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... a Millipede's million feet disappearing underground.

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LESSER CELANDINE

Lesser Celandine, a native wildflower or a weed?



Whatever, it spreads like wildfire in my garden!

Looking less intense on a bank in semi-shade, this native wildflower mingles well with the Deadnettle plant, both having complementing white blotch marks on their leaves.

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Looking more intense on a rockery in full sun, this weed will put itself right where you don't want it!

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BLUE WITH A HINT OF BLACK

Above, the peachy pink buds of the Amelanchier tree, against sunny blue sky.



The purply, pinky blue of the Pulmonaria, in dappled shade.



And a hint of black.

Mr Blackbird taking a rest from his duties in the nest, amongst branches of the Hazel tree.

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THE COMMA BUTTERFLY

It is said the male Comma butterfly is territorial. This one kept flitting backwards, forwards, sideways and upwards to the same spot on the wall!

I wonder if you are as fascinated with their brightness of orange as I am?

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photo - The RSPB

MAGPIES AND THE WINNER OF MY GIVEAWAY

Sal from Sals Snippets, it's you!

Yes, you guessed it, the nuisance factor in my garden, is Magpies!

Like any clever thief, as soon as your backs turned, will come in and steal what's yours, or in this case the Robins!

Thanks to everyone who had a guess.

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WINTER AND SPRING, AND SUMMER!

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Lilac buds above.

But a little while a go

All the ground was white with snow

Trees and shrubs were dry and bare

Not a sign of life was there.

Now the buds and leaves are seen

Now the fields are fresh and green

Pretty birds are on the wing

With a merry song they sing.

There's new life in everything

How I love the pleasant Spring!

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Today, clocks in the UK move forward an hour.

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Which means one hours less sleep, but longer days and more time in the garden. I know which I'd rather have!

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SUNLIGHT AND SHADOWS

It's been a sunshiny and shadowy kind of morning in my garden.

I can only think of one benefit of inheriting 1970's style concrete slabs, and that is the great shadows that cast upon them in sunlight.

Achillea seadhead above.



After upturning and brushing out the wooden planters in readiness for the new season ahead, this poor Housespider's life has now literally been turned upside-down.

I do hope it doesn't try to seek refuge indoors!



A white feather blows gently along in the breeze, but manages to sit still just for a second, long enough for me to take a snap.



A shadow of Ornamental Sedge in high contrast.

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A WINTER STAR PERFORMER

The admirable Clematis Cirrhosa.

From November to April the Winter Clematis flowers flat-out, the month of March being no exception.

I have five well-established plants trailing over a wooden structure which separates the utility area from the main garden, three being var. Balearica, Wisley Cream and Freckles!

The South East has seen a hard winter this year, and the coldest on record for three decades. I am seeing a show of flowers on the Clematis more spectacular than ever.

Great for Bumblebees! The few who dare to 'brave it' in the coldest and darkest of months, can be seen buzzing around Clematis Cirrhosa in search of nectar.

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photo - The RSPB

ROBINS AND A MYSTERY SOLVED

If you've popped over to Flighty's blog lately you would have met the friendly pair of Robins who share his plot. Flighty has taken some great photos of his two.

As like mine, most gardens will have a resident Robin, but however hard I try, he/she just keeps giving me the runaround. I only have to pick up the camera and it's off!

I decided to buy a tub of mealworms, to encourage him/her to come just that little bit closer. So much for my efforts with these tasty treats, it's not the Robin who is helping itself to my moreish mealworms?



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The thieves have been caught red-handed. The evidence, or lack of, is there to be seen, and Re it was no ferret!
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Just for fun, would you like to guess who/what has been treating itself to these wriggly wrigglers? Entries from overseas welcome too.

The first comment to guess whodunnit correctly, will receive a set of nine pretty floral notecards, which include the ones pictured above.

Lovely, creative images to give inspiration for the gardening year ahead.

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... Moments from Suburbia thought she was coming over to my blog to see something nice, and all she got for her trouble was mealworms!

I'm nice most of the time!

These purple crocuses are just for you.

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MEALWORMS

Something's taking the mealworms, and I'm not sure it's the Robin?

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CROCUSES

A kind voice calls, 'come little ones', 'tis time to wake from sleeping
And out of bed without a word, the drowsy folk come creeping
And soon above the chilly earth, their tiny heads are peeping.

They bravely face the wind of March, its bite and bluster scorning
Like little soldiers, till oh joy, with scarce a word of warning
The crocuses slip off their caps, and give us gay good morning.

Anna M Platt

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MAKING WILDFLOWER MEADOWS

I buy lots of second-hand gardening books.

Making Wildflower Meadows by Pam Lewis, who gardens at Sticky Wicket in Dorset, just happens to be the latest, and found in a Scope charity shop for a £1.

I know I shall enjoy turning over the pages of information, photos and illustrations.

I recommend you go see the beautiful meadow gardens at Great Dixter in East Sussex, the home of the late (and in my eyes great) Christopher Lloyd.

One day I shall turn a little patch of my garden over to meadow.

Now that's a lovely thought!

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BLUE

On a cold morning, in the warmth of the sun, branches in my garden took on a silvery glow.



Hawthorn.



Hazel.



Rose-hips.



Amelanchier.



A brisk North-Easterly wind.

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HYACINTHS

Doesn't everyone love the smell of a hyacinth? I do, and my favourites are of the blue variety.



Back in September, after buying a few plants from a catalogue, I acquired a free bag of bulbs, and back in October I placed three on the top of old jam-jars, filled almost to the rim with water.

From this ...



... to this.

I lost one to rot, but the remaining two are now in flower, and smell bloomin' lovely.

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SNOWDROPS

I'd like to think, that long ago,
There fell to earth, some flakes of snow
Which loved this cold, grey world of ours
So much, they stayed as snowdrop flowers.

Mary Vivian

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... yellow Mahonia fills the air with a sweet scent of Honeysuckle.

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LEAVES

Then in the Winter they come flying down
Light as a breath, and crisp, and brown ...

I know I probably shouldn't, but I leave fallen leaves amongst the borders.

I know it's a hiding place for slugs, but it makes a great backdrop for up and coming snowdrops and hellebores, and creeping ivy.

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PRIMROSES AND BARGAIN BUYS

It's already the middle of February and this is the first post on my blog for 2010!

What with recovering from an operation in September (all heavy duties in the garden off limits), constantly tired with working my day job, and our five week trip to Australia with Christmas inbetween, my garden at present is no Eden, be sure of that!



To put to rights, I've made a start in buying these lovely primroses after a quick visit to a local Wyevale garden centre yesterday. They are now planted up, and should do a very good job of brightening up a dull space around the front.

I had just enough time to pick up a large Tubtrug, half price at £3.99. They come in really useful for all sorts of jobs around the garden. For mixing compost, carrying water, cutting and deadheading, potting up, as planters, the list of uses is endless.

Failing miserably to make a swift exit before doing any more damage to my purse, I spotted and consequently bought a pair of woollen Thinsulate gloves, also half price at £2.99. I do find wearing gloves in the garden restrictive but these are fingerless, and today they came in really handy for keeping my hands all toasty and warm.

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CHRISTMAS WISHES

... to one and all, who visit This is my Patch.

Happy new year too, and hope to see you all again in 2010.

Louise x

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WEATHER

Each of us makes his own weather, determines the colour of the skies in the emotional universe which he inhabits - Fulton J Sheen
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... the afternoon light shining through the skeletal remains of oriental poppyheads.
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FORM AND TEXTURE IN NATURE

Texture - a structure of interwoven fibres or other elements.

A Speckled Wood butterfly.

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water - important for any individual living thing.



berries - important to encourage birds and wildlife into the garden.


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Flowers, leaves and berries of the Hypericum.

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ALLIUM SCHUBERTII

Shows a spectacular firework burst of flowers in June,



and dramatic seedheads later in the year.

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NASTURTIUM

The nasturtiums are continuing to romp away happily, doing me a great favour this year by covering up two heaps of compost I plan to move in the Spring. These are the climbing variety, and their growth spreads further than most varieties of Nasturtium. Originally seeds potted up by me, they continue to self-seed in situ every year.

It looks like these plants have survived being decimated by the Small/Large White butterfly, but will be knocked back by our first frosts.

Wikipedia says, Nasturtium comes from the Latin nasus tortus, meaning twisted nose, in reference to the effect on the nasal passages of eating the plants.

It's amazing the funny facts you learn when you have a blog!

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... just how blue, Salvia looks at this time of year.

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COMMON TOAD

The other morning after a heavy downpour I didn't see it, but I certainly heard a toad in the damp undergrowth.

The photo above was taken back in July when I inadvertently disturbed this rather grumpy looking warty one, which was nestling right in the middle of the Giant Scabious which I was giving a cutback.

I can't help but think its skin reminds me of a well-toasted pitta bread!

Toads spend much of the year on dry land, so I hope it managed to find another safe place to shelter in the garden, with a rich foodsource, ie slugs, insects and worms.

Did you see the tumbling Venezuelan Pebble Toad on the BBC programme Life. Click here if you didn't, but we warned the clip also contains a toad-eating tarantula!

It's amazing, and really quite amusing, and remarkably no toad was hurt in the making of the film!

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