Hi Andrew, go on then, tell us the signs. This thread could run like "The Guardian" letters page. Do check out the Apricot trees thread, there's some good stuff from "Plantzman, although nothing about hand pollinating, good luck

I saw daffodils flowering gaily in Cambridge at the weekend.

Lots of budding/new growth but flowering here limited to crocuses and hyacinths (daffodils not yet), camellias, Kerria japonica, Primula vulgaris 'Corporal Baxter' and Pulmonaria (probably saccharata 'Mrs Moon'). It was the Pulmonaria that startled me as we have heavy clay soil so one would expect a late start. Last year, if I remember rightly, all the spring plants flowered together, in April; this year they are beginning while the winter ones are still out (hellebores, daphne, witch hazel, Sarcococca).

My snowdrops are giving an exceptional display this year: over 200 flowers I estimate in a couple of squate feet (O.K. so I should be dividing them into smaller clumps!). They seem to love the Leicester clay round here.

Hi guys.The non-hardy Fuschias are showing leaves under the mulches. Leycestrias and Buddlias are showing shoots at the bottom(pruned them today). We've had daffies out for about 2 weeks but no sign of anyCelandines in the hedgerows, (although the Cuckoo Pint looks strong) once the Celandines are out I know Spring is well on it's way. At least the evenings are drawing out now, all the best.

Daffodils?! Pout pout pout. Here everything is under a thick blanket of snow. I like snow. I really do. But I also like spring. I was amazed, several years back, when traveling to England in mid March just HOW MUCH was in bloom.
We now return you to your regular forum. :)

My frogs are up and about already. It's a mild night. Will there be goings-on in the pond??

I'm almost sure I saw a celandine a week or two ago.

Hi gardenfaerie, yeah, I love snow as well but only if it's in Michigan or Scotland. We're a bit soft down here on the South Coast. Must keep a closer eye on the celandines garden_nerd, I'll cycle a little slower. I have picked my first outdoor Fresias, that only happens in really mild winters, during February, so hopefully we won't get a Spring like last year, all the best

I'm not sure what I can offer you that is unusual for the time of year. Lots of colour from Cyclamen, Anemone blanda, Crocus, Snowdrops, Daphne. There was lots happening a month ago, Fuchsias still going strong, a couple of roses, still autumn, but two very hard freezes brought it all to a close.

I've been examining some photos of my tree peony from 2005 and it is at exactly the same stage just starting to open the buds, except that two years ago they were nicely sugar frosted :)

In my garden Clematis armandii is now in full flower. Yesterday I was in South Kensington and in the wonderful garden squares there were a number of magnificant specimens of Acacia dealbata covered with yellow flowers.

I have frogspawn.

Today I saw a Magnolia x soulangeana in flower. I have never seen that in February before.

I've seen several Bumble-bees about but no hive bees. Hey, garden-nerd, you're frogs were quick. I wonder what chat-up lines they use. All the outdoor Fresias are starting to bud up, hopefully I'll have Fresias untilMay all the best.

Honey Bees on the Mahonia flowers couple of days ago, and a Comma butterfly fly-past

Resin

Riddip, do you hop here often, riddip?

I've not heard any croaking but every time I step out in the garden there's a massive splash as all the frogs jump into the water in unison.

If amale frog used that line the female would probably say "leap it out". (Sorry abou that, can't resist a pun!). I have seen some Celandines out so I'll assume the worst of the winter's gone and start planting some seeds. I've already started some Petunias and as the Brugmansias seem quite happy I'll pop them out in the open for a whle, all the best,

No! Don't do that to the Brugs yet! There's a frost forecast for tomorrow night.

Thanks for the warning, garden_nerd. I'll leave them protected for a bit longer. I guess I'm just getting a bit impatient! Thanks again.

Just noticed Daffodils on the walk to my Daughters school!

Hooray for Spring!

Kind Regards
Moolarman

Here is a link that might be useful: Moolarmans Personal Garden Blog

Well i couldn't believe it when me and my partner discovered a mozi in our kitchen, now it hasn't been mild enough for things like that yet, any idea where it came from? Spring is creeping in but its no way mozi weather, its not even close!

I have seen a number of roses in flower, of various varieties, not just early-flowering species ones. I cannot believe that roses have ever started flowering in April before. At this rate, gardens will be exhausted by mid-summer.

Hi andrew. Well none of the roses in the gardens that I look after are flowering but I prune them in March so they're just sending up shoots at the moment. I've noticed unpruned roses showing flowers but that's not terribly uncommon in warm Springs ( Ido live on the South Coast)., if you don't Autumn prune them, they'll flower at Xmas. Sometimes I leave the odd bush alone in Autumn so that my M.B.H can have roses for Xmas. All the best

Cajary - certainly there are plenty of unpruned roses round here that are flowering now (including species and rugosa roses that wouldn't have needed pruning anyway) but I have also seen roses flowering that I know were pruned in the winter (in December) and I don't just mean spring-flowering roses such as Rosa primula and 'Canary Bird'. Magnolias flowering in February, roses flowering in April, it's actually getting quite scary.

Hi, Andrew. Yep, you're right that is early. I Autumn prune my roses and then do them properly in March so I guess they will always be a little later. They're certainly budding up quickly, hpoefully we will just get a longer flowering period, all the best

Cajary - I have worked out the pattern here in London this year. Roses that were pruned in late 2006 started flowering a week or two ago and are in full spate now (as are unpruned roses, rugosas, some species, etc.). Roses that were pruned in early 2007 are still largely yet to flower.

I did the same as you with my neighbour's roses as they were very tall (brought them down by one-third in late autumn, then by another third in early spring) and they are still only budding. My own rose bushes are still mostly young so are no kind of guide but I do have an hybrid perpetual 'Reine des Violettes' which I had to put in a pot for lack of space when I received it as a bare-root plant in December and even that has been flowering for a week now.

I don't know if one should regard it as fortunate or not, but the spring drought is beginning to hold back other plants that started to grow too fast too soon.

I've noticed an early flower on my common elder tree. This is a flower I think of as being quintessentially June. They'll probably all be brown by then.

The first flowers opened on my Lasurstern clematis this week.

Hi Andrew, I think you're right about the Spring drought but looking at the weather forecast, I think it's abou to end. Watch everything move again, then. Interesting about the roses. I always prune them in the "old-fashioned" way and they always flower in June (and will this year,I think). Maybe that's why the old-time gardeners pruned them that way. That and to make sure they had a "resting" period, all the best

Cajary - I thought the reason why gardeners used to hold off pruning roses until early March in the south, and late March in the north, was for fear of frost damage. Now that we don't have frosts any more ...

There is a lot to be said for pruning in two stages, a bit in late autumn, then a bit more in early spring, but of course this is too much trouble for anyone but the dedicated amateur gardener.

If you are going to do it in one go, then yes, as you say, March still makes a lot of sense.

One thing I wonder, though, is whether, with sporadically repeat-flowering roses such as hybrid perpetuals, a very early flowering increases the number of likely flowerings during the season. We shall see.