Spring at Rose Cottage - Part One.

March was a slow-down month.  After such a mild winter here in the S.W. everything seemed to be weeks ahead but March and then April slowed all that down.  There were cold nights with some heavy frosts. Dull, grey days and plenty of rain and now we seem to be back where we would expect to be in early May.
We spent just over a week with the family in Cyprus in mid-April and came back to cold and hail.
A very mixed bag of weather - and I've yet to get back into the blogging rhythm.
So - a couple of catch-up posts before it's too late.

Early spring -

Hellebore "Winter Sunshine" still looking good, even though the flowers have faded. It's been flowering for weeks.

The beginning of March saw the first stages in a new structure at the side of the potting shed

A new pergola to replace the hazel poles which had been here previously and which had gradually collapsed.

There is a new clematis planted to climb up the posts on the right and we may have to replace the honeysuckle as it is looking a bit sorry for itself since being hoisted up onto its new support.

 I've added some colour to the small spring border  near the garage to fill the gaps as the snowdrops die down.

The narcissus are over now except for one pot of late ones.

 A pot of early tulips

Camellia - no name - came with the garden

Bluebells under the silver birches

Stage one of the ground elder clearing is complete - half the bed is dug over and we are waiting for rogue bits to spring up, then we will zap them.  I've decided not to replant until next year as I'm sure we need that time to ensure it's clear.  The other half of the bed will be tackled next year.