Is it spring yet?

My garden, the human-interfered part at least, begs to differ.Thingsthere are still brown and dusty. But in the  larger world, things are waking up.This Saturday  then, I am focusing on those bits of the land that clearly have a much better gardener than I.
1.  The Gentians are out! Not peaking yet, that will happen a couple of weeks later. But enough to bring that surge of happiness one gets when one sees a loved friend.

2.  And the Hypericum is  sending out new growth in such lovely muted colours. Look  closely and there's grey, purple, red and yellow along with  the green.

3. And there is this. Very pretty little flowers that grow in the shade. The  flowers attract pollinators and  are slightly fragrant; it is the roots that  are highly scented. I usually find it growing in cool and dampish walls. The leaves are oval with a blunt  end..something like a drop, with the narrow end near the stem. The source I usually refer to calls it a Valerian, but the leaves don't match up. Does anyone know this?

4.  I have planted two grape cuttings begged from a neighbour. They are planted in large pots, on either side of our door. The idea is to train them up the west wall where they will live happily ever after. Please do keep your fingers crossed that  they'll root!

5.The spirea is unfolding it's buds. These are always the first of my shrubs to leaf out, and I love the promise they bring.

6. And finally, Help!! Something is eating my azalea buds.The same dastardly creature also ate my hydrangea buds last summer. It  just takes a bite of each bud,and when the flowers open they are disfigured. I have hunted in the plants and cannot find anything like a caterpillar.And my garden is too dusty and dry for snails and slugs. Please help!

 This weekly event- of showcasing six things from one's garden- is hosted by The Propagator. Please do head on over to  his blog. Reading the other six-on-saturday posts is a lovely bit of weekly garden visiting I have become quite addicted to!

Romantic stuff

Last month, Mian and I celebrated our anniversary. Well, when I say 'celebrate', I am not being very accurate. I was 2000 kilometers away from him that day. Also the weeks preceding and after. My family was horrified. Mian and I were sad, but determined to make the most of it. 'We celebrate every moment we are together', said I to those who asked, ' a particular day is not that important.'
That  was only the partial truth. All days are special, some are more special than others. And to prove it, Mian sent me a photo of the gift he had been  working on for me.Here it is then, the first of my six on Saturday.
1. A pool. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember. And now here it is. Slowly, I will add a bog area and plantings, I will invite wildlife but make sure the dogs still have a clear space to wallow, there will be stools for Mian and I to perch on. But it could not be any more perfect.

2.  Nurture. Mian loves a garden, but he is not a lover of the process of gardening. And so the daily fussing over plants is my job and my joy. But he knows how much the plants mean to me. This time, when I had to be away from home at this always-difficult time where winter and spring war with each other,  he took on the responsibility of cossetting my seedlings.I had only requested that he water and cover them. He has been doing that and more..moving them into the sun, out of the wind, indoors, outdoors,and all over. And this is what  they look like now:

I have the best husband on this or any other planet.

3. Snow. I missed the only snow day of the year.Unless  February is very wet, we face a long and  hard spring and summer. No winter precipitation means increased disease, no soil moisture, no spring recharge, and increased forest fires.

4.  To  prove what a warm and dry winter this has been, everything in my garden  is coming up early. The winter jasmine usually flowers in mid-feb. But here it is now. Beautiful, yes.But also worrying.

5.Every year, I am taught the lesson of being  patient when it comes to declaring that spring is here. And every year, I do not learn it. I could not wait and transplanted some seedlings and divided some perennials. And now frost is predicted.

6. The photo is not very good because it  was taken with  my phone. But can you see a strange outgrowth  near the chick's neck? That's not an outgrowth. The chick was attacked (by something strong enough to  make the wound, and daft enough to let it escape.We strongly suspect the pup was trying to play with it) and now has a flap of skin and feathers. Mian  nursed the chick till it recovered,but both he and I are nervous about cutting the flap off. But 'tis one of those  things that must be done, and done quickly..

And that's it for this week! Will my transplants survive for the next Six-on-Saturday? Will the chick? Oh the drama that is a garden.

As always, please do go on to The Propagator's blog. He hosts Six on Saturday, and you will find an ever-growing list of interesting gardeners and their updates.