We had dry weather for weeks, while the rest of the UK had rain. This week we have had some heavy showers which have brought the azaleas and rhododendrons out in spectacular fashion.
If you visit the Lakes you can go to some wonderful gardens at this time of year.

You can also just enjoy the scent of the yellow azalea, and the pinks of the rhooddies in our own Whte Moss House garden.

Pictures coming soon.

Looking at lovage

I've just spent a happy couple of hours hoeing the herb garden and then raking in fish, blood and bone to give the herbs a good start.
The lovage is already up. If you don't know what lovage is, You can read all about how to grow and use lovage here.
Here is the lovage just opening up. I've photographed it by the side of the hand fork so that you can see it's only a few inches high.

Baby lovage white moss house march 2012

I'll take more photos as it grows. It's a great herb- not that well known, but really useful and easy to grow.

The chives are coming along well, and the bay has had a great winter and is looking good. We're loving this sunny dry weather in the Lake District. No worries about a drought here!

We're opening our B & B rooms next weekend at White Moss House. Why not come and stay?

Oh No! The Daffoldils are out!

Yesterday I picked the first daffodils from the White Moss House garden. This is too early! They'll all be over by Easter at this rate!
Today is leap year day, and it's mild and sunny. I'm going outside with the secateurs to prune the jasmine. I don't know if it's the "right time", but it's something I just need to do.

If you don't know the story behind the world's most famous poem, "Daffodils" by our man William Wordsworth, you'll find the story of William Wordsworth's Daffodils here.

The little "Wordsworth Daffodils" just along the road at Dora's Field 

Dora's field, Rydal, is next to Rydal Mount, where Wordsworth lived his later years. He planned to build a house for Dora, his daughter. This was never built, and the field is now a lovely woodland slope, full of daffodils in March.

Now's the time to take a look at the herb garden

It's hard to imagine, looking at the bare patches of soil, that pretty soon I'll have an abundance of fresh herbs in the herb garden.
If you haven't already seen all the stuff I've written about my herb garden you can pop over to this page to get started.

I think that two of my favourite herbs are sorrel and lovage. Both are easy to grow, and both are easy to use to give interesting flavours to you cooking and salads.

Here's lovage growing in the White Moss herb garden.

Time to plan your herb garden for 2012 now!

Snowdrops all out early.

As it's been so mild, all our snowdrops are out. Sometimes they struggle to get properly out by March , so this really is unusual so far north.

Snowdrops at White Moss House, 5 March 2010

I haven't taken any photos of them yet, but here's one I made earlier. By 5 March 2012 I think the snowdrops will be well over.

Spring bulbs showing far to early

Thanks to and exceptionally mild winter so far, the snowdrops, crocus ans daffodil bulbs are all well up. The magnolia is also looking like it wants to break out. I see trouble on the way when we get some hard frosts.(Gardeners always expect problems) I must say that my herb garden is looking very neat this winter, chpped back, weeded and tidied. I'll take a pic and post it in the next few days.