Back yard, January - here we go again…

I braved the January cold today and tidied my back yard. I vowed that the first dry day we got I was going to do it and, as today was sunny albeit bitterly cold, that is exactly what I did. It didn’t need much tidying really. The last of the fallen leaves needed picking up, the cobbles needed a sweep, some of the plants from last year needed a trim, but really that was that. Of course the edging needs re-cementing – a few of the edging blocks have come loose with the rain - but that can wait for a warmer day.

Why is it that the wind never blows until you have swept things into a pile? It seems he knows when you are about to pick it up and the minute you reach for the shovel – whoosh! I swear I heard one of my stone cats laugh as he watched me chasing the dancing leaves around.

I was surprised by what I found still going strong. Of course the bulbs are through and the snapdragons seem to be no worse for the frost. But I wasn’t expecting to find a camellia in fine leaf in a pot, particularly as it was potted two years ago and didn’t show any signs of life at all last year. My chocolate cosmos’ tuber seems to have doubled in size and is going to need re-potting this year. I really must find a nicer pot for it, the plastic one it’s in at the moment simply won’t do. And I’m really not sure what to do with the stragglers from last year - pull them up or leave them in - but I think that decision can wait until spring.

And that’s where I’ll leave it for now; an almost blank canvas waiting for the gardening brush to paint some sunshine onto my little back yard.