February has been quite kind this year, although temperatures have still been below zero on many occasions. Although the sun has been shining, it is still bitterly cold with the wind blowing from a north or north easterly direction for much of the month. Towards the end of the month, the weather warmed up to give highs of about 11°c. February 28th saw blustery winds and hail showers. Many plants are beginning growth now, and the excitement of seeing them pushing through or breaking into leaf is worth the wait every year. The picture to the left shows the lovely Arum italicum "Marmoratum", a plant I wouldn't want to be without at this time of year. Its leaves are marbled and shiny, and although its flowers are quite interesting, it's the berries which appear around July time which are stunning - these being clusters of bright orange held on strong stalks, which show up well after the foliage has died down. The plant comes true from seed.

On February 8th I spotted 2 goldfish in the pond - they had not been seen since last October, when a neighbour told me he had spotted a heron sitting on the garden bench by the pond! By the end of February, I had seen one more, making a total of three survivors from an original 20. Hopefully, there are more lurking about under the weed. On February 12th, I heard the frogs croaking for the first time this year. I couldn't see any though, and by the end of the month, there were still no frogs to be seen. They are playing "hard to get"!

Slugs and snails are playing havoc with my tulips. They are quite capable of climbing, swimming, and gliding over grit, broken egg shells and anything else rough, despite what you read in the media! They have decimated a group of tulips, and it's unlikely they will flower this year now.

In the greenhouse, Epiphyllums, Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, and many cacti and other succulents have survived the winter cold with no extra protection. The secret is to keep them as dry as possible. Many tender plants will tolerate sub-zero temperatures - it's the wet that kills them.

Hooray! Gardener's World (see Useful Links) is back on the telly again. I still think this is one of the best gardening programmes - they actually talk about and show plants!

"Real Gardens" is back on the telly on Channel 4 again, and with Gardener's World on the Beeb - Friday night is gardening night! Don't ya just love it?! With the repeats of other gardening progs as well, aren't we doing well? My mail order scented and fancy-leaved Pelargoniums have arrived, (I just love 'em) and I've potted them up and put them in the conservatory. My seed order has also arrived from Chiltern Seeds (see Useful Links), but I shall resist the temptation to sow them too early, as damping off is a problem when it's too cold and wet in the greenhouse.

On March 5th I was netting out the duckweed from the pond (this is an ongoing job which has to be done frequently, or the duckweed will completely cover the surface of the water and block out light and gas exchange), when I spotted not only the three surviving goldfish, but a shubunkin and my one and only Ghost Koi! By March 15th I had seen seven goldfish, two shubunkins and my Ghost Koi! (The Koi's name is "Cod"!) Maybe the heron didn't get much of a feed after all. Frogs and smooth newts are also appearing in the pond this month. Spring must surely be here now! I've also seen the first bees buzzing about. The picture on the left shows Eupatorium sordidum, a tender shrub which is in flower in the conservatory this month. Its flowers are like a giant mauve Ageratum, sweetly scented, and it has lovely deep green velvety leaves. Indeed, it is in the same family - Asteraceae/Compositae - as Ageratum. It's very easy from cuttings - just break a bit off and stick it in a pot!

There's so much happening in the garden now - most things are showing new growth, and many things are coming into flower. On March 12th the first frog spawn appeared in the pond! This will be followed by lots more as the week progresses. The weather this month has been a mixed bag - a very mild spell mid-month, which made everything grow furiously, followed by a couple of nights of sub-zero temperatures towards the end of the month which damaged the new growth on my Pieris japonica variegata. (Poor thing - the same happened to it last year, and it never grew any more new leaves.) Fortunately, my Pieris "Forest Flame" (pictured right) which is in a pot on the patio, was hardly touched. The last few days of the month were warmer, but very wet.

Butterflies seen this month - Comma, Peacock, Gatekeeper, small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone.