Goodbye
Ok, so I know that sounds so melodramatic!
We’re forecast rain tomorrow which will turn to sleet and there’s potential for snow on higher ground and since Sheffield is partially in the Peak District; that likely means we’ll also get some snow late Tuesday and into early Wednesday.
It isn’t too surprising that I’m feeling a little melancholy for the sun, warm weather and subsequent lovely blooms I risk losing – I fear mostly for the Tulips as everything else should generally be well evolved to deal with late snow/frosts.
So I’ve been out and trying to protect the tulips as well as moving pots into sheltered areas where they will be well protected from the worst of it.
I feel I’ve barely even got to know these Tulips and here I am bidding them farewell already! The white hasn’t even managed to open yet!
Oh well, I am sure some will survive to wow me further… It isn’t due to last long… That is as long as I haven’t jinxed myself!
Let’s hope my next post is a little happier! 😀 Have a good week everyone!
Copyright 2011 Liz.
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Gwirrel's Garden 
My weather is a bit like yours…snow, rain, cold winds and frost…now another freeze…it will likely result in some loss 😦
Hi Donna,
I’m sure there will be some losses, for me it’s the Tulips I’ll be most upset about, especially as this is the first year I’ve attempted any in the ground and the first year I’ve had more than a few in pots. I’ve got quite a few budding up and not far off opening, that will most likely be hit the hardest. Just trying to think how I could possibly protect them.
Hope you don’t lose too much, such a shame when they have all been brought on so early by the weather. The photos are all beautiful, like my espalier fruit trees, they are all in full bloom, so it will be out with the fleece and old lace curtains to try and protect the blossom!
Hi Pauline,
Exactly, as lovely as it might be to have Tulips and such blooming now, the reality is that I’ve been expecting this to happen for a long time and is why I still haven’t cut down much of the dead growth – Aster, Sedum, Verbena etc. I’ve placed cut grass and such over the tulips and various other things hoping it will help to add some protection at least but I don’t have any fleece and such for larger areas. So I’ll have to hope for the best.
Dear Liz, I do hope there isn’t too much damage! Your images are so beautiful. P. x
Hi Pam,
Thanks very much 🙂 Hopefully I’m just being too cautious and we’ll get off lightly!
Beautiful photos, as always…I’m crossing my fingers for your plants…it’s so hard not to fret when the weather makes a turn for the worst.
Hi Scot,
I’m hoping it won’t stay long – it’s been a few years since we last had any snow in April and usually it doesn’t hang around more than a day! So frustrating though as it’s been so nice and I’m just glad I’ve left most of the protection on everything since winter.
Oh, I hope the weather isn’t bad, and your spring blooms get through it unscathed.
Hi,
Thanks 🙂 I’m every hopeful we’ll be lucky and miss most of it. If not I’ve got my spike rubber thingies ready to put on the bottom of my trainers!
Ooooh, I love the Narcissus Minnow! So bright and cheerful! We got a skiff of snow last night as well, but we don’t have near the plants blooming yet that you do. Ours are probably still safe, but we have been known to have snow even into June! I pray that’s not the case this year!
Hi KT,
Thanks; I think it’s just so cute 🙂 I’ll definitely get more for next year and plant them in small clumps so they make more of an impact.
We’ve had freak snow late in the year too, but generally it lasts a few hours or so and melts quickly.
Beautiful!
my daffodils are already spent as the crocus are…
I think when we sprung ahead in time Spring decided to leap into summer
its been in the 90’s the last few days, though this morning was in the 50’s,
I know how you feel about your blooms….
I have been known to put umbrellas out !
Beautiful !
Thanks for sharing
)0(
maryrose
Hi,
Umberellas, now there’s an idea! I don’t have enough though to cover my plants 😦 lol, I can imagine looking out the window to gardens of umberellas… Now, there’s a sight! 😀
garden art ! i might do that …it is suspose to rain here today, one of the cats had he kittens in a chim?what ver those firespaces are called,
anyways, I was looking for something to cover the top and decided an umbrella would be just perfect….
Hope your beautiful blooms made it through okay!
)0(
Fingers crossed Liz the weather won’t be too bad. It is frustrating isn’t it, our weather? I guess we’ve been spoilt in the last couple of weeks. It’s not unusual to have snow at Easter just disappointing, I was planning a weekend of gardening. My new apple tree is about to bloom and I’ll be gutted if they get frost damaged so I’m on standby with fleece and bamboo canes.
Hi,
Yep, hopefully it won’t be too much of a problem or that at least it doesn’t hang around long – don’t think it’s due to either actually. But yep normally at this time of year it lasts a few hours and that’s it.
I can imagine there will be issues for farmers with orchards and lack of crop this Autumn.
Great photos.
Looking on the bright side, maybe the change in weather will keep your flowers in bloom for longer. I remember a few years ago a prolonged snap of cold weather in spring led to some of the earlier flowering plants staying in bloom for weeks beyond what would normally have been the case. Every cloud has a silver lining.
My inner 8 year old is getting a tad excited about the possibility of snow, but the adult me is bemoaning the blossom on the trees! Never happy are we?! 🙂
Hi Liz,
Yep; I can imagine you are getting excited 🙂 although I doubt it’ll hang around much longer than a few hours or so. Just wish it’d come a month or two ago instead when it didn’t matter so much.
We had a couple of inches by this morning, but it’s sleeting now so it’ll be gone again soon 😦
It was a bit sad to see the daffodils all bowed down, but they’re springing back up again now though…….just hope the new stuff I planted in the Japanese garden extension is okay – but I’m not feeling tough enough fro a trek up the garden in horizontal sleet!
Hi Liz,
Yeah I think most places got it worse than us – we barely had anything but some parts of Sheffield did get quite a good depth.
I hope you’re not going to loose anything of that lushness you showed us lately, it would really be a shame! How strange is the weather lately?
Hi Alberto,
I’m Same here, i’ll be disappointed but it isn’t unheard of for us to get snow at this time of year and normally it doesn’t cause too many problems although saying that the garden isn’t always as advanced!
Ah well, at least your pictures have me feeling cheery again on a miserable Tuesday afternoon. The snow isn’t lying in the city of Aberdeen, but a few miles west its 8 inches deep.
Hi Alistair,
We got off fairly lightly around us, but other parts of the city got it deeper – I don’t think we managed even an inch and wasn’t really settling on the roads or pavements instead we just had slushy ice which wasn’t much fun to walk down a steep hill in.
I think I’ve lost my Iceberg Rose as it’s been so windy and it’s now bending the wrong way – guessing roots must’ve come loose and it’s hanging over the path. Some daffs and Hellebores are flattened but otherwise things seem OK.
It’s not often national weather gets it right for those of us that live in the frozen North. Normally they miss the mark by so much it’s comical… or it would be if it wasn’t so tragic.
It’s a shame that when they do get it right, it’s never in our favour, as it were.
It’s a shame the unseasonally warm March brought so many plants to an unseasonally advanced state, meaning this cold spell is even more unfortunate. I would suggest if you have a lot of plants and a good size garden, invest in a roll of fleece; it’s not that expensive in bulk, and it can be reused over many years.
In the mean time, from 1 Yorkshire gardener to another, I hope your plants survive.
Lovely photos – hope everything doesn’t get too spoiled. I am more worried about the fruit trees – why does it have to get colder just as the blossom is forming – darn it!
Hi Elaine
Yep, exactly! If it’d been a few weeks earlier the blossoms would be OK but I can imagine we’ll be hearing of poor apple/fruit crops later in the year.