The garden in which time stood still

We've had late starts to spring before, but this is the first time that I've seen the garden start to spring to life quite early and then go into a sort of suspended animation! It's hardly been worth sharing photos of 'what's flowering now' as it's been the same plants for a month. Very little has changed over the last 3 weeks and what change there has been, has been so slow it has been barely noticeable (with the sole exception of the Forsythia, whose yellow blooms are hard not to notice). So time to post these pictures now as I see in the last few days a perceptible difference, just due to suddenly having more normal April weather - not yet warm, but a lot warmer than cold, with a bit of sun interspersed with heavy showers. Warmth is apparently coming our way from Sunday onwards and then I expect the garden will change dramatically over the course of the next week and I really hope for some riots of fruit tree blossom against a backdrop of blue sky...... I can hope, can't I?!

So for now I share my March garden pics, most of which were taken during the last week of the month. More pictures, fewer words.

Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa)
taken a few weeks ago and has only just
finished flowering

The first flush of flowers from Aubretia
growing through a large lavender

A self seeded Oriental Hellebore flowers for the first time;
this is a paler pinky purple than the others that I have.
I love that they can cross, just like Aquilegias, and you never know what colour
you are going to get! Much like the multi coloured primroses in the background -
now I have far more pink ones that I had a few years ago.

Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles) in the background
with Photinia x fraseri 'Pink Marble' foliage in the foreground

Various Euphorbias by the steps leading up to the garage

Euphorbia Characias

The Euphorbias have given a sunny appearance to the front garden
whilst the weather has been miserable

Spot the little spider!

'That' purple leafed Prunus tree, which sadly was never really a
blast of colour as the leaves come soon after the flowers -
but this year it's been both seeming to happen at the same time.

I never tire of the catkins on
the Corkscrew Hazel
(Corylus avellana contorta)

So here's some more catkins!

A bit of blue sky that day!
Lake seen through a Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles)

These last two are poor quality due to being taken through double glazing but highlights how little has changed, and shows we still had some snow even at the end of March.

30th March - Hellebores, Primroses, and still
the first daffodils which have lasted for ages!

9th April - same flowers still in bloom, including 'that' Prunus tree again.
Against the trellis is my Honeysuckle which blew off the wall,
trellis and all, during a storm last year.

And so far the only sign of any fresh green leaves are on my Hawthorn, seen here against the backdrop of my big old oak tree. I'm so looking forward to seeing leaves again!