More rain but no chill, establishing fedges and container wars in Seattle

The focus this week is on the versatile willow

It’s been a depressing month weatherwise. My weather station has recorded 113mm of rain and there are still two wet days to go, no wonder I have achieved all of my writing targets but very few of my gardening tasks.  One of the most depressing sights has been the large population of slugs tucked away in damp spots awaiting the arrival of my seedlings.

Some very early tulips (supposed to be mid season) nibbled I assume by a slug or snail

Will February be one of the wettest on record?  We’ve had more than double the usual, so it will be one of the wettest, but it won’t break the record for February 2020 – when Wales received an average of 289 mm and England 155mm, so perhaps 113mm isn’t that bad!  And on a brighter note, April 2020 was on the sunniest on record. No wonder we were all desperate to get outside during the first covid lockdown. Let hope 2024 follows the same pattern.

But for me the more worrying statistic is the lack of chilly days.  There’s been a handful of days when temper…