From snowdrops to Hyacinths, winter colour is everywhere

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Over the past 2 or 3 years I’ve been adding to our snowdrop collection here in the nursery. Most gardens in the nursery now have snowdrops in them and Galanthus nivalis, the native snowdrop, seems to be popping up where I haven’t planted it, which is exciting

Last week I took a wander around the gardens to straighten my back after finishing tidying the wildlife garden and took some photos before the rain came in. Snowdrops give us such joy in February, just when we need it. Not quite through winter yet, the days are still short and light levels low and often the weather is miserable, yet these wee flowers pop up in all their pale glowing white colour to cheer us up and remind us spring is on its way.

Galanthus 'John Grey'

Galanthus 'Blewbury Tart'

Galanthus 'Ginns Imperati'

Galanthus 'Hill Poe'

Galanthus 'Magnet'

Galanthus 'Ophelia' 

Galanthus elwesii

Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno'

Galanthus nivalis, native garden

Galanthus ‘The Apothecary’

Last Monday I finished tidying the wildlife garden which I had started the previous Friday. There are lots of bulbs popping up already, can’t wait for spring and all that colour. I’ve just got the net to take off the wildlife pond which I’ll do this week. So that’s the bottom terrace finished, yay, only two more terraces and all the side gardens to do…….here are some before and afters and some of the features in the wildlife garden 😃


Features in the wildlife garden,
Hedera Buttercup on the bird bath


homes for bugs


lichens on the log pile, Wildlife garden

Tidying the wildlife garden

Wildlife garden tidied









It's was a busy few days last week, so forgive all the photos 😊 The forecast for snow was 50/50 so of course it snowed overnight! Its very pretty but inconvenient when there’s so much work to do on the ground. Still I always have plenty to do what ever the weather, six barrows of compost down to the stream extension borders to top up and act as a mulch, always a warm job and great to use our own compost from the compost bin, the ultimate recycling. Next I took the net off the wildlife pond, those frogs will be heading there soon. By then the sun had melted most of the snow in the next border to be tidied so I got on with that, more barrows of compost down to top those borders up, last years plant material up to the compost heap and this years compost down, finishing off the woodland garden. I think the tally of compost barrowing was 17 barrows, thank goodness its going downhill. Then it was the stream garden and the big wide border, again clearing, barrowing down compost, putting in the new hazel border edges, these are much sturdier than the ones I’ve used before so hopefully they will last longer. I cleaned the signs and tidied the containers outside our fence. On Monday the bug hotel in the native garden has had a top up of cones and branches, The straw needed topped up so I used the old Molinia flower stems folded into bundles which worked perfectly, moe recycling, that ws my inspired idea for the day lol. Along with the native garden tidy up that’s the bottom terrace finished.

A morning of snow




The old wheel barrow in the shade border


Tidying the shade border and finishing the woodland garden




Tidying the native scottish plants garden









New hazel edges for the Stream garden

The old ones have fallen apart


Tidying the Stream Garden










Like them or loath them, especially their scent, hyacinths are easy to grow, provide colour in the house in winter and can be planted out in the garden once they are finished flowering (though they won’t produce as big flowers going forward, but still worth planting out than throwing them out 😊 






Lovely evening with Becky last Thursday at Fazenda in Edinburgh celebrating her birthday, the first of our kids to turn 30!?! Great food and company, think I've finally thawed out after a freezing day at work.













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