Winter Green Blues

As Rolf Harris says "can you guess what it is yet?"
As I wrote tidying the garden reveals all new growth on the plants. The majority of plants I used were perennials
They disappear into the ground level over winter but as the day length gets longer, and the sunshine much brighter they start growing in earnest.
The Roses have healthy red tips across all their branches where leafs will explode from.
The Spring Bulbs are peeking up through the soil now after being frozen in for a while.
The Sambuca nigra has velvety black buds that look like mini boa feathers. It is a handsome shrub with its black frond fern like leaves, and bubbling pink champagne flowers floating above them.
The plant I'm willing to grow is the Hanamellis or Witch Hazel. The flowers are strongly citrus scented and are bright orange. They glow around the branches, and are bright colours in the mostly green garden. I cant see any new growth on mine yet.
Spring Bulbs are a blessing for the riot of colour they can bring to a faded garden. They kick start the growing season and get you into the garden to see whats growing.
I planted a few more bulbs. The latest ones to be planted are called Ismene, or Spider Lily's. I also found them to be called Peruvian Daffodils. The white flowers have the trumpet like the ordinary Daffs, but spidery outer petals curving outwards.
The weekend is nearly here and I will do the RSPB's big bird count on Saturday. I hope the birds let me count them, and don't all stay in their roosts for the one hour that I'm counting..


The mystery leaves like a mini cabbage are from a rejuvenated Aquilegia. I have four plants from last year that never flowered. I hope they will this year. I love their natural shape with the spurs trailing behind the flower. There are two mixed ones, and two called Fruit And Nut...(chocolatey name). Apparently Native Americans used to use the plants as a condiment..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia
I have tomorrow off before two days of working. I hope you all have good green fingered weekends.