bringing happiness at the end of March, a greenhouse full of seedlings being one of them. I don’t think my list of sowings (under the Sowings Record tab above) is quite up to date, but all my February and March sowings have now been pricked out and are gazed fondly upon more than once every day. Each year I marvel at the amount of pleasure one tiny seed can give during its life cycle, and at the seemingly miraculous process involved. Elsewhere there is evidence of growth in every border: leaf buds breaking, bulb foliage pushing upwards and the first signs of growth from many of the herbaceous perennials. Helen the Patient Gardener invites us to share our End of Month Views with the wider garden blogging community so do pop over to her blog as well to see what’s making other gardeners happy at the moment.
Below, the first tulips are appearing in pots on the paved area, well in advance of any others, and definitely making me happy. The large concrete statue thing peeking out over the white metal chair in the middle of the picture is one of a pair of Japanese style ‘lanterns’ which are surplus to requirements and have just been listed on eBay. Although they are in 3 sections each part is very heavy so this one is not going anywhere in a hurry!
Adjacent to this is the streamside grass and the shrub border, currently bright and cheerful with a mass of Tête-à-Tête. The view from the other end also takes in a pile of timber from an old fence, awaiting cutting into firewood for a neighbour.
The woodland is full of primroses, with fritillaries just coming into bud and wood anemones thrusting themselves into the light:
The herbaceous borders, from the bothy and from ground level, looking much greener than a month ago:
The woodland edge border from both directions, with lots of native snowdrop foliage waiting to be divided, and colour from a number of hellebores which are unusually less floriferous than usual:
The three bold borders:
Winter Sunshine sweet peas in the greenhouse, growing rapidly as the days get milder:
The blue & white border and the rose garden:
The special snowdrop border, with one or two specials still flowering and a number of star hellebores, enjoying less competition than those in the woodland edge border:
And finally, making me very happy indeed, is the site of The Project, but for now that is…
Rambling in the Garden 
I love to see all the thought, care and eventually joy those trays of seedlings represent.
My goodness what a lot of space for gardening. I’m excited to see it all come alive as spring turns into summer.
Sweet peas look so much better in everyone else’s gardens. I do not even try anymore.
I love all these intimate spaces in your garden, Cathy. The semi-circular seat and the tree-house and your trellising… It is fabulous to see it all take off now, isn’t it?
You are teasing us about that project Cathy! The rest of the garden looks so healthy, and ready to burst into full life very soon!
Your garden looks like it is ready for take off. I can hardly wait to see the new project.
Your greenhouse looks bursting at the seams Cathy 🙂 I’m only about to start my serious seed sowing now although there has been much excitement about the few germinations that have already happened. The heated sand bench in the greenhouse was plugged in yesterday and I will be out there soon. Cant’ wait for the big reveal!
Oh I forgot to wish you and The Golfer a most Happy Easter from both of us xxx
Cathy the photos are magnificent. I am very glad that at last the snow and the icy wind have disappeared. Your Greenhouse is full of life of seedlings and sweet peas: It’s a wonder! In the garden the leaves sprouting, the bulbs coming out and opening their foliage and the perennial plants returning from their lethargy: I love it. The forest must be divine with primroses, fritillaries and wooden anemones. Her garden Cathy is full of plants, flowers and life everywhere: it is magnificent. It’s Project is still classified! I hope to see you soon. Happy Easter. Greetings from Margarita.
Thank you for the tour of your gardens. I can’t wait to see how it progresses through the season. I am just starting a woodland garden myself, so it was nice to see yours.
Although the rest of the garden looks like lots is happening (especially that last shot!!!) I have to admit that it is the ranks of pots in the greenhouse that I find the most exciting. I’ve had problems this year with young seedlings suffering from the cold at night, they look as if the leaves have been eaten but the stems remain, I think they just shrivel up in the cold night air. Some Zinnias I’ve sown three times and I’m covering them with propagating covers at night now.
I’m so sorry to read about some of your seedlings suffering from the cold – and that’s despite keeping your greenhouse frost free? I am certainly glad I finally decided to invest in the thermostatic fan heater, which certainly seems to have done a good job. It will make electricity bills higher but as the garden is my only big expenditure and means so much it will be worth it – and takes the uncertainty away, as I used to switch on the tubular heaters only if cold temps were forecast and if I remembered! One side of the greenhouse is bubble wrapped too – took this off yesterday. Checking all those seedlings every day brings so much joy 😊 Zinnias were sown yesterday and that is about the last of the sowing for spring unless I do some more second sowings. Hope to plant out autumn sown things in the next few days. The Project may perhaps be revealed by next weekend…
I too have a fan electric heater which does a great job. But the Zinnias needed more than frost free! I’m using the plastic propagating lids to the seed trays to keep them slighter warmer at night now- also if I’m Wong and there was a slug or snail, they are protected from that too. Our weather seems to be warming up now anyway. 20 degrees C during the day (feels warmer) and hovering around 10 degrees at night. I’ve been planting out autumn sown plants this weekend.
Had to giggle at the predictive text or typo – Wong?! 😀 I knew zinnias were temperature sensitive and have only just sown mine so it is useful to know that they definitely can’t take ‘just frost free’ temps. Hope you have enough seeds to resow. It doesn’t look as if we are due any temps below 7 degrees in the next fortnight so I think I might pack the heater away now. I too have been planting out autumn sown plants and feel so chuffed to have done it – really feels as if things are moving on. And it clears space which is always useful! Good to hear that you seem to out of ‘winter’ too