Too wet to do much in the garden in January. There is no point tramping all over soggy wet soil and compacting it. Better to wait until the soil has dried out a bit.

Outdoor activity was mainly leaf gathering and there is still more to do. Maybe the wind will do me a favour!

It was quite mild and the bulbs really started to shoot up. By the end of the month snowdrops in sheltered parts were almost breaking bud.

No colour in the January garden? Don’t believe it. Some of the Hellebores are in flower with others to come. The sweetly scented Sarcoccocca is in flower and greets us as we come through the back yard gate, the Mahonias cannot be missed with their lovely yellow flowers and beautiful perfume and the Chaenomoles with their lovely red flowers. There are even some roses trying to break bud!

My seed order has arrived so the sowing plans can be made. This is the great thing about gardening, end of January or the beginning of February the first seeds are sown in the greenhouse and your mind starts to think about Spring. Wonderful!