Lake District

Storm-tossed willows and poplars

Yes this winter monsoon is still upon us thanks to the Jet Stream being well and truly stuck. Pools of water which collected in rain-sodden fields have joined forces to create lakes in low-lying areas, some of them just outside towns.  There's a large market garden near here which has been half-submerged for a fortnight, its greenhouses incongruously marooned like glass islands in a blue ocean.

Free-range chickens after a rainstorm

On the plus-side, it's been a great season for willows and their golden stems sprout vividly against the grey skies of a passing storm.  

Now is the perfect time to plant a willow hedge along your perimeter (ensuring it's the statutory 50 cm inside your boundary) - simply push some off-cuts into the moist soil and watch them take root!

Pussy willow and hazel catkins

Fluffy Hedgerows

Catkins have been unfurling on many of the waterside trees and also on nut bushes like hazel,  soon to produce those lovely noisettes which French patissiers put to such good use!

Whereas we refer to these flowers as 'catkins', they are known as chatons or 'kittens' in French!

Storm Damage

There's no denying this is a difficult environment for trees, even if they are willows and able to absorb a huge amount of water.  The earth has been sodden for so long that another gale could well uproot some of the taller specimens.

Woodland trees in this part of France seem much more etiolated than comparable trees in England, doubtless due to the hotter and drier climate. They shoot up elegantly thin - unlike their more robust counterparts in the UK - collecting masses of ivy and mistletoe over the years which eventually lead to their downfall.

Beach at Meschers-sur-Gironde

Tons of driftwood has been washed up along the Gironde Estuary after recent winter storms.  Some pieces are more than four meters long but there are also many heavy trunks which could easily sink a small boat!

A couple of weeks ago, we found the bodies of five puffins washed ashore on this beach after a particularly strong gale.  They don't normally come this far south but we read that over 600 had been found on our shores, weakened by bad weather and lack of food.

So-called "Stinking Hellebore"

Garden colour

Mauve-striped crocus

Our drifts of hellebores continue to withstand the ravages of wind and rain. Christmas hellebores are now joined by the taller Helleborus foetidus, with its acid green flowers and sharply toothed leaves - weird but interesting!

Whenever it's sunny, bright clumps of crocus open up greedily to absorb heat on their stamens. Some varieties seem to come back more readily than others and one of the best we've found so far is a plump Dutch hybrid "Pickwick", which also stands up well to bad weather.   

Campanula lactiflora

Elsewhere the important ground-cover plants are producing carpets and cushions of greenery in an effort to clothe the soil and prevent any competition from weeds.

Whilst the campanula on the left can be a bit too invasive, it's easy enough to pull up unwanted plants whilst the earth is moist to stop them getting out of hand. This one flowers in early May and there are varieties in blue, pink and white - which form large clusters of open bells.

Campanula poscharskayana

I'm even more partial to the rockery version of Campanula which is great for edging and filling in crevices.  Again there are several varieties in shades of blue, white and mauve, forming neat little mounds which soon make a carpet if left to multiply, withstanding poor soil and arid conditions.  They're also easy to root

from offcuts at the moment.

Recently planted olive

Back on the subject of trees, I should emphasise to newcomers that the wind on these coasts (and even inland) can blow up in a matter of seconds, ripping off roof tiles and causing structural damage.  We've all been caught out at one time or another and even garden centres can be thrown into turmoil if their plants aren't firmly secured.

This particularly applies to saplings and young trees, as we just found out with this olive tree.  A thin bamboo stake is not enough!  Use a stout post set at an angle and secured with a proper tree-tie.

Shrub of the Month - February

In flower for the whole of February has been our superb Daphne odora with its clusters of pink and white blooms. 

Daphne odora charming the birds

These scent the back garden - and sometimes the kitchen too when we bring a few sprigs indoors.

It's evergreen and undemanding, keeping a compact shape without much pruning.  Ours has been growing in partial shade for about seven years and is now about 4' tall and wide, flowering reliably on every stem.

(Equally fine for scent and form is Daphne burkwoodii which flowers a bit later in spring.)

This month's blog is dedicated to our good friend Aurelien Hemono
"The Man Who Loved Trees"